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Kingston Mines (blues club)
Nightclub in Chicago, Illinois From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kingston Mines is a blues nightclub in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. It is named after Kingston Mines, Illinois, and is "the oldest, continuously operating blues club in Chicago."
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History
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The club derived its name from the Kingston Mines Theatre Company founded by June Pyskacek in 1969 at 2356 N. Lincoln Avenue[1] and named after Kingston Mines, Illinois, where the father of one of its actors, Jack Wallace, worked. Pyskacek asked Harry Hoch and a partner to open a café and performance space in the front of the building called the Kingston Mines Company Store.[2][3]
The company was acquired in 1972 by Lenin "Doc" Pellegrino, M.D., and renamed the Kingston Mines Café.[4] The original production of Grease was written and first premiered at the Kingston Mines Theatre in 1971 before moving to Broadway a year later.[5] The theatre company expired in 1973, while the Café survived as a blues club. It moved to its current location at 2548 N. Halsted in 1982.[4][6]
After Doc Pelligrino died in 2018, he passed ownership to his daughters, Donna and Lisa Pellegrino.[7][4]
The club closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8] Fans donated over $60,000 to a GoFundMe to help the club reopen.[9] Before the pandemic, Kingston Mines showcased a variety of blues by two separate bands, every night year-round, on two stages.[8] As of 2023, the club is open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.[10]
Kingston Mines is still owned by the Pellegrino family and it is "the oldest, continuously operating blues club in Chicago."[11][7][12] Doc Pellegrino's motto was: "Hear Blues. Drink Booze. Talk Loud. You're Among Friends."[4]
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Blues
Kingston Mines showcases blues music ranging from delta blues to Chicago blues. Their featured artists cover a broad and diverse spectrum of the genre.
Blues legends such as Koko Taylor, Carl Weathersby, and Magic Slim have played there, among a myriad more. The Kingston Mines has two alternating "headline" performances on its two stages into the early morning. Pellegrino introduced a two-stage setup to maintain a continuous flow of live music, allowing one band to begin playing as soon as the other finishes, minimizing downtime throughout the night.[13] Carl Weathersby, Linsey Alexander, Eddie Shaw, Mike Wheeler, Peaches Staten, and Ronnie Hicks are regular performers.[14][15] Joanna Connor has played at the club regularly since 2005.[6][9] The Rolling Stones performed at the club in 1978.[16] A long-standing tradition at Kingston Mines is the Sunday night Blues Jam that is free to join, and anyone can participate.[17]
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Awards
- 2014 - "Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Blues Clubs" by the Blues Foundation[14]
- 2016 - Chicago Reader's Best Blues Club[12][18]
- 2016 - Chicago Music Awards Most Popular Blues Club Award[12]
- 2016 - Torch Bearer of Blues in Chicago[4]
- 2019 - TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence[19]
- 2019 - Chicago Concierge Favorites Award[19][20]
References
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