Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, specializing in blues and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

. It was the successor to

Aristocrat Records Aristocrat Records, sometimes billed as the Aristocrat of Records, was founded in April 1947 by Charles and Evelyn Aron, together with their partners Fred and Mildred Brount and Art Spiegel. By September Leonard Chess had invested in the young rec ...

, founded in 1947. It expanded into

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

, gospel music, early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and comedy recordings, released on the Chess and its subsidiary labels Checker and Argo/ Cadet. The Chess catalogue is owned by

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

and managed by

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

. Established and run by two Jewish immigrant brothers from what was then

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

and

Phil Chess Philip Chess (born Fiszel Czyż; March 27, 1921 – October 18, 2016) was a Polish-born American record producer and company executive, the co-founder with his brother of Chess Records. Early life Chess was born to a Polish-Jewish family in the ...

, the company produced and released many singles and albums regarded as central to the rock music canon. The musician and critic

Cub Koda Michael "Cub" Koda (born October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song " ...

described Chess as "America's greatest blues label". Chess was based at several locations on the south side of Chicago, initially at South Cottage Grove Ave. The most famous was 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, from May 1957 to 1965, immortalized by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

in "

2120 South Michigan Avenue "2120 South Michigan Avenue" is an original instrumental by the Rolling Stones, recorded for their second EP '' Five by Five''. It was also released on their second US album '' 12 X 5'' in 1964. Composer credit goes to Nanker Phelge, a title giv ...

", an instrumental recorded there during the group's first U.S. tour in 1964. The building is now the home of Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. In the mid-1960s, Chess relocated to a much larger building, the former home of

Revere Camera Company The Revere Camera Company was started in 1920 by Samuel Briskin, who also started Wollensak Recorders and Opticals. History Founded in 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, as the Excel Auto Radiator Company by Ukrainian immigrant Samuel Briskin to manufac ...

at 320 E. 21st Street, the label's final Chicago home. Shortly before the death of Leonard Chess in 1969, the brothers sold the company.

History

Chess brothers' company

Leonard Chess bought a stake in

in 1947. In 1950, he brought his brother, Phil, into the operation, and they became the sole owners of the company. In the same year, they brought in a third partner, Evelyn Aron, and renamed the company Chess Records. The first release from Chess was a

78 RPM A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

single, "My Foolish Heart", backed with "Bless You", by Gene Ammons, issued as Chess 1425 in June 1950, which became the label's biggest hit of the year. In 1951, the Chess brothers began an association with

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

, of the Memphis Recording Service, the forerunner of

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

. One of the most important recordings that Phillips gave to Chess was "

Rocket 88 "Rocket 88" (originally stylized as Rocket "88") is a song that was first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1951. The recording was credited to " Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", who were actually Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. T ...

", by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (the band was actually Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm), which topped '' Billboard'' magazine's R&B Records chart and was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1998 in recognition of its influence on rock and roll. One of the most important artists that came out of Memphis was

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

, who stayed with the label until his death in 1976. Musical figures created for Chess by Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and others were the basis of much subsequent rock and roll. Many songs created by Chess artists were later covered by many rock artists, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, the

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

and Eric Clapton. In 1952, the brothers started Checker Records as an alternative label for radio play (radio stations had a policy of only playing a limited number of records from any one imprint). In December 1955, they launched a

and pop label, Marterry, a name created from the first names of Leonard and Phil's sons, Marshall and Terry. This was quickly renamed

Argo Records Argo Records was a record label in Chicago that was established in 1955 as a division of Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Arg ...

, but the name was changed again in 1965 to

Cadet Records Cadet Records was an American record label that began as Argo Records in 1955 as the jazz subsidiary of Chess Records. Argo changed its name in 1965 to Cadet to avoid confusion with the similarly named label in the UK. Cadet stopped releasing r ...

to end confusion with an existing British spoken-word label. In 1953, Leonard Chess and Gene Goodman set up Arc Music BMI, a publishing company, which published songs by many

artists. In the mid-1950s, the Chess brothers received two doo-wop groups by

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

, the Coronets and

the Moonglows The Moonglows were an American R&B group in the 1950s. Their song " Sincerely" went to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Juke Box chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. ...

