‘Queen of the Blues’ Koko Taylor passes away at 80
June 4th, 2009 - 11:19 am ICT by ANILondon, June 4 (ANI): “Queen of the Blues” Koko Taylor has died, aged 80.
Her record label has revealed that the award-winning singer died in hospital in Chicago from complications following recent surgery.
She is survived by her daughter, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Taylor, one of the few women to find long-term success in the traditionally male dominated blues scene, recorded nine albums.
She had won a Grammy, 29 Blues Music Awards, and a National Endowment for the Arts medal for her contribution to American music.
Born Cora Walton in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of a sharecropper adopted her stage name because of her love for chocolate.
An announcement on Taylor’s website said that she had received “every award the blues world has to offer” for songs including her best-selling hit, Wang Dang Doodle.
The last performance Taylor gave was at the Blues Music Awards on May 7 this year.
“The passion that she brought and the fire and the growl in her voice when she sang was the truth,” the BBC quoted blues singer and musician Ronnie Baker Brooks as saying.
“The music will live on, but it’s much better because of Koko. It’s a huge loss,” Brooks added. (ANI)
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