Eddy Clearwater Tribute Exhibition

Eddy Clearwater by Chuck Winans

Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (1935-2018)

Chicago Bluesman Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater was lauded for his guitar playing, powerful songwriting, and flamboyant stage presence.

Known as “The Chief” Eddy Clearwater was born Edward Harrington in Macon, Mississippi. His grandparents were of Cherokee, Choctaw, and African American heritage. His performances in a war bonnet paid homage to his ancestors. Eddy spent most of his childhood in Macon and attended a one-room schoolhouse before moving to Alabama. He moved to Chicago in 1950 to visit his uncle. He boarded a bus with a small suitcase and a guitar in his hand hoping to make some money playing the Blues.

He made a name for himself as Guitar Eddy before creating his own band and joining the Versatones. as a lead vocalist and guitarist. He played in the band in a club in Round Lake, IL, but because of segregation he had to first play behind a curtain. Eddy’s talent and charm won over the audience in and the owner invited him to play upfront and greet the audience. Eddy was a hit!

Eddy had many jobs to pay his rent and one of them was as a cab driver. One afternoon, as he was driving, he heard the Blues coming from the 708 Club on the south-side of Chicago. He parked his cab and snuck into the club, ordered a Coke, and stayed all night listening to Muddy Waters. He love Muddy Waters and quickly became a ‘Blues student’ listening and watching Muddy every chance he would get.

Eddy also loved Chuck Berry and Louie Jordan. These excellent musicians influenced his playing and he added Rock N Roll elements to his playing and performance. He also created a new stage name, Clear Waters as a play on his mentor Muddy Waters. Shortly after he became Eddy Clearwater.

Eddy’s friendship with Muddy evolved and Eddy moved to Westmont, Illinois where he became neighbors with Muddy Waters who moved his family there.

In 1993 Eddy married the love of his life Renee and they built their life and business in Skokie for the next 25 years. “Skokie is a First Class Town” was the song he wrote for his beloved Village which was slated to be on his next album before his untimely death.

Eddy recorded for many record labels including Rooster, Versa, Blind Pig, Rounder, Alligator and he and Renee were proud to have released Eddy’s last album “SOUL FUNKY” and two DVDs on their own label “Cleartone Records.” His album ‘West Side Strut’ produced by Ronnie Baker Brooks reached number one on the Living Blues Charts and received Living Blues Critics Choice #1 for this recording. His album with Los Straitjackets ‘Rock N Roll City’ garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues album in 2004.

Eddy has received many accolades including resolutions and proclamations honoring him and proclaiming it Eddy Clearwater Day in Macon, Mississippi, Chicago, IL, Skokie, IL, and a Key to the City from Westmont, IL.

in 2007, Eddy was presented with the first "Arts Legacy Award" by Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen and the Skokie Village Board. In addition, November 5, 2007, was proclaimed Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater Day by the Village of Skokie, IL. Again in 2015, in honor of his achievements and for mentoring young artists, as a Skokie resident, the Grammy-nominated blues artist received the Award for Artistic Excellence from the Village of Skokie Fine Arts Commission. The plaque is on display in Skokie's NorthShore Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2016 Eddy was inducted into the prestigious Blues Hall Of Fame in Memphis and that same year he received the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award from Blues Blast Magazine.

Eddy ‘The Chief’ Clearwater sang, “Came Up The Hard Way” but his life was blessed, becoming an international star. The Eddy Clearwater band traveled the world and made many fans and friends wherever they performed. His band for the past decade included; Tom Crivillone on guitar, Shoji Naito on guitar, bass and harp, Dave Knopf on bass, and Stephen Bass on drums.

Please visit, www.eddyclearwater.com to watch archival videos.

