Koko Taylor dead at 80

Taylor left Tennessee for Chicago in 1952 with her soon-to-be-husband, the late Robert "Pops" Taylor. They made the trip with nothing but "thirty-five cents and a box of Ritz Crackers," she later quipped. Once in Chicago, she began singing in local blues clubs. 

She was known for her single "Wang Dang Doodle" and was one of very few women who found success in the male-dominated blues world. Taylor performed with everyone from Muddy Waters to B.B. King to Robert Plant. Her final performance was on May 7, 2009 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang "Wang Dang Doodle."

Taylor died Wednesday in Chicago as a result of complications following her May 19 surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. Survivors include Taylor's husband Hays Harris, daughter Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee, Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren. She was 80 years old.