Chess Records
Chess Records, founded 1950: jazz artists and albums on the label.
Artists on Chess Records
Benny Goodman
1909–1986 · American jazz clarinetist and bandleader (1909–1986)
Etta James
1938–2012 · American singer (1938–2012)
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
1935–1977 · American musician (1935-1977)
Gene Ammons
1925–1974 · American tenor saxophonist (1925–1974)
Lucky Thompson
1924–2005 · American jazz saxophonist (1924–2005)
The Crew-Cuts
1952– · Canadian pop band
Billy Stewart
1937–1970 · American singer (1937–1970)
Eddie Bo
1930–2009 · New Orleans R&B musician (1930-2009)
Valaida Snow
1902–1956 · American musician (1904-1956)
Al Hibbler
1915–2001 · American baritone vocalist (1915-2001)
Eddie South
1904–1962 · American musician (1904–1962)
James Crawford
1934–2012 · New Orleans R&B musician (1934-2012)
Leo Parker
1925–1962 · American musician (1925–1962)
Tab Smith
1909–1971 · American saxophonist (1909–1971)
Jack McVea
1914–2000 · American musician (1914–2000)
Bobby Bryant
1934–1998 · American trumpeter (1934-1998)
Label profile
For bootlegs/unofficial releases, see . Also appears as "Chess Record Corp." on earliest releases and as "Chess Records" from 1967/68.
Based in Chicago, Illinois, Chess was one of the premier blues labels of the 1950s and 60s, also releasing R&B, soul, jazz, gospel and rock. They released records by every major blues artist in Chicago, including John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and many others.
Brothers Leonard Chess and Phil Chess emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1928. In the 1940s they owned the upscale Macomba nightclub in Chicago's Southside neighborhood and several other bars. Blues artists performed regularly at The Macomba, and the Chess brothers realized they were not being recorded. They bought in to the small R&B label The Aristocrat Of Records in 1947, then bought out the remaining partners in 1949 and changed the name to Chess in 1950. The label sold to General Recorded Tape (GRT) in January 1969 for $6.5 million, and was sold again to All Platinum Record Group in 1975. Leonard Chess died on October 16th, 1969.
Company: Chess Producing Corp. or sometimes Chess Records
Associated to the publ
Profile from Discogs (CC0)