Chicago

Get set for a star-studded celebration of the sound of Chicago, spotlighting some of the town’s mightiest musical exports, and a few songs by admirers paying tribute to the soulful, street-savvy spirit of the Windy City itself. Chicago blues is an entire universe unto itself, without which there’d be no rock ’n’ roll, much less modern blues, and the smoldering, downright dangerous-sounding stomp of Muddy Waters’ “Mannish Boy” explains why in just under three minutes. The city’s soul saint Curtis Mayfield pushed R&B into new territory, first with the Impressions (grab onto the gospel-soul salvation of “People Get Ready”) and then on his own with the funkified, wah-wah-soaked “Superfly” theme. And though Frank Sinatra hailed from Hoboken, his heart was clearly elsewhere when he crooned “My Kind of Town,” the second of his swingin’ odes to the “one town that won’t let you down.”

Hear Chicago singers put their hometown pride on parade in Next Steps.

It seems like an unshakeable sense of pride arrives in the mail along with every Chicagoan’s birth certificate. Blues harp howler Paul Butterfield laid it down in no uncertain terms on “Born in Chicago,” wearing his rough-and-tumble Windy City boyhood like a badge of honor. After his regal doo-wop anthem “Duke of Earl” became a smash, Gene Chandler actually started appearing with a cape and cane to underscore his status as an R&B aristocrat. And even though soul sender Jerry “The Iceman” Butler wasn’t born in Chicago, he’s practically become its mayor (almost literally – he’s a longtime Cook County Commissioner), and he sings for everyone who ever triumphed over tough times on “Only the Strong Survive.”

Chicagoans explore the outer limits of jazz, rock, and more, in Deep Cuts.

As much of a bustling musical hotbed as Chicago is, it still offers unconventional artists plenty of room to explore, and to blossom. DIY collective the Art Ensemble of Chicago laid the groundwork for the city’s still-vibrant avant-jazz scene with angular, less-is-more cubist-jazz adventures like “Fanfare for the Warriors.” The Sea and Cake’s hushed, alternate-universe pop visions provided the building blocks for the ’90s post-rock revolution, and a decade-and-a-half later, “On a Letter” shows the quirky quartet’s staying power. And Felix da Housecat may have started out on the feline front lines of Chicago house, but his blend of synth-pop and electro on “We All Wanna Be Prince” proves he’s got lots of lives left.

Sure, the New York City and L.A. scenes tend to get more attention, but in the middle of the nation there stands a city that’s got just as much musical action per square foot as either coast, and just as much of a right to boast. The fact that Chicago musicians don’t have to develop under a microscope might be part of the reason they’re able to forge a truly individual identity. Whether you’re tuned into the feral force of Howlin’ Wolf, the stadium-strutting grandeur of Styx, or the wry folk-rock of John Prine, Chicago musicians make a sound that’s all their own. That’s why we’ve reached into all the city’s rich traditions — soul, blues, rock, jazz, you name it — to assemble the ultimate tribute to a place that’s got plenty more to its credit than kielbasa and deep-dish pizza. We’ve even opened up the door to some out-of-towners who come bearing musical love letters to the place almost everyone — not just Sinatra — could call “My Kind of Town.”