Chess Records facts for kids

The Chess Records logo

Chess Records was a famous American record label from Chicago, Illinois. It was started by two brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess. This label was very important for many types of music. These included blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, and early Rock and roll.

Chess Records became very successful. They recorded music that bigger record companies often ignored. The original office was at 2120 S. Michigan Avenue. Today, this building is home to the Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. Many music experts say that without Chess Records, music today would sound very different. Some even call it "America's greatest blues label."

The Story of Chess Records

The old Chess Studios building in Chicago

The story of Chess Records began in 1947. That year, Leonard Chess bought a record label called Aristocrat Records. In 1950, his brother Phil joined him. They then changed the label's name to Chess Records. Their very first song release was "My Foolish Heart" by Gene Ammons. It quickly became a popular hit.

To get more songs on the radio, they started another label called Checker Records in 1952. Radio stations often played only a few songs from one label. In 1955, they also started Argo Records for jazz music. The first full album (LP) was made in 1958.

At first, Leonard Chess produced the music himself. Later, other talented people helped. Ralph Bass managed the gospel music section. Willie Dixon was in charge of the blues music. Willie Dixon wrote many hit songs. He also played bass guitar on many recordings.

Chess Records was also known for its amazing studio musicians. These musicians played on most of the company's Chicago soul songs. Some famous ones include drummer Maurice White and bassist Louis Satterfield. They later formed the popular funk group Earth, Wind, & Fire. Other great musicians were guitarists Pete Cosey, Gerald Sims, and Phil Upchurch. Pianist Leonard Caston later became a producer for Motown. Organist Sonny Thompson also played on many songs.

In 1953, Chess Records started working with Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service. One of the musicians from Memphis was Howlin' Wolf. He recorded many hit songs for Chess.

In 1969, the Chess brothers sold their label to a company called General Recorded Tape (GRT). By 1972, only the recording studio, Ter-Mar Studios, was still active. In the mid-1980s, the entire collection of Chess Records' music was sold to MCA Records.

The 50th birthday of Chess Records was celebrated with many CDs. These CDs featured great artists who had recorded for the label. In the 2000s, Universal's Hip-O Select label released special box sets. These celebrated the music of Chess artists like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry.

Cadillac Records Film

Chess Records was the topic of a movie in 2008. The film was called "Cadillac Records" and was directed by Darnell Martin. It showed the life of Leonard Chess, played by Adrien Brody. The movie also featured characters based on real musicians. These included Willie Dixon (played by Cedric the Entertainer) and Muddy Waters (played by Jeffrey Wright). Little Walter (Columbus Short) and Etta James (Beyoncé Knowles) were also in the film.

List of Chess Records artists

1950s

1960s

See also

In Spanish: Chess Records para niños