Executive Director download Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except

1963 – 2003

Shirli Dixon was immersed in love and the Blues from the day she was born.  By age five she was already displaying her own musical talent on the piano, taking lessons from Lafayette Leake.  “Uncles” such as Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Brother Montgomery and many others were regular visitors to the Dixon home, so that Shirli grew up on a constant diet of words and music of these Blues legends.  Marie Dixon, Shirli’s mother, recalls that after a visit by the Rolling Stones, Shirli had begged her mom to go let her see “Mick” and the boys in concert, which she never forgot.

From this early and magical introduction, Shirli never lost her love of the Blues.  Following the death of her father in 1992, she kept her promise to keep his dream alive, and decided to carry on the work he started in 1984 when he founded Blues Heaven Foundation.

In 1993, Marie Dixon was able to purchase the Chess Records Studio building in Chicago and donate it to the foundation.  Shirli worked tirelessly to raise funds to help with the restoration of the building, through benefit concerts and seeking donations.  The City of Chicago officially designated the building a Chicago “Landmark”.  In 1997 the building was officially opened and Willie Dixon’s Blues Heaven Foundation had its new headquarters, courtesy of his widow and daughter.  Willie would have been impressed by their efforts and hard work!

Shirli continued to be a major advocate for the Blues and and to raise awareness through scholarships, the “Blues In the Schools” initiative and several other programs the Foundation established.  She was also the inspiration behind the creation of the “Willie Dixon Blues Garden”, located next to the Chess building, where the Foundation holds FREE weekly concerts throughout the summer where artists can perform. 

One of Shirli’s greatest loves was to sing the Blues herself.  Her strong stage presence and rich and powerful voice won her many admirers and Shirli was in the process of getting her recording and singing career back when she tragically died on August 8th, 2003, at age 40.  One of her last performances was at the 2003 Chicago Blues Festival, singing on stage with Koko Taylor and Shirley King, and accompanied by her brother Butch, daughter Keshia, and two sons Keith and David.

Everyone who knew Shirli Dixon remembers a beautiful woman with a big smile and a personality that was larger than life.  Her love of life and music was infectious, extending past her immediate family to embrace friends and strangers.  She is greatly missed.

Peter Wilson

Friend/Volunteer