; the former group was not very popular but the latter achieved several major

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

hits including " Sincerely", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. Several of Chess's releases gave a writing credit to Alan Freed. During the 1950s, Leonard and Phil Chess handled most of the recording production themselves. They brought in producer

Ralph Bass Ralph Basso Jr. (May 1, 1911 – March 5, 1997), known as Ralph Bass,The birth surname of Ralph Bass's paternal grandfather, who was born in Italy, was DuBasso. was an American rhythm-and-blues record producer and talent scout for several indepen ...

in 1960 to handle the gospel output and some of the blues singers. Bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon was also heavily involved in organizing blues sessions for the label and is now credited retroactively as a producer on some re-releases. During the 1960s, the company's A&R manager and chief producer for soul and R&B recordings was Roquel "Billy" Davis, who had previously worked with Motown founder

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record l ...

on songs for Jackie Wilson, Etta James,

Marv Johnson Marvin Earl Johnson (October 15, 1938 – May 16, 1993) was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. He was influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song " Come to Me," which was the first record iss ...

and other early Motown releases. In 1958, Chess began producing their first LP records which included such albums as '' The Best of Muddy Waters'', '' Best of Little Walter'', and ''

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

''. Chess Records was also known for its regular band of session musicians who played on most of the company's Chicago soul recordings, including the drummer Maurice White and the bassist

Louis Satterfield Louis Edward Satterfield (April 3, 1937 – September 27, 2004) was an American bassist and trombonist. Satterfield was a member of both The Pharaohs and the Phenix Horns. He also collaborated with prominent artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, ...

, both of whom later shaped the funk group

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

; the guitarists

Pete Cosey Peter Palus Cosey (October 9, 1943 – May 30, 2012) was an American guitarist who played with Miles Davis' band between 1973 and 1975. His fiercely flanged and distorted guitar invited comparisons to Jimi Hendrix. Cosey kept a low profile for ...

, Gerald Sims and

Phil Upchurch Philip Upchurch (born July 19, 1941) is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist. Career Upchurch started his career working with the Kool Gents, the Dells, and the Spaniels, before going on to work with Curtis Mayfield, Otis Rush, an ...

; the pianist Leonard Caston, later a producer for Motown; and the organist Sonny Thompson. In 1962, Chess Records was sued by

Peacock Records Peacock Records was an American record label, started in 1949 by Don Robey in Houston, Texas, United States. History " Hound Dog" by Big Mama Thornton was a hit for Peacock in 1953. Other significant rhythm and blues artists on Peacock were Ma ...

for recording their artists Reverend Robert Ballinger and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi. In 1969, Chess Records established a subsidiary label in the U.K., Middle Earth Records, which was distributed by

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...

. The subsidiary specialized in Psychedelic rock and was a joint venture with the Middle Earth Club in London. The Middle Earth label released only four albums and about a dozen singles before it closed in 1970. The company was briefly run by

Marshall Chess Marshall Chess (born 13 March 1942, Chicago, Illinois) is an American record producer, the son of Leonard Chess who co-founded Chess Records. Chess Records Marshall worked for sixteen years with Chess Records; founded by his father Leonard an ...

, Leonard's son, in his position as vice president between January and October 1969 and then as president following its acquisition by GRT, before he went on to found

Rolling Stones Records Rolling Stones Records was the record label formed by the Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman in 1970, after their recording contract with Decca Records expired. The label was initia ...

Under GRT and All Platinum

In 1969, the Chess brothers sold the label to

General Recorded Tape General Recorded Tape was an American manufacturer of reel to reel, 8-track and cassette tapes that existed between 1965 and 1979. The company grew to become the owner of several prominent U.S. record labels, including Chess Records and Janus R ...

(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, Ter-Mar Studios. Following the sale of Chess to GRT, Phil left the label to run radio station

WVON WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voice of the Negro") is a radio station serving the Chicago market, which airs an African-American-oriented talk format. WVON is owned by Midway Broadcasting Corporation, and broadcasts at 1 ...

