Learning Chicago guitar
Thaddeus Krolicki studied guitar with Dave Specter and developed his playing around the classic Chicago blues ensemble. His stated influences include Louis Myers, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Lockwood, Otis ‘Big Smokey’ Smothers, Left Hand Frank, and Sammy Lawhorn. That list places him close to musicians whose work involved both accompanying singers and contributing a distinct guitar voice within a band.
His professional associations have included Eddie Taylor Jr., Barrelhouse Chuck, James Wheeler, Lil’ Ed Williams, Eddie C. Campbell, and Tail Dragger. The range connects him to several generations of Chicago players, with singers, pianists, and guitarists among the musicians he has accompanied.
Willie Buck Way
Krolicki plays electric and acoustic guitar on Willie Buck Way, released by Delmark in 2019. Billy Flynn is the other guitarist; the wider band includes pianist Johnny Iguana, bassist Bob Stroger, drummer Jimmi Mayes, and harmonica players including Scott Dirks and Harmonica Hinds. The album combines twelve Buck originals with five covers.
The record’s production also involved Krolicki. Blues Blast’s review credits Buck, Krolicki, and Dirks as producers, with Brian Leach and Blaise Barton engineering at Chicago’s JoyRide Studio. It was a project in which his contribution extended beyond performing his guitar parts to helping realize an album for a singer with whom he had an established working relationship.
Live at Buddy Guy’s Legends
On August 28, 2023, Krolicki joined Buck and the Delmark All-Stars at Buddy Guy’s Legends for the performance released in 2024 as Live at Buddy Guy’s Legends. Flynn again shares the guitar duties, with Dirks on harmonica, Iguana on piano, Melvin Smith on bass, and Willie ‘The Touch’ Hayes on drums.
The set opens with the band instrumental ‘Jumping’ before Buck enters. His own songs, including ‘Tried to Work Something Out,’ ‘Let’s See If We Can Come Together,’ and ‘Snow,’ stand beside ‘Kansas City,’ ‘Rock Me,’ and ‘Hoochie Coochie Man.’ Krolicki’s place in the two-guitar lineup continues the ensemble approach of the earlier studio album in front of a club audience.
On Chicago stages
Krolicki’s work with Buck also extends beyond their studio and live albums. At Delmark’s 2022 Rockwell Blues and Jazz Festival, he played in Buck’s band with harmonica player Martin Lang and bassist Yoshimi Hirata. The performance brought him into a festival setting alongside musicians associated with the label’s wider Chicago community.
The closing portion of the event included guests from the Headcutters, pianist Ben Levin and guitarist Dave Weld. Buck moved among the audience while singing “Champagne and Reefer.” Krolicki’s place in that working band connects the formal recording projects with the changing lineups and shared stages of local performances.
From studio production to a live album
Willie Buck Way gave Krolicki responsibilities on both sides of the session: playing electric and acoustic guitar and sharing production with Buck and Scott Dirks. The seventeen-song program balanced Buck’s new material with songs from the older blues repertoire. Its title referred to the Chicago street designation honoring the singer.
The later Legends recording retained Krolicki, Flynn, Dirks and Iguana, while Melvin Smith and Willie Hayes supplied the rhythm section. That continuity left familiar musicians around Buck without simply reproducing the studio lineup. Krolicki remained part of the band as the setting changed from recording sessions to a club performance.
In 2025, Live at Buddy Guy’s Legends received the Blues Blast Music Award for Live Blues Album. Krolicki’s guitar is part of the ensemble heard on that winning release. The recognition belongs to Buck and the recorded band’s work together, rather than being a separate individual award for each musician.