Lynn Orman Weiss, Orman Music & Media

Featuring Photos by Photographers:

Renee Greenman-Clearwater

Chicago Blues Photography (Karen Murphy)

Peter M. Hurley

Roman Sobus

Lynn Orman Weiss

Chuck Winans

Allen Winkler

Steven I. Wolf

and an Original Painting by Kay Silva

Eddy Clearwater by Kay Silva

Lynn Orman Weiss with Eddy Clearwater

Photo by Steven I. Wolf

Photos by Roman Sobus
Poster with a CD of Rock 'N' Roll City (nominated for a Grammy® Award in 2004) surround by Eddy Clearwater with some of his band members

Tom Crivellone, guitar and vocals; Shoji Naito, harp and guitar; Dave Knopf, bass; Stephen Bass, drums; Emcee, Johnny Sims

Photos by Peter M. Hurley

Eddy Clearwater Tribute Wall - Painting by Kay Silva, Photos of Eddy in Mississippi by Renee Clearwater and Fan Art - Artist Unknown

Photos by Lynn Orman Weiss and Steven I. Wolf

“There will never be anyone as humble and grateful for life and his opportunity to play the blues for you then, Eddy Clearwater. He was so honored to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2016 and to receive proclamations naming it Eddy Clearwater Day on his birthday, January 10th 2018 from Westmont, IL and Skokie, IL his two residences. Eddy was proud to have lived in Skokie, IL for the past 20 years with his wife, Renee and their family. He loved the village so much he just penned a song, “Skokie A First Class Town.” Eddy was family, I was his publicist and neighbor for the past ten years we enjoyed holidays and celebrations together. I will continue to celebrate his life, his music and his legacy.”

— Lynn Orman Weiss, publicist/archivist, Orman Music and Media Group

Photos by Chicago Blues Photography (Karen Murphy)

ARTIST/PHOTOGRAPHER BIOS:

RENEE CLEARWATER

Renee was married to Eddy until his death in 2018. Together Renee and Eddy formed Reservation Blues, a Wicker Park (Chicago) blues bar and restaurant in the early 2000's (since closed). It featured Clearwater regularly as well as local and national blues talent. Renee served as Eddy's manager. According to Lynn Orman Weiss (his long standing publicist), Clearwater and Greenman renewed their vows on the Legendary Blues Cruise.

CHICAGO BLUES PHOTOGRAPHY - KAREN MURPHY

My story is simple: I am a blues fanatic who fell in love with the blues in high school when I first heard Muddy Waters. With my newsletter, website and photography, I want to make sure that the Chicago blues community gets the support and recognition it deserves in the city, the state, the U.S. and the world. I am not a musician and have no hidden agenda. I hope to entertain you, educate you and help you develop a love for blues, especially Chicago blues. Karen is the editor of Chicago Blues News.

PETER M. HURLEY

Artist and muralist Peter Hurley is a true Contemporary Post-Impressionist. Known for his large-scale oil paintings and his mainstay murals of dancers, musicians, safaris and cityscapes, Peter has been painting for over 30 years. Chicago-based, his wide body of works can be seen in a myriad of places throughout Chicago and the nation and in private collectors’ homes and corporate offices. Among his vast collectors, many prominent celebrities and chiefs of industry include icons actor William Peterson, political consultant David Axelrod, CEO of The Habitat Company Daniel J. Levin, Television Host, “Chicago Tonight’s” Phil Ponce and Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan, to name a few. Peter’s visual imprint can be seen in the major motion picture “The Company,” directed by Robert Altman and was was made on his giant backdrop for the staged production of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” produced by John Cusack. Peter’s mural work is featured in such mainstay institutions as The Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush Presbyterian Hospital Pediatric Wing, fitness & sports clubs as Chicago’s The East Bank Club (2 murals), restaurants including Lettuce Entertainment venues, the Farmhouse Taverns and blues based Crossroads Bar & Grill. Across the country, his works are installed at resorts and in Fortune 500 corporate permanent art collections such as The Equitable Corporation. Often referred to as the "Chicago Degas", Peter is known to capture the athleticism and personal drama of the working dancer. The former resident artist for noted Joffrey Ballet Chicago and collaborator with Ballet Chicago, his ballet paintings and photographs depict behind-the-scenes of Chicago Dance.

