Three years ago in 2017, I spearheaded, with West Side  travel agent Crystal Dyer, a series of community talks on West Side blues and culture.

This was after a Crain's Business article showed the city is losing millions for failure to promote its local music.

In 2020, Mayor Lori Lightfoot launched "Year of Chicago Music" and spent thousands of dollars on a cute logo, "Music in the Key of Chicago."  The program was set to highlight 18 days of downtown festivals of various genres, which arenow in question due to the coronavirus.  

But where are the concrete plans for the city to help the small, mostly Black owned lounges which nurture the heart of the music? These clubs for years have been suppressed by licensing bureaucracy.   The places where you find music like this VIDEO of Larry Taylor singing with the late Killer Ray Allison's band at Linda's Lounge.

By the way, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (not supported by the mayor nor IL governor JB Pritzker) has come out strongly for national arts programs to integrate the arts with small biz and community..