Close to midnight on October 22, Morikeba Kouyate was walking a friend home near 72nd and Racine when three men jumped them from behind. Two grabbed the friend and demanded his money, and the third pointed a gun at Kouyate. “I asked him if he wanted my wallet or something,” Kouyate says. “He said, ‘No, I just want to kill someone tonight. I don’t want nothing, but I’m going to kill you.’” Kouyate tried to wrestle the gun from his attacker; as they fought, the two accomplices fled with his friend’s wallet, and the friend ran to a nearby bar to get help. The gun went off, and a bullet went clear through Kouyate’s left thigh. He saw blood, but he continued to struggle with the gunman. “It was very painful, but I was fighting for my life,” he says. When his friend came back with some patrons from the bar, the assailant fled, but not before shooting Kouyate again, in the right ankle.
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Kouyate, a Senegalese kora player who’s lived in Chicago since 1991, knows he’s lucky to be alive, but his troubles aren’t over. His injuries have kept him from performing since the attack, and he probably won’t be able to work for another three weeks. He’s racked up more than $25,000 in medical bills so far–and like millions of American citizens and residents Kouyate has no health insurance. A November 1 benefit at Rhythm raised about $1,000, and a second benefit, featuring the Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago and many other performers, will take place Sunday, December 7, at the Chicago Cultural Center.
According to the 2000 U.S. census 14 percent of the population is uninsured, but the figure among musicians may be much higher. Last year the D.C.-based Future of Music Coalition conducted an online survey about musicians and insurance; of the more than 2,400 musicians who responded, 44 percent said they didn’t have health coverage. As recent van accidents suffered by Dub Narcotic Sound System, Kingsbury Manx, Ester Drang, and the Exploding Hearts (three of whose members were killed) demonstrate, touring can be dangerous; driving oversize vehicles long distances on a tight schedule with little sleep sounds like a recipe for disaster. And the physical strain of playing an instrument can lead to health problems: local bassist Ryan Hembrey developed a repetitive stress injury about four years ago that prevented him from playing at all for a year. Even now he’s no longer able to play upright bass without pain.
Albini points out that there are plenty of alternatives for musicians who can’t get group insurance through their label or their day jobs. Shellac, for instance, incorporated, which enabled it to establish its own group policy. Bands can also register as partnerships or associations, and professional groups like the American Federation of Musicians and the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences also offer insurance plans. Many musicians have individual policies, which according to Sopko can be less expensive than group plans, but there are drawbacks: the coverage is usually less comprehensive, and there are no caps on rate increases. For group policies of fewer than 50 members Illinois law limits rate increases to 68 percent.
