Chess Records

Chess Brothers

• Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969)
• Phil Chess (Born 1921)
• Both brothers were born in Poland and moved to America in 1928
• Bought Aristocrat Records in 1950  

How it Started

• Phil joined Leonard in running a club, the Macomba Lounge (1946-1948)
•  Leonard became a partner in Aristocrat Records (1948-1950)
• Phil joined Leonard and renamed the studio Chess Records (1950-1975)

CHicago

• Chess Records was located in Chicago, Illinois 
• 2120 South Michigan Avenue

The Fantastic Five

• Muddy Waters 
• Chuck Berry 
• Howlin' Wolf 
• Little Walter
• Etta James 

Muddy Waters (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983)

• Birth Name: McKinley Morganfield
• Discovered in 1941 by Alan Womax 
• Signed by Aristocrat Records in 1948
• Considered the father of "Modern Chicago Blues"  
• Won 6 Grammy Awards

Muddy Water Hits

• I Feel Like Going Home
• Rollin Stone
• Honey Bee
• Long Distant Call
• Louisiana Blues 

Chuck Berry (born October 18, 1926)

• Birth Name: Charles Edward Anderson
• Started music career as an apprentice of Johnnie Johnson 
• Muddy Waters suggested he visited Chess Records
• First guitarist/singer to get on Billboard charts
• United blacks and whites by producing music that appealed to everyone

Chuck berry hits

• Maybellene
• Roll over Beethoven
• School Days
• Too Much Monkey Buisness
• Johnny B. Goode

Howlin' Wolf  (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976)

• Birth Name: Chester Arthur Burnett
• Left RPM Records for Chess Records in 1952
• Inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991
• Won 8 Blues Music Awards
• The Howlin' Wolf Foundation (Bettye Kelly)  

Howlin WOlf Hits

• Spoonful
• Little Red Rooster
• Wang Dang Doodle
• Smokestack Lightnin'
• Howling for my Darling

Little Walter (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968)

• Birth Name: Marion Walter Jacobs
• Joined Muddy Waters' band in 1948 
• Went solo in 1950 with his harmonica 
• First Harmonica player to be inducted to R&RHOF
• Suffered alcoholism and died of a blood clot in his heart

Little Walter Hits

• My Babe
• Juke
• Last Night
• Blues with a Feeling
• You're so Fine

Etta JAmes (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012)

• Birth Name: Jamesetta Hawkins
• Echoes of Eden choir at the St. Paul Baptist Church
• Career was on the road until signed by Chess in 1960
• Struggled as a heroin addict
• Died of leukemia in 2012 

Etta james hits

• At Last
• I'd Rather Go Blind
• All I Could Do Was Cry
• I Just Want to Make Love to You
• Stormy Weather