Cover photo © 2024 Bob Kieser

For Mike Wheeler, the veteran blues guitarist and member of the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, the blues is about storytelling and feeling. Growing up, his mother played blues records around the house and he fell in love with Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

While the blues, naturally, is the closest to his heart, Wheeler has a record collection with over 6,000 LP’s and 8,000 45s, spanning rock, blues, jazz, soul, and more. He said the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Isley Brothers, Parliament, Funkadelic, BB King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, and Stanley Clark were among his favorites.

Also close to his heart is Two Steps from the Blues by Bobby Bland, an album he would listen to with his parents on drives from Chicago to Mississippi. Wheeler added that Physical Grafitti by Led Zeppelin, Band of Gypsies by Jimi Hendrix, and Wish You Were Here are some of his vinyl rock records.

Among his collection is the rare Electric Lady Land LP with naked women on the cover and various rare Prince albums. Wheeler said his favorite record shops in the Chicago area are Hoarders, Dusty Groove, and Hyde Park Record Store.

“I got so many. Man, I’m just an avid music lover. I’m in record buying  rehab right now. So I’m not finding records right now. I gotta pull down, I got too many. I go all over the world and everywhere I go in the world. I go find shops.”

Wheeler’s eclectic music taste bleeds into his solo work. He listed Jimi Hendrix and Tito Jackson as among his greatest influences on his guitar playing and said he learned to sing in church choirs as a boy. Wheeler described his music as a mix of R&B, jazz, rock, and blues, an ever evolving layer of sound.

Wheeler implements pieces of a variety of blues styles and said that different blues genres like Delta, Chicago, Piedmont, and said the distinct and overlapping styles keeps the music varied and interesting.

“That’s why admire musicians like Eric Clapton, because he’s, able to play acoustic blues, electric blues, Chicago blues, he plays it all. So that’s what, that’s what keep the music interesting”

While Wheeler’s style is so natural that it is almost automatic now, it stems from multiple guitar influences.

“I always tell a lot of the musicians that your style is the sum of all your influences. Like (for me), Albert King was big for me, BB (King), and Jimi, Hendrix. A lot of times I get tired of hearing myself play. That’s why I go see other guitar players.”

If he could join any blues musician of all time onstage, Wheeler said he would join Jimi Hendrix, in 1970 with Buddy Miles and Billy Cox in the lineup when the group recorded Band of Gypsies.

“Definitely, it would have to be Jimi Hendrix. Man, He’s the reason why I picked up a guitar, when I was like 13 years old and my neighbor gave me a Jimi Hendrix album, smash hits.”

In the 1980’s, Wheeler cut his chops in the Chicago Blues Circuit. Chicago born and breed, the city holds a special place in Wheeler’s heart.

“I’ve been a lot of places. Man, nothing compares to Chicago. Chicago will always be home. Once you make it here, man, you can play anywhere,” Wheeler said. “And once you get established in Chicago, you work all over Chicago, you don’t have to worry about it. People come from everywhere just to hang out at these clubs and to hear the music.”

When he was first establishing himself as a band leader, over 20 years ago, Wheeler regularly played at two iconic clubs that have since closed down; Harlem Avenue Lounge and B.L.U.E.S. on Halsted.

“The vibes were wonderful. Man, they were just iconic clubs and they are no longer here. I’ll miss them both. Hopefully somebody opens up both of those clubs back one day.”

Wheeler’s work ethic is undeniable. Since forming the Mike Wheeler Band, his first solo project, in the early 2000’s, he has played gigs nearly 7 times a week, for over 20 years. Wheeler’s capacity to play on a daily basis stems from his “love of the music and the love of performing and just being in the clubs.” Returning to play live, after a forced hiatus during the Covid Pandemic, was a jubilant experience and made Wheeler appreciate performing even more.

Through his voyages into R&B, Jazz, and Rock, Wheeler feels that he can help expand the genre of blues.

“It’s easy to get stuck on the stuff that was done in the 50s and the 60s and 70s. Some people think blues is, if you’re not sounding like Muddy Waters, you’re not playing the blues, which is not true.”

Wheeler joined Big James and the Chicago Playboys, a seminal blues band for his development, after he connected with Big James through shared eclectic musical taste, and in particular the funkiness emanating from George Clinton and Funkadelic. After the pair spoke for three hours on the phone about music, Wheeler joined the band. Their sound would be characterized by a blend of soul, funk, and blues.

Lyrically, Wheeler tries to tell a story, with a beginning, middle and end – a story that everyone can relate to. He hopes the themes have longevity and that they will remain relevant with time.

Moving forward, Wheeler wants to put a new record out, perform at more festivals, and tour internationally again, specifically in Europe.

While Wheeler now fully embraces and advocates for the Blues, his first band, in the 1970’s, played funk and R&B. The band, DTI, was managed by the bass player’s mother, who encouraged them to play blues as well. The band resisted. That is, they resisted until, they went down to play the Delta Blues Festival in Mississippi, in the summer of 1980. Wheeler said this was his first blues show, and he was completely blown away by acts like Koko Taylor, who he would later tour with.

“Oh, man, KoKo was nice as can be. Man, you know, I actually first met her in 1980 when I first started playing the blues. And she was like, she wanted us to join her band back then. It touched me. I was like, wow, just knowing who she was, and than chances to play with her.”

On another occasion, when Wheeler was playing guitar with the Big James and the Chicago Playboys at a venue in Bloomington, IL, Taylor rolled up to the stage in a wheelchair.

“As soon she got to that stage, she jumped up and got on that stage. It’s like a fireball hit the stage, and then she did her thing. Man, it was an awesome show. And after the show, they put her right back in the wheelchair.”

