The Legacy of Theresa's Lounge w/John Primer & Friends – Logan Center, U of C, Chicago, October 4, 2026
Review: Glenn Noble
Photos: Jennifer Noble
L to R -- Willie Buck & Mary Lane
Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall, University of Chicago, Chicago
October 4, 2026
By Glenn Noble/ Photos: Jennifer Noble
Under its “Blues@Logan” banner, the Logan Center for the Arts has been presenting interesting and unusual performances for several years now. The longevity of the strand is due in no small part to the insightful programming of its curator Matthew Skoller, that internationally-known Chicago harmonicist, alongside the supportive directorship of Bill Michel. Tonight’s excursion promised a fully-loaded package of content -- a double feature in fact, composed of a film screening and an accompanying live performance.
The purpose of the evening was to present these two companion works celebrating the remarkable history and impact of legendary club Theresa's Lounge, a cornerstone of Chicago’s South Side blues scene from the 1940s to the 1980s. Forever associated with legends such as Junior Wells, Buddy Guy and James Cotton, Theresa’s played host to a plethora of stellar blues talent both in respect of the house band and the many regular visiting performances.
One of the key figures in the story of Theresa’s is John Primer who spent many years as the guitarist anchoring the house band, and it was John who was the driver behind the creation of a tribute album that would allow many of the living artists who had performed at Theresa’s to contribute to a recreation of the spirit of that venue. However, once recording of the album, titled John Primer and Friends: Tribute to Theresa’s Lounge, got underway, and as conversations and recollections flowed between the artists, it became clear that there was a richer vein of history to be mined. It would require something complementary to the original album concept in order to do it justice. In this spirit, the idea was born of a documentary film capturing the memories of those people who had been part of what made Theresa's Lounge so special, as they went through the process of recording the music that they had made there.
The resulting movie, directed by Steven Hausheer and produced by Lisa Primer, was named Theresa’s Lounge: The Basement that Built the Blues and over its 30-minute length, the many artists who contributed to the album recalled their times performing at the basement venue. Among the cast are such familiar names as John Primer, Carlos Johnson, Billy Branch, Mary Lane, Willie Buck, Twist Turner, Bob Stroger, John Watkins, Jeff Brinkman, Tony Mangiullo, and Harmonica Hinds. Brian Needham, grandson of founder Theresa Needham, also shared his personal memories of working for his grandmother there.
The visuals, a combination of archive photos and interview footage, captured the atmosphere of the club vividly, and the soundtrack included a number of songs specially written for the tribute album, some of which we were shortly to hear live in the second part of the show. The overall impressions taken from the film were of the great affection and respect with which Theresa Needham is remembered, and gratitude for the opportunities and support that the existence of Theresa’s Lounge gave to the blues community.
After a short break, the big screen rolled up and the stage revealed a set up for the live music performance of the evening. However before the show got under way, there was the matter of an award presentation. Diamond Dixon and Jennifer Littleton presented John Primer with the Chicago Blues Revival’s Musicianship Award, which was very gratefully received and started the show off on a very uplifting note. MC Matthew Skoller then introduced the house band for the evening, providing an autobiographical resume of each performer as he did so. Matthew remained on deck for harmonica duty with the opening line up of Jeff Brinkman (bass) and Twist Turner (drums), while on guitars, we had John Primer and Carlos Johnson, launching appropriately enough into Junior Wells’ signature tune “Messin with the Kid.”
Following that with one of the new songs written by John for the tribute album “Down to Theresa's Lounge,” the first of several lineup changes had 95-year-old veteran bassist Bob Stroger taking the stage -- described as “enduring and endearing” if I heard correctly! It was time for Carlos Johnson to shine now, with some wickedly sharp slide guitar and playful back and forth with John Primer through a couple of Muddy Waters tunes, “19 Years Old” and “Champagne & Reefer.” The latter tune saw Willie Buck step up, sounding great and looking very natty in a smart check suit.
Ringing in the changes in the harp department, the tall figure of Harmonica Hinds took over from Matthew for another Junior Wells tune, “Little by Little” followed up by “Sugar Sweet”. There was spontaneous applause as singer Mary Lane took the stage - hard to believe that she will be 91 in November - as she asked the eternal question “How Can You Love Me When You Treat Me Like You Do?” and then duetted with Willie Buck on “Little Red Rooster.”
The show then came to a close in the traditional style, with all of the cast on stage for a big “Mojo” send-off, at which point the audience took to their feet in appreciation for the entire event. This had been very much a trip down memory lane for the artists, and those audience members old enough to have perhaps seen shows at Theresa’s. For those of us not so fortunate, it brought to life an era where the giants of Chicago blues still could be seen in small, neighbourhood clubs.
Congratulations are due to the Primer organisation for taking this idea and building it into a very attractive and polished multimedia package. If there is any justice come awards season, this should be a strong contender.
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