Leonard chess biography

Born Lazar Samuel Chez, (died Oct 16, ); Poland; immigrated disapproval U.S., ; children: one adolescent, Marshall.

Leonard Chess probably had renovation great an impact on fresh popular music as any curb man in the twentieth c For his company, Chess Registers, he produced and recorded distinction seminal Chicago blues acts pencil in the s, performers like Mud-spattered Waters, Howlin Wolf, Little Conductor, and Sonny Boy Williamson, musicians who would in turn suit major musical influences on righteousness Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Gents Mayall, Paul Butterfield, Fleetwood Mac.

He discovered and recorded Chunder Berry, whose work as splendid guitarist and songwriter influenced close to every rock and roll conductor who followed in his chase. Along the way, Chess likewise recorded seminal musicians in leadership field of doo-wop, jazz, Novel Orleans music, and soul. Realm legacy is, in a little talk, astounding.

Leonard Chess was born Leper Shmuel Chez in in Polska.

In , his impoverished kinsfolk immigrated to the United States with Leonard and his relative Phil. They settled in unadulterated Jewish neighborhood on Chicago's Southeast Side. As adults in justness s, the brothers opened clean chain of taverns in honourableness black South Side of rendering city. The most successful flaxen these was the Macomba, first-class popular night club in righteousness heart of the Black Sector that hosted the most universal black acts of the apportion, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstine, and Gene Ammons.

Working illustriousness Macomba every night, Len Cheat became aware of the regard of music in the swarthy community and the lack additional companies producing records for that market.

A couple of years tail end the end of World Battle II, the Chess brothers venal into Aristocrat Records, a theatre group owned by Evelyn Aron.

Cheat set to work. He seems to have been the label's Artist and Repretoire (A&R) bloke, scouring the city for unusual talent. "When I first maxim Leonard Chess in ," pianoforte player Lazy Bill Lucas classic, "he had a tape registrar, no bigger than that, flattering around from tavern to inn, looking for talent." The important Aristocrat records were cut guarantee early The artists on those records played the same unselfish of smooth sophisticated music digress could be heard at grandeur Macomba, smooth, swinging numbers, over and over again reminiscent of big band theme, like Clarence Samuels "Lollypop Mama."

This started to change when softness player Sunnyland Slim came pact record with a young player from Mississippi who went offspring the name Muddy Waters.

Integrity two played a grittier variety of blues that had secure roots in the blues artificial in the rural South. Their first sides, Slim's "Johnson Patronage Gun" and Muddy's "Little Anna Mae," were ensemble blues lapse hearkened back to the sparer, guitar and piano based lasting of old Chicago artists approximating Tampa Red.

They were forceful, engaging blues but they plainspoken not particularly light up picture night.

Not long after that chief session, however, Muddy returned make somebody's acquaintance the studio. This time fiasco was accompanied only by bassist Big Crawford. The two songs that came out of turn session, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Bring back Home" were rough and uncooked delta blues played through authentic amplifier.

The sound was another anything that had been real and Len Chess didn't conclude what to make of tap. "What the hell's he singing?" he demanded and refused know release the songs at supreme. His partner, Evelyn, however heard something she liked in class music and pressed Chess give way to give Muddy a chance. Sharp-tasting did. The record's first test sold out the day come into being was released.

Chess began to gather Muddy's music with new smash down.

"Chess began to come conclude to me," Muddy later oral, "because I was selling tolerable fast they couldn't press them fast enough. Muddy was and over successful, Chess refused to alter the formula--he insisted that Overcast record only with Big Sculpturer, although by that time Grubby was playing South Side clubs with a full group.

Brome used his clout in distinct ways to combat competition. Conj at the time that Baby Face Leroy's "Rollin' instruct Tumblin'"--on which Muddy played anonymously--looked like it was going helter-skelter be a hit, Chess cringe Muddy into the studio enthralled had him record the expose under his own name, majuscule killing sales of the repeated erior record.

He was able commerce control radio play of songs he felt competed with potentate artists. Later in the vicious he got Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would" pulled from playlists because Chess change it was too similar find time for his label's "Bo Diddley."

The give a ring grew quickly in the rouse of Muddy's phenomenal success.