. In the 1970s, Chess Records and its publishing arm, Arc Music, were successfully sued by

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

and Willie Dixon for nonpayment of royalties due to them. Ter-Mar Studios operated at the 2120 S. Michigan building until its closure in 1979. Some of the other artists who contributed to the legacy of Chess Records were the

Flamingos Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

, the Moonglows,

Fontella Bass Fontella Marie Bass (July 3, 1940 – December 26, 2012) was an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter best known for her number-one R&B hit " Rescue Me" in 1965. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award twice. Early life Fontella Bass was b ...

, Billy Stewart, the Dells and the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

Later incarnations

In the early 1980s, noticing that much of the Chess catalogue was commercially unavailable, Marshall Chess was able to convince Joe and Sylvia Robinson, who ran All Platinum, to reissue the catalogue themselves under his supervision (All Platinum had been licensing selected tracks to other companies, which ultimately resulted in the disappearance of some original master tapes). The reissued singles and LPs sold well, but by the mid-80s All Platinum had fallen into financial difficulties, and the Chess master recordings were acquired by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

, which itself was later merged with

, a

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

imprint. In the 1990s, MCA Records sued

Charly Records Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material. Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. History Charly Records was founded in Fra ...

for selling CDs which contained copyrighted material by Chess artists. In February 1997, MCA started releasing eleven compilation albums for the 50th anniversary of Chess Records. In the 2000s, Universal's limited-edition reissue label,

Hip-O Select Hip-O Records is a record label that specializes in reissues and compilations. It is part of Universal Music Group. Established in 1996, the label has distributed releases from 'out of style' genres such as disco and early hip-hop music as wel ...

, began releasing a series of comprehensive box sets devoted to such Chess artists as

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning hi ...

and

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

. In July 2008, the

2008 Universal Studios fire On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American film studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California. The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm asp ...

burned down a warehouse filled with

recording masters, including many albums and songs released by Chess. These masters, by artists such as Chuck Berry, were "priceless" and irreplaceable; while UMG claimed at the time it had copies, later reporting questioned this, with it emerging that the masters were destroyed. Chess Records was the subject of two films produced in 2008, ''

Cadillac Records ''Cadillac Records'' is a 2008 American biographical drama film written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-compan ...

'' and '' Who Do You Love?''. In addition to the Chess brothers, both films feature portrayals of or characters based on Willie Dixon,

and Etta James. ''Cadillac Records'' was directed by

Darnell Martin Darnell Martin (born January 7, 1964) is an American television and film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Early life and education Martin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Marilyn, a dancer of Irish-American descent, and a ...

and features an ensemble cast including

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Acto ...

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and

Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Belize in the Broadway production of ''Angels in America'', for which he would win a Tony Award, and its HBO miniseries adaptation, for which he woul ...

. ''Who Do You Love'' was directed by

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

winner

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing ''The House of Blue Leaves'', ''Lend Me a Tenor'', and ''Six Degre ...

and stars

Alessandro Nivola Alessandro Antine Nivola (born June 28, 1972) is an American actor. He has been nominated for a Tony Award and an Independent Spirit Award and has won a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Independent Film Award (BIFA), and the Best Actor Award ...

playing

Leonard Chess Lejzor Szmuel Czyż (March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969), best known as Leonard Sam Chess, was a Polish-American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues, Chicago bl ...

"as a complicated, driven man, hard on both his musicians and his family, yet with a real love for some of America's greatest music." The world premiere of the latter film was at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 11, 2008.

Discography

Chess LP-1425 to LPS-1553 (1956–1970)

The original Chess LP series started with LP-1425 and included albums on both the Chess and the Checker labels. After 1437, the series was used exclusively for the Chess label; the Checker label switched to a 2970 series.Both Sides Now: Chess Album Discography, Part 1: LP-1425 to LPS-1553 and CHV-400 Vintage Series
accessed July 23, 2019

Chess Vintage Series

The Chess Vintage LP series started with LP-407 and featured 9 albums released in 1970/71 with an additional three albums released in 1975.

