Soul pioneers, Wiley And The Checkmates, hit Chicago on Saturday, March 28th at Hideout.
These guys are the real deal -- true pioneers of Delta soul bringing you serious booty shakin' music from the deep South.
Wiley And The Checkmates were originally formed in 1960 by Herbert Wiley in Mississippi, played for roughly 12 years before taking a long hiatus. In 2002, Wiley reformed the Checkmates, bringing together a vast array of jazz, rock, and gospel sounds producing a modernized version of the original 60's music.
In 2004, the Checkmates toured the Southeast with various regular and guest members in the band, including J. D. Mark (LCD Soundsystem's touring guitarist), and released the album "We Call It Soul" in 2005.
The album is comprised of a diverse mix of guest musicians who have previously played with artists such as Elvis, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan.
Still, their sound is deep soul with modern flavors and influences, but perfectly original and fun, fun, fun!
Wiley And The Checkmates is celebrating the vinyl release of "We Call It Soul" at Saturday's show. It was released on Chicago's Rabbit Factory Records label, and is a fantastic milestone of nearly 50 years of amazing, collaborative music. Stick it on your calendar!
Fayth Koga is a member of the NBC Chicago Street Team.
