Just a few hours north of Chicago, the blues scenes in Milwaukee and Madison have been a vibrant, if often overlooked, Wisconsin secret for more than two decades. These cities have developed some stellar players, and many have been plucked away by some of the best-known blues acts, including Luther Allison, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Morgan, the T-Birds and others. Jim Liban is the reigning harp player in Milwaukee, and although he toured the Midwest and both coasts for 15 years fronting his band, Shortstuff, he’s generally kept close to home, all the while developing a word…
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