Koko Taylor: 1923-2009

Legendary blues icon, Koko Taylor, died yesterday at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital two weeks after undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

"The Queen of the Blues" enjoyed a career that spanned five decades with hits that included Hey Bartender, I Got What it Takes, I'm a Woman, and Willie Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle, the song that would launch her career.

It was Dixon who first spotted her talent in the early 60s and was instrumental in getting her signed with the now defunct Chess Records in 1965.

After moving to Alligator Records in 1975, Taylor recorded nine albums for the label, eight of which where Grammy-nominated.

Taylor last performed at the Blues Awards on May 7, 2009 in Memphis where she was presented with her 29th Blues Award.

She was awarded the Howlin' Wolf Award in 1996, the Blues Foundation Lifetime Acheivement Award in 1996, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1997.

Taylor leaves behind her husband, Hays Harris, her daughter, Joyce "Cookie" Threatt, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

She was 80 years old.

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