Chess Records
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Chess Records was an American record label, based in Chicago, Illinois at 2120 South Michigan Avenue. Run by brothers Leonard Chess and Phil Chess, it was an important record label in rock and roll history, as it released many singles and albums now regarded as part of the rock music 'canon', by its blues and rock and roll artists.
Chess Records recorded and released blues music, rock and roll, rhythm & blues, jazz, and soul. Notable blues performers on Chess and its other imprints were Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf. Notable rock and roll and rhythm and blues artists on the label included such guitar slashers as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and vocal groups such as the Flamingos, Moonglows, and Vibrations. Chess jazz artists included Gene Ammons, King Fleming, Ahmad Jamal, and the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
In the 1960s, most of the company's success was with soul artists, notably Etta James, Sugar Pie DeSanto, The Dells, Radiants, Jackie Ross, Billy Stewart, Fontella Bass, and Minnie Riperton. The company's major blues artist at this time was Little Milton, whom they frequently recorded in the soul vein.
During the 1950s, Leonard and Phil Chess handled most of the production. They brought in legendarly producer Ralph Bass in 1960 to handle the gospel and some of the blues singers. Willie Dixon as a bassist and prolific songwriter also assisted with blues production for the label. During the 1960s, the Chess' A&R man and chief producer was Roquel "Billy" Davis.
Chess Records was also known for such session musicians as Drummer Maurice White and Bassist/Trombonist Louis Satterfield, both of whom would later shape the funk group Earth, Wind, & Fire.
[edit] History
Leonard bought a stake in a record company called Aristocrat Records in 1947; in 1950 Leonard brought his brother Phil into the operation and they became sole owners of the company and renamed it Chess Records. In 1952 the brothers started Checker Records, as an alternative label for radio play (radio stations would only play a limited number of records for any one imprint). In December 1956 they launched a jazz label called Marterry, which was quickly renamed Argo Records. Argo changed its name in 1965 to Cadet Records to end confusion with an older British classical music label named Argo. There was also Cadet Concept records, for rock and more adventurous music, such as the Rotary Connection. Producer Abner Spector and engineer Dave Purple recorded St. Louis band The Truth (aka The Acid Sette) for the label, the primary members of that group were Bill and Joey Marshall, Rick McMurtry, Jan Marks, and Edward Jenny.
In 1969 the Chess brothers sold the label to General Recorded Tape (GRT) for $6.5 million. In October 1969 Leonard Chess died, and by 1972 the only part of Chess Records still operating in Chicago was the recording studio. GRT had moved the label to New York City, operating it as a division of Janus Records. Under GRT, Chess effectively vanished as an important force in the recording industry. In August 1975, GRT sold what remained of Chess Records to All Platinum Records. All Platinum fell into financial difficulties, and the Chess master recordings were eventually acquired by MCA Records.
