When Koko Taylor opened her mouth, the world listened. The Memphis native made Chicago her home base when she was 24, working as a house cleaner during the day and hitting the clubs at night, working her way up quickly to sitting in with the area's top musicians. Her cut-throat vocals and bombastic delivery got Willie Dixon's attention, who got Taylor signed with Chess Records and jump-started her career with a tune he wrote with her in mind, 1965's “Wang Dang Doodle.”
“Doodle” is Taylor at her best, a relentless vocal assault proclaiming her intention to literally wreck the joint in the pursuit of happiness: “Tonight we need no rest, we really gonna throw a mess/ gonna break out all of the windows/ We gonna kick down all the doors/ We gon' pitch a wang dang doodle all night long.”
That cut leads off Crown Jewels, Alligator Records' tribute to Taylor, who died in 2009. Taylor signed with Alligator in 1975, staying with the label until her death. The 12 cuts presented here are indeed the best of the best, showcasing Taylor's intimidating growl and take-no-prisoners presentation. Equally impressive are the sidemen used on the original recordings remastered here. Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Guy, Mighty Joe Young, Carey Bell and gospel guitarist Criss Johnson(Mighty Clouds of Joy, Shirley Caesar, Albertina Walker) all punch up Taylor's already impressive broadcasting.