GRT consolidated Chess/Cadet album discography (1971–1975)

In 1971 Chess Records was purchased by General Recorded Tape, a.k.a. GRT Corporation, which consolidated both the Chess and Cadet labels into a single labeling number sequence.Callahn, M. and Edwards, D
''GRT Consolidated Chess/Cadet Album Discography (1971-1975)'', Both Sides Now Publications
accessed October 19, 2012 {, align="center" class="wikitable sortable" bgcolor="#cccccc" , ! Catalog number !! Title !! Artist , - , Chess CH-50001 , '' Another Dimension'' , , - , Chess CH-50002 , '' Message to the Young'' ,

, - , Cadet CA-50004 , ''Freedom Means'' , , - , Cadet CH-50005 , ''Great Female Soul Vocalists'' , Various Artists , - , Cadet Concept CC-50006 , ''Hey Love'' , The New Rotary Connection , - , Cadet CA-50007 , ''Occasional Rain'' , , - , Chess CH-50008 , '' San Francisco Dues'' , , - , Cadet CA-50009 , '' Mystical Lady'' , , - , Cadet Concept CC-50010 , ''Oh What a Lovely War'' , , - , Cadet CA-50011 , ''Swahili Strut'' , Sextet , - , Chess CH-50012 , ''

Live at Mr. Kelly's ''Live at Mister Kelly's'', often stylized as ''"Live" (At Mr. Kelly's)'', is a live album by blues musician Muddy Waters released by the Chess label in 1971.Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

, - , Chess CH-50013 , ''Greatest Hits'' ,

Little Milton James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include " Baby, I Love ...

, - , Chess CH-50014 , ''Power and Light'' , Power & Light , - , Chess CH-50015 , '' Live and Cookin''' , Howlin' Wolf , - , Chess CH-50016 , '' Where it All Began'' , , - , Cadet CA-50017 , ''The Dells Sing Dionne Warwick's Greatest Hits'' , , - , Chess CH-50018 , ''Basic Soul'' , , - , Cadet CA-50019 , ''What Color Is Love'' , , - , Cadet CA-50020 , '' The Groover'' , , - , Cadet CA-50021 , ''Sweet as Funk Can Be'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-50022 , ''The Best of the Soulful Strings'' , , - , Chess CH-50023 , '' Can't Get No Grindin''' , Muddy Waters , - , Cadet CA-50024 , '' Check This Out'' , , - , Cadet CA-50025 , '' Lean on Me'' , , - , Cadet CA-50026 , '' Mr. Bojangles'' , , - , Chess 2CH-50027 , ''This Is My Story'' , , - , Chess CH-50029 , '' The London Bo Diddley Sessions'' , , - , Chess 2CH-50030 , ''The Golden Age of Rhythm and Blues'' , Various Artists , - , Chess CH-50031 , ''Love More Than Pride'' , , - , Chess CH-50032 , ''Ghettos of the Mind'' , Bama the Village Poet , - , Chess 2CH-50033 , '' Fathers and Sons'' , Muddy Waters , - , Cadet CA-50034 , ''Teardrops in the Rain'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-50035 , ''Inspiration'' , , - , Cadet CA-50036 , '' Superstition'' , , - , Cadet CA-50037 , ''Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-50038 , ''It Was a Very Good Year'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-50039 , ''I Cover the Waterfront'' , , - , Chess CH-50040 , ''Come and Get Me'' , , - , Cadet CA-50041 , ''I Just Can't Help Myself'' , , - , Chess CH-50042 , '' Etta James'' a.k.a. ''Only a Fool'' , , - , Chess CH-50043 , '' Bio'' , , - , Cadet CA-50044 , '' Songs for Ageing Children'' , , - , Chess CH-50045 , '' The Back Door Wolf'' , Howlin' Wolf , - , Cadet CA-50046 , ''The Dells'' , , - , Chess CH-50047 , '' Big Bad Bo'' , , - , Cadet CA-50048 , ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps'' , , - , Cadet CA-50049 , ''Atlantis'' , , - , Cadet CA-50051 , '' The Fourth Dimension'' , , - , Cadet CA-50052 , ''In the Cut'' , , - , Chess CH-50053 , ''You Can All Join In'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-50058 , ''Solid Ivory'' , , - , Cadet CH-50059 , ''Cross My Heart'' , , - , Cadet CA-50060 , '' Satan'' , , - , Chess 2CH-60000 , ''Laugh Time'' , and

Pigmeat Markham Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be ...

