When the Blues Called for a Fighter, Bob Fioretti Answered
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
On November 15, 2025, Bob Fioretti was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, not for playing music, but for fighting to keep it alive. This honor reveals everything you need to know about the man running for Illinois Attorney General: when something matters to people, Bob Fioretti doesn't just talk. He fights. He shows up. And he gets results.
The Fight That Saved a Legend
When Bob served as 2nd Ward Alderman, Buddy Guy's Legends, one of the world's most iconic blues venues, was on the verge of extinction. Development pressures threatened to push the club out of its South Loop home at 754 S. Wabash, where it had stood since 1989 as a living archive of Chicago's musical soul.
Most politicians would have called it "just a zoning issue." Bob saw it differently.
He partnered directly with Buddy Guy and his team, navigating complex negotiations to secure a new location just down the block. On June 15, 2010, Legends reopened at 700 S. Wabash, saved, protected, and positioned to nurture generations of artists to come.
This wasn't about preserving nostalgia. It was about protecting cultural infrastructure that defines who we are.
Why It Mattered to Him
The blues run deep in Bob's household. His wife, Nicki, grew up listening to her father, Claudio, an immigrant who settled in Springfield after World War II, spin John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters records on Sundays while cooking for the family. Claudio had discovered the blues in a neighborhood shaped by the Great Migration, and those sounds became the soundtrack of his American story.
For Bob and Nicki, the blues isn't background music. It's a connector across neighborhoods, histories, and lived experiences. As B.B. King said, "Blues is a tonic for whatever ails you."
Bob asks the question every leader should: "Why wouldn't we want to support and cultivate something that reaches people's core, inspires them, and lifts their spirit?"
Showing Up When It Counts
When Buddy Guy received an honorary street sign in 2011, he stood on stage with Bob and said:
"You came to the old club before you won and said 'I'm going to win this thing,' and I said 'you come before you win, come after you win', and you didn't disappoint me. You came back."
That's leadership. Show up before the victory. Do the work. Then keep showing up after the cameras leave.
What This Means for Illinois
Bob's Chicago Blues Hall of Fame induction isn't about music awards. It's proof of three things Illinois needs in its Attorney General:
1. He Fights for What Matters Saving Legends required negotiation, policy expertise, and the courage to prioritize people and culture over powerful interests. That's exactly what Illinois needs: an Attorney General who fights for communities, not the connected.
2. He Keeps His Word Bob's advocacy for the blues community wasn't a campaign promise; it was a decades-long commitment. He showed up before he needed votes and stayed after he got them. Illinois deserves a chief legal officer who means what he says.
3. He Thinks Long-Term Protecting Legends wasn't just about saving one club. It was about preserving creative pipelines, supporting small businesses, fueling tourism, and anchoring neighborhood identity for future generations. That's the strategic, forward-thinking approach Illinois needs in its top law enforcement office.
The Blues and the Ballot
From celebrating his 2007 election victory at the original Legends to fighting to save it three years later, Bob Fioretti has proven he understands what really matters: the people, places, and values that make our communities whole.
Now, as he runs for Illinois Attorney General, that same commitment drives his campaign. Whether it's protecting cultural landmarks, defending working families, or holding powerful interests accountable, Bob brings the same approach: identify what's worth fighting for, show up, do the work, and deliver results.
The Blues is about resilience. So is Bob Fioretti.
His name is now etched into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, right alongside the legends he fought to protect. And he's ready to bring that same fighting spirit to the Illinois Attorney General's office, because when the people of Illinois need a champion, Bob Fioretti will answer.
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