Chess Records: Formed by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, Chicago's Chess Records became known as the premiere blues label of its day; the label also released landmark albums and singles in the jazz, R&B, and gospel genres, as well as recordings by many of rock 'n' roll's earliest groundbreaking artists.
The roots of Chess began in 1947 when Leonard Chess bought a part ownership in Aristocrat Records; three years later he and his brother Phil bought the company outright and changed the name to Chess Records. The brothers also launched several subsidiary labels throughout the 1950s, including Checker Records, Argo Records, and Cadet Records.
Among the many blues greats that recorded for Chess are Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Etta James, and Buddy Guy. Songwriter, producer, and bass player Willie Dixon was an integral part of the Chess Records family, producing songs by many of the label's biggest stars as well as wielding his upright bass on the recordings. Dixon also wrote many songs that have become blues standards, such as Koko Taylor's "Wang Dang Doodle" and Howlin' Wolf's "Evil." During the late 1950s, as Chess branched into rock 'n' roll, the label released material from Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
The brothers sold the label to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly after which Leonard Chess died. The label's properties have changed hands several times since, finally landing with Universal Music, whose Hip-O Select subsidiary has released several collectors' sets of music by artists like Bo Diddley and Little Walter. A fictionalized version of the Chess story was translated on film for the movie Cadillac Records.
Checker Records
Argo Records
Cadet Records
