Dez's Hall of Fame, Pt. II: Chess Records

It might seem odd that I pick a record company instead an actual artist for induction into the Dez Hall of Fame, but Chess Records was more than just a record label. It was a sound, it was a spirit, it was the best that Chicago electric blues music had to offer. The recent film Cadillac Records was based on Chess, and while it was an enjoyable film, it failed to accurately convey the real story or importance of Chess. The success of Chess Records was due both to the volcanic talent and creativity of its black roster of artists and the vision (and cutthroat business methods) of its two white, immigrant proprietors, Leonard and Phil Chess.

Some might argue that the success of Chess had more to do with being in the right place at the right time. Certainly, running a blues record label in Chicago between the 1940's and 1960's had certain advantages. The myth of Chicago blues is that the talent was so plentiful that all one had to do was walk down the street for a couple of minutes and you would come across the next Muddy Waters. But why was it Chess that was able to capture the zeitgeist, and not (as much) its many rivals?

Brothers Leonard and Phil Chess immigrated from Poland to Chicago in the late 1920's. Leonard was a nightclub owner by the late 1940's, and he started to see the great untapped potential of the many newly arrived black musicians who had left the South for the big city, and who also needed amplification to be heard in the clubs. A revolution born out of necessity was brewing in the blues clubs of Chicago, and Leonard decided to get in on the action. He and brother Phil bought Aristocrat Records, renamed it Chess Records, and moved away from the jazz and pop that the label had been recording and tried to capture this new raw, electric blues sound.


ABOVE: The shrewd Leonard Chess

Leonard Chess had several potent weapons. First, he understood and had empathy for the black culture of the times. In many ways (if not financially), he viewed his artists as equals. While the prejudice of the times prevented many white run labels from seeing the financial potential in black music, it was said of Leonard that the only color he cared about was green. Secondly, the Chess brothers were cutthroat businessmen who took advantage of their talented but uneducated musicians and also outfoxed other labels in both discovering talent and stealing talent under contract with their rivals. Finally, they had Willie Dixon.


ABOVE: Willie Dixon was a talented blues artist and bassist, but he was also one of the greatest American songwriters of the 20th century. Dixon wrote dozens of blues classics that were farmed out to Chess artists.

What about those Chess artists? Electric blues, and by extention rock and roll, would not be the same without Chess Records. Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Etta James and Sonny Boy Williamson all recorded their most important music with Chess. Other artists such as John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Ramsey Lewis, Little Milton, Otis Rush, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, Elmore James and others also recorded important sides for Chess. I could write lengthy posts about each of these artists, but the fact that they all walked through the doors of Chess is remarkable. Chess made its name in blues, but from the late 50's into the 60's, it moved into rock (with Berry and Diddley, Chess was as important to rock and roll history as it was to blues), soul and jazz.


ABOVE: This is Howlin' Wolf (aka Chester Burnett) singing "Smokestack Lightning." Wolf is my favorite blues singer of all time, check out that freakin' voice! Blues itself. That's Willie Dixon on bass behind Wolf, and famed blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin is also there.


ABOVE: Check out Muddy Waters and his band tearing it up at the Newport Jazz Festival on "Got My Mojo Workin'". How about Muddy's moves at about 5:45? While Muddy could definitely play the down home dirty blues (many of his early Chess sides prove this), he also had great style and sophistication when he wanted to. Nice suit.

Unfortunately, after Leonard's death in 1969, Chess' fortunes fell sharply, and it ceased to exist as a creative entity for new music in the early 70's. But the legacy of Chess's music through countless reissues lives on.

We at GNABB proudly induct Chess Records (including the Chess brothers and the artists of Chess) into the Dez Hall of Fame.