X-Nico

2 unusual facts about Chess Records


The Best of Minnie Riperton

Nothing from the Come to My Garden album appears here, nor does her early Chess Records releases as Andrea Davis or her material as a member of Rotary Connection (That would come later in 2001 on the 2-CD set Petals: The Minnie Riperton Collection).

The Four Blazes

As The Five Blazes, they signed with Aristocrat Records in 1947, becoming only the second act to record for the predecessor to Chess Records.


Aristocrat Records

By early 1950 Leonard and his brother Phil had become the sole owners, and in June of that year, they changed the company's name from Aristocrat to Chess Records.

Blues with a Feeling

Little Walter's "Blues with a Feeling" was issued on Checker (780), a Chess Records subsidiary.

Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street

With the birth of record companies like Ora Nelle Records, Delmark Records and Chess Records, Maxwell Street became the epicenter for the blues and numerous Maxwell Street artists wrote songs that were later were taken by major rock & roll acts like Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin, which is detailed extensively in the film.

Dave McAleer

He was one of the UK’s first club DJs (1963), before spending 25 years in the record business – working in A&R for labels including RCA Records, Pye Records, DJM Records, Stax Records, Chess Records, Disco Demand, Sugarhill, Calibre, Champagne, Hi, Solar, CTI Records, TMT and Buddah Records, and was managing director of Barry White's label, 20th Century Records.

Dee Dee Warwick

Warwick was born in East Orange, New Jersey, to Mancel Warwick (1911–1977), who began his career as a Pullman porter and subsequently became a chef, a gospel record promoter for Chess Records and later a Certified Public Accountant; and Lee Drinkard Warwick (1920–2005), manager of The Drinkard Singers.

Elmore James discography

Along the way, James also recorded some songs which appeared on Chess Records and Chief Records, as well as a sideman.

Kind of a Drag

The engineer at the first recording sessions held at Chess Records in Chicago was Ron Malo.

Leonard Caston, Jr.

He recorded for both the Chess and Motown labels in the 1960s and 1970s, and co-wrote or co-produced several major hit records, including Mitty Collier's "I Had A Talk With My Man" (1964), The Supremes' "Nathan Jones" (1971), and Eddie Kendricks' "Keep On Truckin'" (1973) and "Boogie Down" (1974).

Lula Reed

Reed and Thompson recorded for the Chess Records subsidiary Argo between 1958 and 1960, before returning to Cincinnati and starting to record for King's subsidiary Federal label in 1961.

Otis Spann

Spann's work for Chess Records included the 1954 single, "It Must Have Been the Devil" / "Five Spot", with B.B. King and Jody Williams on guitars.

Prentiss Barnes

Mentored by Alan Freed, the group’s doo-wop harmony style achieved great success on the national R&B charts and recorded on Chess Records.

Pye International Records

The company distributed many American labels in the UK, including Chess, Kama Sutra, Buddah, Colpix and King.

Reconsider Baby

Performed in the West Coast blues style, it became Fulson's first record chart hit for Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records.

WVON

In 1963, WHFC became WVON when it was purchased by Leonard and Phil Chess, the owners of Chess Records, a successful record label specializing in blues music.


see also

Cadillac Records: Music from the Motion Picture

The soundtrack features covers of classic songs from Chess Records' singers as performed by the film's stars including Golden Globe nominated actress and 16-time Grammy Award winning singer Beyoncé Knowles (as Etta James), Eamonn Walker (as Howlin' Wolf) and Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters).

General Recorded Tape

General Recorded Tape later grew to acquire major labels in its own right, such as Chess Records and Janus Records, and also released music under its own label, GRT Records.

::Dick LaPalm, Executive at Chess Records and owner of Village Recorders, on General Recorded Tape, following its acquisition of Chess Records.