Chess Records Essentials

Founded in 1950, Chess Records foreshadowed rock ‘n' roll with the raw, prowling blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and seminal rhythm ‘n' blues romps like “Rocket 88”. The Chicago label and its many fruitful subsidiaries stretched out to accommodate the Motown-style soul of Fontella Bass and Jackie Ross, as well as a more polished strain of blues exemplified by Etta James' swooning torch song “At Last”. Though the hugely influential label was eventually absorbed by larger companies, the Chess catalogue still teems with iconic salvos like the syncopated Bo Diddley beat and the live-wire opening of Chuck Berry's “Johnny B. Goode”.