, - , Cadet CA-60001 , '' Back to the Roots'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-60002 , ''Charlie Parker Memorial Concert'' , Various Artists , - , Cadet 2CA-60003 , ''Rock Bottom'' , Various Artists , - , Chess 2CH-60004 , ''Peaches'' , , - , Chess 2CH-60005 , ''Got My Own Bag of Tricks'' , , - , Chess 2CH-60006 , '' McKinley Morganfield A.K.A. Muddy Waters'' , Muddy Waters , - , Cadet 2CA-60007 , ''Ha' Mercy'' , , - , Chess CH-60008 , ''

The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions ''The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions'' is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf released in 1971 on Chess Records, and on Rolling Stones Records in Britain. It was one of the first super session blues albums, setting a blues master among famous mu ...

'' , Howlin' Wolf , - , Chess 2CH-60009 , ''Moms and Pigmeat'' , and Pigmeat Markham , - , Cadet 2CA-60010 , ''Everything 'Bout Sax and Flute'' , , - , Chess 2CH-60011 , ''Mad Man's Blues'' , , - , Chess 2CH-60012 , ''Chicago Blues Anthology'' , Various Artists , - , Chess CH-60013 , '' The London Muddy Waters Sessions'' , Muddy Waters , - , Chess 2CH-60014 , ''Boss Blues Harmonica'' ,

, - , Chess 2CH-60015 , ''Blues Rock Cookbook: Montreux Festival'' , Various Artists , - , Chess 2CH-60016 , ''Chester Burnette A.K.A. Howlin' Wolf'' , Howlin' Wolf , - , Cadet 2CA-60017 , '' The Heatin' System'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-60018 , ''Inside'' , , - , Cadet 2CA-60019 , ''Cool Cookin' '' , , - , Chess CH-60020 , '' The London Chuck Berry Sessions'' , , - , Cadet CA-60021 , ''12 X 6 The Hard Way'' , Various Artists , - , Cadet CA-60022 , ''12 X 6 The Easy Way'' , Various Artists , - , Chess 2CH-60023 , ''Chuck Berry's Golden Decade Volume 2'' , {{sortname, Chuck Berry , - , Cadet CA-60024 , ''12 X 6 Volume 3'' , Various Artists , - , Cadet CA-60025 , ''12 X 6 Volume 4'' , Various Artists , - , Chess 2CH-60026 , '' London Revisited'' , Howlin' Wolf / Muddy Waters , - , Cadet CA-60027 , ''The Dells vs. The Dramatics'' , {{sortname, The, Dells, nolink=1 /

The Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...

, - , Chess 2CH-60028 , ''Chuck Berry's Golden Decade, Volume 3'' , {{sortname, Chuck, Berry, nolink=1 , - , Chess CH-60029 , '' Come a Little Closer'' , {{sortname, Etta, James, nolink=1 , - , Cadet CA-60030 , ''The Mighty, Mighty Dells'' , {{sortname, The, Dells, nolink=1 , - , Chess CH-60031 , '' "Unk" in Funk'' , Muddy Waters , - , Chess CH-60032 , ''

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Never Can Say Goodbye "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first ...

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References

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External links

Marshall Chess in-depth interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' August 2010

Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation

Chess Records: How Two Polish Brothers Made Music History

Chess Records
on the Internet Archive'
Great 78 Project
{{All Platinum Records {{Blues {{Chicago Landmark cultural venues {{Authority control American record labels Blues record labels History of Chicago Jazz record labels Chicago Landmarks Record labels established in 1950 Record labels disestablished in 1975 Rhythm and blues record labels Rock and roll record labels Soul music record labels