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Photo Courtesy Alligator Records

Koko Taylor, Queen of the Blues, passed away June 3 in Chicago. The cause was complications from surgery to stop gastrointestinal bleeding. She was 80 years old.

Daughter of a Tennessee sharecropper, Taylor got her big break in 1962 when Willie Dixon landed her a recording contract with Chess Records. Three years later, she sold a million copies of signature tune Wang Dang Doodle.

In this clip, from the House of Blues Radio Hour, Koko talks with Elwood Blues about how she got her nickname.

Koko Taylor: Queen of the Blues, Passes at Age 80 Podcast

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