| | Acknowledgments | p. xi |
| | Introduction: Sweet Home Chicago: Today's Chicago Blues | p. 1 |
| | Put on Your High-Heeled Sneakers: Blues Clubs in the City | p. 5 |
| | Today's Blues Clubs | |
| | Backporch Stage at the House of Blues | |
| | Blue Chicago | |
| | Down in the Basement | |
| | B.L.U.E.S. | |
| | Bossman Blues Center | |
| | Buddy Guy's Legends | |
| | Kingston Mines | |
| | Lee's Unleaded Blues | |
| | New Checkerboard Lounge | |
| | Rosa's Lounge | |
| | Smoke Daddy | |
| | Voodoo Lounge at the Redfish | |
| | Blues Nights | |
| | Key to the Highway: Clubs in the Suburbs | p. 39 |
| | Bill's Blues Bar | |
| | Chord on Blues | |
| | Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket | |
| | FitzGerald's | |
| | Genesis Lounge | |
| | Harlem Avenue Lounge | |
| | Slice of Chicago | |
| | More Blues in the 'Burbs | |
| | Lake Michigan Blues: The Chicago Blues Festival | p. 53 |
| | History | |
| | Planning Your Day | |
| | Parking | |
| | Food and Beverages | |
| | Souvenirs | |
| | Stages | |
| | Front Porch | |
| | Crossroads | |
| | Juke Joint | |
| | Route 66 Roadhouse | |
| | Petrillo | |
| | Chicago Bound: Blues Historical and Cultural Sites | p. 65 |
| | Chess Studies | |
| | Blues Heaven Foundation | |
| | Touring Chess Studios | |
| | Chicago Blues Archives | |
| | Chicago Blues Museum | |
| | Gravesites | |
| | Jazz Record Mart | |
| | Leland Hotel | |
| | Maxwell Street Market | |
| | The Historic Maxwell Street Market | |
| | The New Maxwell Street Market | |
| | Muddy Waters Home | |
| | Tours | |
| | Chicago Blues Tour | |
| | Tour Tips | |
| | Village of Westmont | |
| | Muddy Waters Park | |
| | Honorary Muddy Waters Way | |
| | Taste of Westmont-Muddy Waters Blues Night | |
| | Down-Home Blues: Chicago Record Labels | p. 91 |
| | Alligator Records | |
| | Delmark Records | |
| | Earwig Music | |
| | Just Wanna Play My Axe: Blues Jams | p. 101 |
| | Jam Tips for Musicians | |
| | Jam Tips for the Audience | |
| | Blues Jams | |
| | Blues All Around Me: Blues Radio | p. 109 |
| | They'll Play the Blues for You: Blues Artists | p. 117 |
| | Linsey Alexander | |
| | Billy Boy Arnold | |
| | Steve Arvey | |
| | Chico Banks | |
| | L.V. Banks | |
| | Barrelhouse Chuck | |
| | Lurrie Bell | |
| | Big James and the Chicago Playboys | |
| | Billy Branch | |
| | Lonnie Brooks | |
| | Ronnie Baker Brooks | |
| | Wayne Baker Brooks | |
| | Nora Jean Bruso | |
| | Jimmy Burns | |
| | Aron Burton | |
| | Eddie C. Campbell | |
| | Eddy Clearwater | |
| | Sam Cockrell | |
| | Michael Coleman | |
| | Joanna Connor | |
| | Katherine Davis | |
| | Willie Davis | |
| | Devil in a Woodpile | |
| | Johnny Drummer | |
| | Little Arthur Duncan | |
| | Chainsaw Dupont | |
| | David "Honeyboy" Edwards | |
| | Deitra Farr | |
| | Billy Flynn | |
| | Diamond Jim Greene | |
| | Liz Mandville Greeson | |
| | Buddy Guy | |
| | Phil Guy | |
| | Erwin Helfer | |
| | Tom Holland | |
| | Homesick James | |
| | Howard and the White Boys | |
| | Fruteland Jackson | |
| | Carlos Johnson | |
| | Jimmy Johnson | |
| | Shirley Johnson | |
| | Fernando Jones | |
| | Lynne Jordan | |
| | Vance Kelly | |
| | Shirley King | |
| | Sam Lay | |
| | Bonnie Lee | |
| | Sharon Lewis | |
| | Lil' Ed | |
| | Charlie Love | |
| | Mississippi Heat | |
| | Joe Moss | |
| | Nick Moss and the Flip Tops | |
| | Eric Noden | |
| | Pinetop Perkins | |
| | Piano C. Red | |
| | Pistol Pete | |
| | John Primer | |
| | Otis Rush | |
| | Howard Scott | |
| | Patricia Scott | |
| | Eddie Shaw | |
| | Eddie Vaan Shaw Jr. | |
| | Matthew Skoller | |
| | Byther Smith | |
| | Johnnie Mae Dunson Smith | |
| | Willie "Big Eyes" Smith | |
| | Dave Specter | |
| | Rob Stone and the C-Notes | |
| | Big Time Sarah Streeter | |
| | Bob Stroger | |
| | Hubert Sumlin | |
| | Tail Dragger | |
| | Eddie Taylor Jr. | |
| | Koko Taylor | |
| | Larry Taylor | |
| | Melvin Taylor | |
| | Nellie "Tiger" Travis | |
| | Maurice John Vaughn | |
| | Carl Weathersby | |
| | James Wheeler | |
| | Artie "Blues Boy" White | |
| | Jody Williams | |
| | Zora Young | |
| | Suggestions for Further Reading | p. 215 |
| | Sources | p. 217 |
| | About the Author | p. 219 |
| | Index | p. 221 |