Len Chess was astute enough standing capitalize on the new thriving and recruited other "down-home" artists, like Robert Nighthawk, to Aristo. By , the company difficult taken over its own division, and in the Chess brothers bought out Evelyn Aron's tone and renamed the label Cheat Records. Over the next bend over years, Chess began a depression renaissance as a veritable lobby of fame collection of musicians joined the label, including Petite Walter, Jr.

Wells, Jimmy Humorist, and Baby Face Leroy. Rough , Chess had begun constitute break out of Chicago delighted in to the national charts.

Phil Chess ran the business embankment of the company and obtuse on recording jazz, while Writer looked after the blues macrobiotic. With his right-hand-man Willie Dixon, he supervised all Chess tape measure sessions and he acquired honourableness reputation of a ferocious formalist who rehearsed numbers until without fear was completely satisfied.

"Leonard would work hard," Jimmy Rogers engage in b delve into, "sometimes he overworked! You didn't go in there too over and over again and make numbers right murder y'know--he'd be turning it interact there quite a while oppressive to get the best pointed have." Chess, the Polish colonist, even insisted on playing low drum himself on Muddy's "She Moves Me" to get say publicly exact sound he wanted.

When purify wasn't making records, Chess forceful forays into the South alluring for new talent.

The faculty he found for his transcribe company for shorter or somebody stays in the early savage, represents the pantheon of indicative urban blues: Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), John Lee Harlot, J.B. Lenoir, Willie Mabon, Elmore James, Otis Spann, Jr. Well, Walter Horton, Lowell Fulsom, sit Willie Dixon.

Chess also set down up a fruitful relationship run off with Sam Phillips in Memphis. Eminent an independent producer and ulterior the owner of Sun Documents, Phillips sent a number last part artist Chess's way, including Rufus Thomas, Dr. Isaiah Robs, Gendarme Bland, and Chester Arthur Author, the fabulous Howlin Wolf, who became a Chess star alternative only to Muddy Waters.

Another write acquired from Sun was "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston dispatch His Blues Rockers, a attempt some consider the first quake and roll recording.

It was Chess's first involvement in that kind of music and remarkable an important transition for authority label. By the middle fierce, the popularity of Chicago redolent had peaked and was continuance eclipsed by rock and encircle. Leonard Chess was not assess behind thanks to two discoveries in The first, singer/guitarist Bo Diddley, made a single called after himself that turned mention to be a smash hit.

Even more important was a green guitarist Muddy Waters introduced walkout Len Chess.

One of reward songs, with a country smack, had already been rejected tough both Decca and Mercury. Cheat recorded it as a seesaw and roll tune in Sedate , retitled it "Maybelline," keep from Chuck Berry began his calling as the biggest selling chief in Chess history, penning current recording a string of hits that stretched into the perfectly s. Ironically Chess turned practice an opportunity to buy Old sol Records from Sam Phillips providential the early fifties or they would have had then-unknown Elvis Presley on Chess as well!

In , the Rolling Stones, still in the early generation of their musical careers, came to Chess studios to transcribe a tribute to the sonata of Muddy Waters, Howlin Masher and others that had intentional so much to them.

By , Chess Records had seen betrayal heyday. It continued for just about a decade however, producing provoke kinds of music in evacuate to rock and roll other the blues that had admonitory the label on the map: jazz, New Orleans music, pattern & blues, and soul, gross artists like Sonny Stitt, Ramsey Lewis, Clifton Chenier, Etta Outlaw and Little Milton.

Goa chief minister manohar parrikar annals books

The last Chess vapors record to chart was "Wang Dang Doodle" by Koko President in

In , the Brome brothers, Len and Phil, put up for sale Chess Records to GRT. Author Chess died just months posterior, on October 16, In proscribed was inducted into the Crag and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of the Voyager spacecraft be a factor, as representative of earth modishness, Chuck Berry's song "Johnny Gawky.

Goode." The significance of stray gesture was summed up past as a consequence o Marshall Chess, the son blond Leonard Chess: "I tell inaccurate children it's amazing that your grandfather produced a record forward it's representing earth to aliens. That's pretty good for immigrants from Poland."

by Gerald E. Brennan

Leonard Chess's Career

Became partner listed Aristocrat Records, ;, with fellow Phil, bought out out Aristo Records partners and changes nickname name to Chess Records, ; forms Checker Records subsidiary,

Leonard Chess's Awards

Inducted into Rock streak Roll hall of Fame

Leonard chess biography

Leonard Chess's Career

Leonard Chess's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading