Mitty Collier signed to Chess in 1961 and recorded a string of singles through to 1968, when she was unceremoniously dropped by the label. She never achieved any degree of lasting success, despite the quality of her performances and material. Tracks such as 'I Had A Talk With My Man Last Night', 'No Faith, No Love' and 'Got To Get Away From It All' are fine examples of Southern Soul within a Gospel tradition. 'I Had A Talk.....' is alone worth the price of any compilation you find it on. |
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| Laura Lee started her career, unsurprisingly, as a gospel singer in her native Chicago during the late 1950s. She signed to Chess in 1965 although it appeared that early on the label was unsure how best to record her. Another trip to the Fame Studios resolved this particular dilemma - a string of great sides were released, including 'Dirty Man', 'Love More Than Pride' and 'A Man With Some Backbone'. One of the earlier female artists to record material which questioned traditional male dominance and asserted the need for female independence, she later became an arch exponent of this genre, along with artists such as Millie Jackson and Betty Wright. |
The Moonglows are evidence enough that Chess embraced music other than blues early on in its history. They were a classic doo-wop group and released a succession of singles on the  label throughout the 1950s. Amongst the better known are 'Sincerely', 'SeeSaw' and, as Harvey & The Moonglows, 'The Ten Commandments Of Love'. The mainstay and leader of the group, Harvey Fuqua, also began to work for the label as an A&R man, bringing Etta James to the label and introducing Marvin Gaye to his own group. |
An artist whose reputation largely rests on the recording of one song, Billy Stewart should nonetheless be remembered for much more than his idiosyncratic hit version of the Gershwin standard Summertime'. Prior to the hit, he had already proved his talent as a songwriter and had written a number of superior soulful songs.  He started out his career as a member of the Rainbows (who recorded on the Fire and Fury label), joining the Chess label after the group disbanded. Before the 'Summertime' hit, he had already scored with the ballads 'I Do Love You' and 'Sitting In The Park' in 1965. | |
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| Its highlights included the hit title track, her version of Redding's 'Security' and the classic 'I'd Rather Go Blind'. The sale of Chess left her without a contract, but Etta has continued to record music of high quality, including the 1978 release "Deep In The Night" and "The Right Time" (1992). |
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Chess Thumbnail Sketch |
| Leonard and Phil Chess were already the proprietors of several Chicago nightclubs when they bought into the Aristocrat label in 1947. Initially, most of the material which came from the label was jazz or jump blues but this all began to change with the arrival of Muddy Waters. His first hit, 'I Can't Be Satisfied' really kick started a new direction for the Chess brothers. They bought out the other partner in the business (one Evelyn Aron) and in 1950 they renamed the label Chess.
Early on they continued to rely on material from the vaults of the old Aristocrat label but slowly began to sign up artists of their own, including Robert Nighthawk, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Boyd and, significantly, Howlin' Wolf. By far the most important early advance however was the arrival of Willie Dixon. Leonard and Phil both had an excellent ear for music but they didn't have the contacts that Willie Dixon brought with him. Dixon became the mainstay of Chess, writing, producing and arranging many of its most famous tracks. The Chess label soon became the leading outlet for Urban blues.
The brothers formed the Checker subsidiary and signed Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James and Little Walter.
Chess also embraced rock'n'roll and R'n'B, signing leading exponents such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley to the label. The Chess reputation also attracted the 'new breed' of blues artists, including Otis Rush and Buddy Guy - it also got a new lease of life in the 60s when the so called blues boom generated renewed interest in both the recordings and the artists who made them.
Surprisingly to many, Chess didn't just concentrate on the blues idiom (see other column) but they never attracted the same kudos or commercial success as the likes of Atlantic and Stax, although artistically at least, much of the label's R'n'B output was equal to that of any recorded elsewhere.
Leonard Chess died in 1969 and, almost immediately, Phil sold Chess to GRT. The label has however consistently been repackaged and reissued over the years, most notably by MCA in the States and Charly Records in the UK. A dispute over the rights to the label's offerings between Charly and MCA muddied the waters with regard to Charly's massive reissue programme - a shame for UK buyers, who were well served by the quality of much of the reissue process. MCA's own reissue programme has however been well put together, but much it it goes out of print far too rapidly. |
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The great Etta James will find a place in the performers category of this primer, such is her talent and influence, as soon as I get round to it!. Get the Chess compilation that was put together as part of the label's 50th anniversary to hear her at her best. Signed to Chess subsidiary Argo in 1959, she had hits from 1960 ('All I Could Do Was Cry') through to 1963 ('Pushover)'. A lull in her career followed, the hits tried up and both her personal and professional life were sorely tested by her heroin addiction. In 1967, Chess took her to the Fame Studios and the resulting "Tell Mama" was an artistically triumphant comeback. 
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