KAY SILVA

Kay Silva is an art teacher at Frances W. Parker School in Chicago. She previously taught at Grayslake Central High School, Lincoln Park High School and Skokie Intermediate School in Winnetka. Kay has served as an adjunct faculty member in art education at Northwestern University and as an art teacher at John Hope Community Academy in Chicago, developing a multicultural interdisciplinary art program. She has worked as a muralist, graphic artist and costume designer. Kay holds a B.A. in theater design/technology from Purchase College, State University of New York; an M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University; and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Concordia University.

ROMAN SOBUS

Chicago based Roman Sobus is an internationally published music and event photographer with over thirty years of experience capturing the beauty of musicians.

LYNN ORMAN WEISS

Lynn Orman Weiss is a longtime Skokie resident where she raised her family. She began her path to journalism at Niles North High School. As a professional photojournalist, broadcaster, and publicist, Lynn works with musicians, celebrities, activists, filmmakers, and authors to tell their stories. She writes for Big City Rhythm and Blues Magazine, Buddy Guy Magazine, and Blues Festival Guide, and produces television features on jazz, blues, and folk legends including, Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater, Mary Lane, David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, and Ella Jenkins.

Lynn is also a curator and producer of Women of the Blues: A Coast-to-Coast Photography Collection, which consists of over 130 photographs of women performing the Blues on stages, in clubs, and in studios, documenting the past and celebrating the future. www.womenoftheblues.com

You can catch Lynn "Rollin' and Tumblin" on her WNUR The Blues Show on Sunday, 2-4 pm on 89.3 FM Radio, www.wnur.org. She features artists on Live From The Heartland Radio show on Fridays on YouTube at www.youtube.com/heartlandmedia and on Saturdays at 9:00 am on WLUW.org or 88.7 FM.

Presently Lynn serves on the Board of Directors of the Little Walter Foundation, Advisory Board of the Bitter Jester Music Festival, and A Safe Haven Foundation (where she co-founded The Music Revolution to End Homelessness) and is a voting member of the Blues committee for the Grammys®. She is also the publicist for The Chicago Blues Lifters, an esteemed group of musicians including Kenny 'Beedy Eyes' Smith, Bob Stroger, and Billy Flynn, www.chicagoblueslifters.com.

Lynn is also co-owner of Women Of The Blues Records, www.owlmusicmedia.com

"I started working with Eddy as his publicist for his Alligator Records release, ‘West Side Strut’ in 2007. I am proud to continue my work of over 17 years as his publicist and archivist. I hope to find a permanent home for the Eddy Clearwater Historical Collection; while continuing to share Eddy's story around the world.”

For more information on Lynn and her productions, go to her website: www.ormanmusicmedia.com.

CHUCK WINANS

Chuck Winans has been documenting the Chicago and national blues and jazz scenes since 1996. Mr. Winans is the president of Portraits In Performance Photography, Inc. in Chicago. He has photographed the many Chicago Blues Festivals, plus a large variety of music festivals around the country, including the Indiana Jazz Festival, North Atlantic Blues Festival (Maine), Long Beach (California) Blues Festival, Memphis In May Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, Pocono Blues Festival, Tampa Blues Festival and Bayfront Blues Festival. Chuck's stock photography work has regularly appeared in Blues Access, Blues Revue, King Biscuit Time and Sing Out! Several CD releases on which his photography work appears have been nominated for Grammy Awards. In his spare time, he shoots private events and weddings. This is Chuck's third exhibition with Anatomically Correct Arts.

ALLEN WINKLER

Winkler was a corporate attorney for 35 years before beginning to work with Lynn Orman Weiss on several projects and forming OWL Music & Media in 2020. https://owlmusicmedia.com/

STEVEN I. WOLF

Steven was an Associate Producer and Post Production Engineer at WNUR Blues Show 89.3 FM and Associate Producer, Digital Marketing Consultant at Orman Music & Media Group. He also worked as a freelance photographer and designer. He passed away in 2023.