St. Gerald’s Fest Concert Performance Review
(Oak Lawn, IL, August 12, 2023)
By: Bud Monaco

On a warm Summer, Saturday afternoon in Oak Lawn, IL, at the annual St. Gerald’s Fest, the West Madison Kings Blues band performed a spectacular show that entertained the crowd immensely with their wide selection and styles of authentic and eclectic ‘down- home’ Chicago and Delta Blues.
    The West Madison Kings kicked off their performance with Sleepy John Estes’ renowned hit song, Diving Duck, and continued their show with ‘off on a whim’ songs like traditional Bluesmen did back in the early days, and brought their performance to a climactic finish with a rousing version of Mojo Working, much to the delight of the graciously appreciating audience.
    Band leader, Guitarist and Vocalist Eddie Neese was at his finest with his slashing and precision Blues guitar techniques that proved once again that Eddie is truly a ‘Tone King’ fretmaster in his own right.
    Eddie’s music career dates back five decades from when he burst onto the Chicago Rock and Roll music scene during the 1970s performing with his own popular headliner band and numerous other top dog Rock and Roll outfits. And as many Rock and Roll musicians and performers have done, as they’ve aged gracefully, Eddie morphed into the Blues after decades of performing live, as even in his Rock and Rolls days he always had the Blues in him, and now has proved his mettle and guitar talents in the wide expanse of Chicago and the Nation’s Blues world.
    During his performance at the Fest, Eddie led his band-mates through a blistering show that was powerful, soul stirring and enduring, just as he and his band-mates are known for throughout Chicago-land and America’s Midwest.
    Bassist Mike McCune, another Rock and Roller for most of his music career performing and recording with some of the most highly regarded Rock and Roll outfits in Chicago, America’s Midwest and across the Pond in England, followed a parallel morphing as Eddie, becoming a mainstay Blues bassist and now as a highly regarded and much sought after bass guitar Bluesman.
    Mike’s unwavering strong and intricately structured bass lines kept the band and rhythm section in perfect synchronicity with his solid precision and musicianship cascading from one song to the next, note to note, without a flaw to be heard.
   

Keyboardist and vocalist Bill Shackford, also known by the moniker of ‘One Take Willie’, is a nationally-known world-travelled keyboard master of the 88s, and can be honorable considered as a triple-cross performer in the likes of the iconic Blues legend Sunnyland Slim, Southern Blues icon Greg Allman, and New Orleans and international superstar Honkey Tonk King Doctor John The Night Tripper.
    Bill’s versatility during his performance with his magic touch on the 88s and his engaging vocals took on a wide variety of Blues and Honkey Tonk styles that were serious, and quite often comical at times, were entertaining as well as a ‘down-home’ Bluesman can be on any stage at any venues from coast to coast.
    Drummer extraordinaire Pookie Styx, held up his part of the band’s performance with perfect meter complimenting the rhythm section’s integral part of the band. Many times during the band’s performance, when Eddie wailed into tangent’s of riffs to riffs, Pookie and Mike kept the big back beat in perfect tandem, and when Eddie segued back to the medley lines, everything, note for note, was right back in the pocket where it was before Eddie began wailing like a guitar demon possessed by the god’s of the Blues.
    Pookie’s music career spans over decades as he’s performed with dozens of the most highly acclaimed Blues artists from sea to shining sea; most notably performing with the highly acclaimed and international famous Bluesman, Toronzo Cannon.
    Although the Bass Tone King of the Blues, nationally and internationally famous, Mississippi-born Robert Stroger, an integral performer with the West Madison Kings, was not able to perform with the band at this event due to a prior engagement.
    Robert’s music career spans over seven decades, and at the ripe ol’ age of 92, Robert is still the most highly sought after Blues bass man in the world. Along with performing with his own Blues band, while in-country, overseas in Europe or South America, Robert has performed with some of the greatest Blues performers in the world, to name a few; James Cotton, Jimmy Vaughn, Kim Wilson, Hubert Sumlin, and Eddie Taylor, Jr., Robert continues to astound fans with his magnificent and stunning performances on Bass guitar and his beautiful vocals that at times can bring a crowd to its knees and at other times can bring a crowd to its feet to marvel at the dynamics and sound and power he presents.
    The band members reverently call him ‘Pops’, as he is their teacher, mentor, and Blues Dad that they respect and have unconditional love for.
    Robert’s career is highlighted with numerous music awards and three of these awards came when Robert was awarded the ‘Blues Music Award for Best Blues Bassist’ in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
    Robert now the Senior Ambassador of the Blues is presently the Elder Statesmen of Chicago Blues, as well as he’s honored as the Godfather of Chicago Blues.