Chicago Culture: Blues, Jazz, House Music, Improv, Theater, Museums and Public Art

Chicago’s culture is built on music and stage: electric blues recorded at Chess Records, jazz brought north in the 1920s, house music born in the city’s clubs, and improv comedy from The Second City, founded in 1959. The city also has nationally known theaters such as Steppenwolf and the Goodman, major museums such as the Art Institute and Field Museum, landmark public art including the Chicago Picasso and Cloud Gate, and free summer music festivals.

Landmark	Key fact
Chess Records	Founded 1950 by Leonard and Phil Chess; studio at 2120 S. Michigan Ave., 1957–1967
House music	Grew from the Warehouse club (1977–1982) and DJ Frankie Knuckles
The Second City	First revue December 16, 1959
Steppenwolf Theatre	Founded 1974; Regional Theatre Tony 1985
Goodman Theatre	Founded 1925; Regional Theatre Tony 1992
Art Institute of Chicago	Founded 1879; nearly 300,000 works
Chicago Picasso	Unveiled August 15, 1967, Daley Plaza
Cloud Gate (“The Bean”)	Dedicated May 15, 2006, Millennium Park
Chicago Blues Festival	Since 1984, free, early June
Chicago Jazz Festival	Since 1979, free, Labor Day weekend

The blues and Chess Records

Chicago blues grew out of the Great Migration, when Black Southerners moved north to industrial cities. In Chicago the Delta sound went electric, with amplified guitar and harmonica backed by drums and bass.

The open-air Maxwell Street market was an early proving ground, where musicians played for tips. Muddy Waters, often called the father of Chicago blues, worked alongside Big Bill Broonzy; Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf followed.

Chess Records, founded in 1950 by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, grew out of Aristocrat Records (1947). Its artists included Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Little Walter and Buddy Guy.

From 1957 to 1967 Chess recorded at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. The building is now home to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, which opened it as a museum in 1997.

The Chicago Blues Festival began in 1984 and is free. It takes place in early June and has been held in Millennium Park since 2017.

Jazz

Jazz arrived from New Orleans with the Great Migration. King Oliver moved to Chicago in 1918 and in 1922 began playing at Lincoln Gardens with his Creole Jazz Band.

Oliver summoned a young Louis Armstrong from New Orleans to play second cornet in that band in 1922. The group’s 1923 recordings brought New Orleans-style collective improvisation to a national audience.

In May 1965, Muhal Richard Abrams and others founded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in Chicago, a center for experimental jazz.

The Green Mill in Uptown, at 4802 N. Broadway, has operated in its current form since 1935. It has hosted the Uptown Poetry Slam since 1986.

The Chicago Jazz Festival started in 1979 and is free. It is now held over Labor Day weekend, run by the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with programming help from the Jazz Institute of Chicago.

House music: born in Chicago

House music grew out of Chicago’s Black and queer underground club scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The key venue was the Warehouse (1977–1982), where Frankie Knuckles, often called the “godfather of house,” was resident DJ.

Knuckles spliced and extended records for his dancers. One account says the genre’s name came from the club itself, though stories differ. The Hot Mix 5 radio show on WBMX also helped shape the scene.

Jesse Saunders’ “On and On” (1984) is often cited as the first house record. In 2005, Mayor Richard M. Daley proclaimed August 10 “House Unity Day,” recognizing Chicago as the music’s home.

Improv and comedy

The Second City opened its first revue on December 16, 1959, at 1842 N. Wells St. Its founders were Paul Sills, Bernard Sahlins and Howard Alk, and the company moved to 1616 N. Wells in 1967.

Second City built its shows from improvisation, drawing on Viola Spolin’s theater games. Alumni include Alan Alda, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert.

The company also runs training centers that teach improv and sketch writing.

Theater

Chicago’s theater scene runs from small storefront companies to major regional houses.

Theater	Founded	Location	Notes
Goodman Theatre	1925	170 N. Dearborn St., the Loop	City’s oldest active nonprofit theater; Regional Theatre Tony 1992
Steppenwolf Theatre Company	1974	1650 N. Halsted St., Lincoln Park	Founded by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise; Regional Theatre Tony 1985
The Second City	1959	1616 N. Wells St.	Sketch and improv comedy

Steppenwolf’s ensemble has included Joan Allen, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon.

Major museums

Museum	Opened	Highlights
Art Institute of Chicago	Founded 1879; current building 1893	Nearly 300,000 works, including Nighthawks, American Gothic and A Sunday on La Grande Jatte; Modern Wing opened 2009
Field Museum	Established 1894; current building 1921	SUE the T. rex, unveiled in 2000
Museum of Science and Industry	1933	In the 1893 Palace of Fine Arts, Jackson Park; U-505 submarine since 1954
Adler Planetarium	—	America’s first planetarium, on the Museum Campus
DuSable Black History Museum	1961	Founded by Margaret Taylor-Burroughs and others; in Washington Park since 1973
National Museum of Mexican Art	1982	Free admission; Pilsen

The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium share the lakefront Museum Campus, which opened in 1998 after Lake Shore Drive was moved west of Soldier Field.

Public art

The Chicago Picasso, a 50-foot steel sculpture in Daley Plaza, was unveiled on August 15, 1967. Picasso declined payment and gave the design to the city; it was fabricated by U.S. Steel’s American Bridge division in Gary, Indiana.

Cloud Gate, by Anish Kapoor, is made of 168 stainless steel plates welded into a seamless mirror. Locals call it “The Bean.” It was shown unfinished when Millennium Park opened in July 2004 and dedicated on May 15, 2006.

Festivals overview

Summer is festival season, and several of the biggest music events are free.

Chicago Blues Festival: Free, early June, Millennium Park; first held in 1984.
Chicago Jazz Festival: Free, Labor Day weekend; first held in 1979.
Lollapalooza: Ticketed four-day festival in Grant Park since 2005, held in late July or early August.

See our events guide for dates.

Frequently asked questions

Was house music invented in Chicago?

Yes. House music grew out of Chicago clubs in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially the Warehouse, where Frankie Knuckles was resident DJ.

When was The Second City founded?

Its first revue opened on December 16, 1959, at 1842 N. Wells St. in Chicago.

Can you visit the old Chess Records studio?

The studio at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. is home to Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation, which opened it as a museum in 1997. Check its current hours before visiting.

What is the sculpture in Daley Plaza?

The Chicago Picasso, a 50-foot steel sculpture unveiled on August 15, 1967.

Is the Chicago Blues Festival free?

Yes. It is a free festival held in early June in Millennium Park.

What is Cloud Gate?

Anish Kapoor’s mirrored stainless steel sculpture in Millennium Park, nicknamed “The Bean” and dedicated in 2006.

Related guides

Sources

Last updated: October 31, 2026