| 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 |