The Rolling Stones Played Chicago’s Checkerboard Lounge With Muddy Waters in 1981. Here’s How WTTW Crew Members Remember the Night
Video: Then WTTW cameraman Emmette Wilson can be seen at the show at the 8:59 mark.
One of the most famous club shows in the history of The Rolling Stones happened in Chicago, and the staged event was captured by a crew that included technicians from WTTW.
On Nov. 22, 1981, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Ian Stewart showed up at the Checkerboard Lounge, 423 E. 43rd St., to jam with their musical mentor, Muddy Waters.
Emmett Wilson and Dan Rozkuszka (among several other WTTW employees) worked the show. They were noticed earlier in the week while taping an episode of “Soundstage” at Park West.
Here are quotes from two guys who were in the room where it happened.
Rozkuszka: They said, ‘You want to work on Sunday?’ We were told to get a truck together and be in front of the Park West on Sunday at 6 a.m. to wait for a call. We didn’t know where we were going or who was performing.
Wilson: They told us, tell us your price and when you arrive we’ll have the money there for you. Walk in and get paid — I was ready then! I don’t remember the exact amount, but I do remember it was better than the usual. They respected you and your ability, so it was not like they needed to negotiate. I wish WTTW had produced it.
Rozkuszka: The phone rang at the appointed hour, we picked it up and were told to go to the Checkerboard Lounge. We showed up there, and they were already setting up, and we still didn’t know who it was. Eventually, we heard it was The Rolling Stones, and they came in about noon to look the place over.
Wilson: Since I was close to the door, I went outside to get them arriving. It was cold and when the limo pulls up, they came out, drinking and smoking and cool. They filed past me — that’s the shot of them arriving — and then proceeded to climb over tables into the crowded room.
Rozkuszka: I had to get them onstage and then I kind of ran the lighting board, which was off to the side. We had a generator truck because the Checkerboard didn’t have the power to handle what we needed.
Wilson: You can hear Muddy Waters saying “Mick Jagger! Come on up!” Then he got Keith and Ron to come. Muddy was facing me. Behind him you could see Keith and Ron on guitar with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths.
Rozkuszka: Looking back on it now, Mick could have dressed for the occasion. He’s wearing a red running suit! C’mon Mick – you could have put some clothes on! [laughs]
Wilson: It was like we were all old friends, which added to the vibe. It has a lot to do with how you carry yourself. If you show yourself as ‘cool’ then you’re family.
Rozkuszka: That Checkerboard show can be seen on YouTube, portions of it, and I like to read the comments. A lot of people think “Wow, isn’t it amazing that someone had a camera there?” [laughs] And I’m like, you think this happens in the spur of the moment or something?
Wilson: It’s live and it’s happening, and the thing that takes over is that you realize that you’re part of it.
Rozkuszka: I remember the Stones went home, the truck went home, the police went home. There was just a few of us left loading out of the Checkerboard after midnight, and we had no security with us. We’re the Marines. We’re the first ones in and the last ones out.
“Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981” wasn’t officially released until 2012.
