Phil Chess

Philip Chess (born March 27, 1921) is an Polish American record producer and company executive, the co-founder with his brother of Chess Records.

Biography

He was born Fiszel Czyż in a Jewish community in Częstochowa, Poland. He and his brother Lejzor, sister Malka and mother followed their father to Chicago in 1928. The family name was changed to Chess, with Lejzor becoming Leonard and Fiszel becoming Philip.

In 1946, after leaving the Army, Phil joined Leonard in running a popular club, the Macomba Lounge. Two years later, Leonard became a partner in Aristocrat Records, a local company that recorded a wide range of music, and Phil joined in 1950. The company then changed its name to Chess Records, and began concentrating on R&B music, signing and recording artists such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Rice Miller), Robert Lockwood Jr., Etta James, Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf and Chuck Berry. Phil Chess was actively involved in producing many of their seminal blues and rock and roll recordings. The company expanded successfully through the 1950s and early 1960s, until it was sold to GRT in 1968.

Chess Records

Chess Records was an American record company based in Chicago, Illinois, whose catalog is now owned by parent company Universal Music Group, with the catalogue managed by Geffen Records. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz and comedy recordings, released on several labels including Chess, Checker, Argo and Cadet.

Founding in 1950 and run by Polish immigrant brothers Leonard and Phil Chess, the company produced and released many important singles and albums, which are now regarded as central to the rock music canon. Musician and critic Cub Koda described Chess Records as "America's greatest blues label."

Chess Records was based at several different locations on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, initially at two different locations on South Cottage Grove Ave. The most famous location was 2120 S. Michigan Avenue from around 1956 to 1965, immortalized by British rock group The Rolling Stones in "2120 South Michigan Avenue", an instrumental recorded there during the group's first U.S. tour in 1964. The Stones recorded at Chess Studios on two more occasions. The building is now home to Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. In the mid-1960s, Chess re-located to a much larger building at 320 E. 21st St., the label's final Chicago home.

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Chess is played by millions of people worldwide, both amateurs and professionals.

Each player begins the game with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently. The most powerful piece is the queen and the least powerful piece is the pawn. The objective is to 'checkmate' the opponent's king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. To this end, a player's pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent's pieces, while supporting their own. In addition to checkmate, the game can be won by voluntary resignation by the opponent, which typically occurs when too much material is lost, or if checkmate appears unavoidable. A game may also result in a draw in several ways.

Chess is believed to have originated in India, some time before the 7th century; the Indian game of chaturanga is also the likely ancestor of xiangqi and shogi. The pieces took on their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century; the rules were finally standardized in the 19th century.

Leonard Chess

Leonard Chess (March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969) was a record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues, chicago blues, and rock and roll.

Early life

Chess was born Lejzor Shmuel Czyż in a Jewish community in Motal, Poland (now in Belarus). He and his brother Fiszel, sister Malka and mother arrived in New York in 1928 from Poland. They quickly went to Chicago to join their father, Joseph, who was already engaged in the liquor business. The family name was changed to Chess, with Lejzor becoming Leonard and Fiszel becoming Philip.

Chess Records

Leonard and his brother Phil became involved in the black nightclub scene on the South Side of Chicago in 1938 running a series of jazz clubs, culminating in 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 "That's 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.

Bo Diddley

Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), born Ellas Otha Bates but changed as a child to Ellas McDaniel, was an American R&B and Chicago Blues vocalist and guitarist. In addition, he was a songwriter and music producer, usually as Ellas McDaniel, and had cameo appearances in movies. He was nicknamed The Originator because of his key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll, and rock, and influenced a host of acts, including Elvis Presley,Buddy Holly, the Beatles,The Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Eric Clapton,The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Parliament Funkadelic.

He instigated a constant driving rhythm and biting electric guitar sound which he applied to a wide range of songs. His use of African rhythms and a signature beat, a simple five-accent clave rhythm, is a cornerstone of hip hop, rock, and pop. In recognition of his achievements Bo Diddley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and a Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is also recognised for his technical innovations, including his trademark rectangular guitar.