Wheeler said his best blues moment came at Buddy Guy’s when he joined BB King, George Benson, Buddy Guy, and Jimmy Johnson in a performance.

“So George, BB, and Buddy play for a little while, then I got back up to play with BB and Buddy. It was an amazing night. Man, I got home, I couldn’t sleep. I was, I was so, so amped up. Man, it was amazing.It was unbelievable. Man, it was like all this like a dream come true. Man, you know, ever since I was a little boy, I always knew about BB King my whole life.”

Wheeler holds Buddy Guy in similarly high regard and is grateful to be in the Chicago music scene together. The pair share a friendship, and Wheeler is close with Guy’s children.

“Buddy is the ultimate, man. Just to be around, I see Buddy all the time. Man, and Buddy just, he’s so cool. And  he mentors the younger guys, gives us a place to play, down in his club, Legends. Man, he’s just an icon, man.”

Wheeler said it was a pleasure to play with Shemekia Copeland and Joanna Connor, some of the best vocalists in Blues on several occasions.

Jeannie, Wheeler’s wife, has been integral to his success, he said. “Sweet Girl” and “I’m Hooked”, from Turn Up!! (2016) are both inspired by her, Wheeler said. Jeannie attends all his concerts and paid for his first solo album.

“Man, she been there from day one. She was going to college, and they give her college money. She said, ‘You need a record.’ And she’s just an inspiration, man. She does every show, and when things go wrong with me, I can talk with her, and she and I know she’ll give me a level headed answer. She keeps me grounded.”

As he grows older, Wheeler has enjoyed the process of becoming a mentor to young guitar players in the way older blues cats took him under their wing while he was an up and coming musician. He added he is impressed by the talent out there and enjoys witnessing the blues persist and evolve. Among many, Jamiah Rogers and Nicholas Alexander stood out to Wheeler.

Wheeler also said he is impressed by Gary Clark Jr. and Doyle Bramhall II. After seeing Bramhall open for Eric Clapton, Wheeler bought his record, which became a favorite.

“They just touched me in a certain way. They seem like two old souls, him and Gary Clark, Jr. And I met both of them, and they both cool people, you know, and that’s the main thing, when you can meet musicians that you like and respect, and then they turn out to be good people.”

Wheeler currently plays only vintage guitars, and considers himself a Fender Stratocaster guy, modeling himself after Jimi Hendrix. He owns a 72’ Strat, a 75’ Strat, and a 78’ Strat. On top of that, he has a 1970 Gibson and a newer Gibson signed by BB King.

Wheeler said he is trying to write more inspiring songs – songs that make people think and feel. A recent song he wrote with Demetria Taylor “Doin’ What I’m Supposed to Do” is an affirmation that he was destined to be a blues singer and songwriter.

“That’s why it’s called ‘Doin’ What I’m supposed to do.’ You know, it’s not an accident, it’s not a surprise. This is what I’m supposed to be doing. You know, writing inspiring songs. In my career, I’m most proud of the fact that I wanted to do it, you know, be a musician to get out here and play. And I did. I’m a proud of all my records, but I’m proud of the fact that this is what I want to be and I accomplished it.”

Moving forward, Wheeler wants to continue making music and performing prolifically, and to honor his mother.

Wheeler said his mom was the reason he became a musician. When she passed away this September, Wheeler used the blues to process, cope, and remember her.

“We listened to all genres, but I got my introduction to blues from her. I was, like, five years old. It (the music) definitely gets me through it,” Wheeler said. “Because now I hear a lot of songs that were her favorite songs, like Bobby Bland. She liked a lot of BB King. She liked Albert King’s I’ll Play the Blues for You album. Every song on that was like her favorite song. She’s the reason why I’m a musician right now. The blues music definitely eases the pain.”

Wheeler plans to write songs in honor of his mother on his upcoming record. He said the power of the genre of the blues is that it “relates to all emotions.”

“Everybody goes through loss at some point in life. You know, some more than others. When I write a song about my mom, somebody else gonna be able to help them relate to the loss of their mom, or their mom that’s still alive. Blues is about real life, everyday life.”

“That’s my oldest memory. Being being five years old and being there with my mom, listening to music. I would just sit right there and listen to records with her. That was always our time together. She got to be with me until I’m no longer here, and she’s always going to be a part of my life. ”

At age 10, his mother allowed Wheeler to buy records for her from the store on the corner, down the street from where they lived. One of the first record he bought her was an early Sly and the Family Stone LP.

The pair also listened to rock and blues on the radio together, specifically to a DJ Herb Kitt on WVON, where Wheeler first heard Led Zeppelin’s “A Whole Lot of Love” and “In-A-Gaada-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly.

“We listen to WVON. It was a guy named Herb Kitt, and he played, he played everything. That was my introduction to rock music. I heard he had to be like 1970 I had to be like nine years old. I heard Led Zeppelin “A Whole lot of Love.” He played it. And he played “In-A-Gaada-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly on the radio, and then it was on the same station. He played those records all night.”

Kitt also played Albert King, BB King, and Buddy Guy, putting blues on the FM airwaves in  a way that seldom exists today. The eccentric DJ only accepted requests from women, Wheeler said.

While blues radio has declined, Wheeler said there are many new ways to promote yourself as a musician today, especially on social media and the internet.

Ultimately, Wheeler wants to connect with people through his music.

“I want them to listen, to try to understand the story behind them (the songs), and feel it. I just hope that my songs make people feel something.”

Mike is playing all around Chicago in October and November. Visit Mike’s website for information to catch a live show. www.mikewheelerband.com