About
For bootlegs/unofficial releases, see . Also appears as "Chess Record Corp." on earliest releases and as "Chess Records" from 1967/68. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Chess was one of the premier blues labels of the 1950s and 60s, also releasing R&B, soul, jazz, gospel and rock. They released records by every major blues artist in Chicago, including John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and many others. Brothers Leonard Chess and Phil Chess emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1928. In the 1940s they owned the upscale Macomba nightclub in Chicago's Southside neighborhood and several other bars. Blues artists performed regularly at The Macomba, and the Chess brothers realized they were not being recorded. They bought in to the small R&B label The Aristocrat Of Records in 1947, then bought out the remaining partners in 1949 and changed the name to Chess in 1950. The label sold to General Recorded Tape (GRT) in January 1969 for $6.5 million, and was sold again to All Platinum Record Group in 1975. Leonard Chess died on October 16th, 1969. Company: Chess Producing Corp. or sometimes Chess Records Associated to the publishing company Arc Music (2) or Arc Music Corp., that was co-founded by Leonard Chess in 1953. Label code: LC 0156 For company credits, see: -Chess Record Corp. / Chess Records Corp. / Chess Recording Corp. -Chess Producing Corp. -Chess Records / GRT Record Group / GRT Corporation -All Platinum Record Group / All Platinum Record Co. / All Platinum Record Co., Inc. -Sugar Hill Records Ltd. -MCA Records, Inc. 45 RPM Catalog Number, Date and Label Identification: 1458-1670 (1951–1957): Blue and silver label, with three chess pieces at the top. 1671-1798 (1957–1961): Blue label with vertical Chess letters. 1799-1840 (1961–1963): Either blue label with vertical Chess letters or multi–color label. 1841-1950 (1963–1966): Black label, however there are many pressing plant variations. Some 1800 series issues exist on blue and silver, others on multi-color Chess labels. 1951 and higher (1966 forward): Light blue label. A few red vinyl issues appeared in the 1530–1550 series. Inexplicable pressing plant variations exist, such as numbers as high as 1966 (mid-'66) with the blue label, with vertical Chess letters on left side.
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Top Chess Releases
Sub-labels
Rock Revival (4)
Series published by Chess
The Chess Years
Series by the Chess label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release.
Checker
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran th...
Le Roi Du Blues
U.S. label that for obvious reasons (the stuff was let out the back door of the Chess vaults) claimed being of Canadian origin, via https://www.wirz.de/music/roidufrm.htm
Check-Mate
1960s R&B and soul label from Detroit, Michigan. Check-Mate was a subsidiary of the Chicago, Illinois-based Chess label. When Anna was bought by Berry Gordy in April 1961, Gwen Gordy and Billy D...
Legendary Masters Series
Also with logo "CHESS Jazz The legendary Masters Series" Late 90's Chess/Universal re-issue series. Releases cover the major Chess and sublabels artists. Most releases are compilations, some wit...
Chicago Golden Years
French series from the early 1980s that show a Chess label throughout. Exact title is "L'Age d'Or De Chicago Golden Years", as printed on logos on front covers. Most of these LPs are obvious...
Blue Chip Series
US label. Chess used this to reissue 'golden oldies' from their back catalogue. Active in the early 1970s.
Real Folk Blues
French series.
The Original Chess Jazz Masters
The Original Chess Masters Jazz Series
Series by the Chess label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release. Please, consider also
Chess Masters
Chess Jazz Masters Series
Series by the Chess label. This is a series, not a label. Only add this to the "Series" field, together with the actual label of the release. Please, consider also
Chess Blues Masters Series
When the All Platinum Record Group acquired the Chess rights in 1976, the Chess Blues Masters Series was launched.
Chess Vintage Series
US-American series by Chess Records. Also described as “Vintage Blues Series” in contemporary sleeve notes.
Chess Sermon Series
Rhythm & Blues Remarquable
French series. See also Série Remarquable on 7"s.
Blues Series (2)
Jazz Series (13)
Spiritual Series (5)
Series associated with .