ON THIS DATE (45 YEARS AGO) October 16, 1969 – Record label owner/producer Leonard Chess (b. March 12, 1917) died of a heart attack at age 52, a few months after selling his namesake label to General Recorded Tape. Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969) was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues. Leonard and his brother Phil became involved in the black nightclub scene on the South Side of Chicago in 1946, when they took over the Macomba Lounge. In 1947, Leonard became associated with Aristocrat Records, increasing his share in the company over time; eventually he and Phil would acquire complete control. The Chess brothers moved the company away from black pop and jazz and other genres into down home blues music with artists such as Muddy Waters. In 1950, the Chess brothers renamed the company Chess Records. My Foolish Heart (Gene Ammons), Rollin Stone (Muddy Waters), and Thats All Right (Jimmy Rogers) were among the first releases on the new label. Leonard Chess played bass drum on one of Muddy Waters sessions in 1951. Chess contacted Sam Phillips (of Sun Records) to help find and record new artists from the South. Phillips supplied Chess with recordings by Howlin Wolf, Rufus Thomas, and Doctor Ross among others. Of these, Howlin Wolf in particular became very popular, and Chess Records had to vie for him with other companies which had also been supplied with Wolf recordings by Phillips. In time, other important artists signed with Chess Records, including Bo Diddley and Sonny Boy Williamson, while Willie Dixon and Robert Lockwood Jr. took on a significant role behind the scenes. In the 1950s, Chess Records commercial success grew with artists such as Little Walter, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and Chuck Berry, and in the 60s with Etta James, Fontella Bass, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Laura Lee, and Tommy Tucker, as well as with the subsidiary labels Checker, Argo, and Cadet. As the 1960s progressed, Chesss recording enterprise branched out into other genres including gospel, traditional jazz, spoken word, comedy, and more. In the early 1960s, Chess became involved in the broadcasting business as part owner of WVON-AM radio and later acquired WSDM-FM, both in Chicago. Music industry historian John Broven has written that Leonard Chess was the dynamo behind Chess Records, the label that, along with Atlantic and Sun, has come to epitomize the independent record business. […] Leonard Chess set new standards for the industry in artist development, deal making, networking, and marketing and promotion… Chess Records Leonard Chess
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 15:30:01 +0000
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