Phil Chess, who co-founded the legendary label Chess Records with his brother Leonard and helped make Chicago the epicenter of the blues, died Wednesday at his home in Tucson, Arizona. WVON was an exclusively black station, playing all the Chess artists, from Muddy and Little Walter, to Chuck Berry, whom Muddy had convinced to join Chess, Etta James, who became a legendary r&b artist, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker and many others. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. But beyond a statement by narrator Willie Dixon that he sued and The brothers were not musical visionaries; they were small-time indie record men making a quick buck from the poorest, least respected people in America. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Chess Records effectively ended the following year when the brothers sold the label to General Recorded Tape. DMCA, General Contact Nobody wants to talk to you after you've done a spec script.". In October 1969, Leonard Chess died and by 1972, the only part of Chess Records still operating in Chicago was the recording studio, Ter-Mar Studios. I seriously enjoyed reading it, you Their truth is not built with the intent of gimmick-like controversy but a need to be true to themselves no matter the cost. Every historically based film truncates, imagines and fudges What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? 20. (It bugs me to this day that he still receives royalties, James wrote in 1995.). Even though Etta didn't considered herself a "professional" songwriter at the time, this song heralded the depths of her experience with undeniable emotion which very well paralleled a violent relationship she didn't know how to leave and a drug problem she didn't know how to kick. She had one child with Artis, Sametto James. Submit Music They chronicles the life of one's important Chicago-created listing-company founder Leonard Chess, and many of your own designers which composed and you . The true story is that in 1928, Lejzor and Fiszel Czy moved to the U.S. with the rest of their family from a small village named Motal in what's Belarus today. Chess said he has a "love/hate" relationship with both films. The legendary singer insists she was only joking when she threatened to a*s whip Beyonce for singing At Last - a song which Etta, 71, is famous for performing - at US President Barack Obama's inauguration. Like Stax and Atlantic, it focused on R&B, blues, soul, and gospel, while also dabbling in early rock and roll. 17. local news and culture, Robert Wilonsky Chess contacted Sam Phillips (of Sun Records) to help find and record new artists from the South. Notably, Beyonce plays Etta James, Jeffrey Wright brings Muddy Waters to life and Mos Def duckwalks as Chuck Berry. Where is Johnny Cash's one piece at a time Cadillac? Lejzor Szmuel Czy (March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969), best known as Leonard Sam Chess, was a Polish-born American record company executive and the co-founder of Chess Records. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Dixon and Waters used their award to start their own label. And the family name, Czy, became Chess. About Us [1][2][3][4] He and his brother, Fiszel, sister, Malka, and mother arrived in New York in 1928 from Poland. I agree, the Etta James story needs no embellishment. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that Chess Records owes its legendary status to that chance meeting on a Dartford train platform. 1 What happened between Etta James and Leonard Chess? Appreciate your comment. had a pair of early hits for the Chess brothers, died in 1968. huge man at 6-foot-6, 300 pounds. Garry Kasparov is one of the most well-known chess players and is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time. South Michigan Ave was called Record Row there wasnt only Chess: Vee-Jay records was across the street, with five or six different distributors. Jewish immigrants from Poland, they got into the record business more or less by chance: Leonard bought a liquor store in an African American neighbourhood on the south side of Chicago, and did well enough that he opened a small nightclub called the Macomba Lounge. Cadillac Records begins with Dixon laying the foundation of the story, introducing us to "one white boy from Chicago" (Chess, first seen mid-coitus) and "one sharecropper from Mississippi" (Waters, tilling the soil). "I read about 26 books and talked to some of the old-timers," she said. Etta James launched a scathing attack on Beyonce Knowles because she felt left out. Still, the parade of famous faces playing famous faces overstuffs the movie with subjects deserving of features but instead treated as footnotes. Of these, Howlin' Wolf in particular became very popular, and Chess Records had to vie for him with other companies which had also been supplied with Wolf recordings by Phillips. "The project wasn't about the Chess brothers, per se," said writer/director Darnell Martin ("I Like It Like That"). Chess Records, while not black-owned or founded, was very instrumental in exclusively showcasing black artists, namely its own. goes beyond the norm in the liberties it takes with the Chess It never happened. He even asked James, a longtime friend, and she told him, He kissed me on the cheek once.. How old was Leonard Chess when he died? That is the paradox of the Chess story. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Phil Chess, co-founder of blues label Chess Records, dies", "Will the real music mogul stand up? James spent my youth by members of the family and loved ones rather than this lady mother thanks to much of . Leonard Chess, 404 Spearman Ave., Farrell, died at 1:54 a.m. today (3-2-00) at home. Between this internal tug of war and growing up in a business that didnt cater much to a growing teenager, Ettas life journey was surrounded by upheaval and survival. That, according to several who worked with both of them at Chess and to Leonard's son Marshall, did not happen. Etta was definitely one of the greats! (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). But nothing has an impact or leaves a mark, least of all the songs, watered down by actors doing miniature impersonations of giants. He immigrated to the U.S in 1928 with his mother, sister, and brotherand future partnerFiszel (later Philip); they joined his father, who had preceded them, in Chicago. harmonica master who was part of Muddy Waters first great band and The sequence was shot on-location in Rockefeller Center in New York City. Thanks for a marvelous posting! In which episode Zeref tells Natsu they are brothers? But shes not close to the size of the real James, who voluptuous. tough Wolf, and the charm of Mos Def, who pulls off Berry about as Leonard Chess, orig. With Fuqua, Etta went on to sing songs like I Just Want to Make Love to You, If I Cant Have You and later became the duo Betty & Dupree on Kent Records while also recording on Chess due to the lack of money they were paid on Chess. "That bothers me on a personal level, but that's from the family. If it sells, all right.. Leonard's son,. 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. All hats off to Bet for that outstanding performance in Cadillac Records. When Andy Lack was a teenager living in New York, he would sneak into Harlem with his older brother to catch concerts by Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley or Muddy . Controversy aside, the film has brought more visitors to the historic Chess Records office and studio, at 2120 S. Michigan Ave. Blues artists were primarily interested to know if I got any sex. Like most of her tone-deaf predecessors, Martin feels the need to make the truth more entertaining and ends up desecrating the history books. But in this version of the taletold in flashback, with overwrought narration provided by Cedric the Entertainer as Chess producer, session musician and house songwriter Willie Dixonthere is no Phil Chess, only Leonard, played by an actor, Adrien Brody, who, with his anachronistically tousled hair and Forever Fonzie wardrobe, looks as much like Leonard Chess as he does, well, Howlin' Wolf. Theyre not going to ask Hows school? Muddy Waters used to ask me, Get any yet?. got paid, and a couple references to the Cadillacs they drove not For instance, while the film plays heavily on a romantic relationship with Chess Records head, Leonard Chess, this information was never once mentioned in Etta's autobiography. Along with Chuck Berry, - The chronology of Cadillac Records is a mess, almost from The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The first time I drank hard liquor out of the bottle was with those guys. Etta James, one of the great American pop singers of the last half-century, died this morning. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Fortunately, his partner in Aristocrat, Evelyn Arons, suggested that some of the black southerners who had moved north in search of jobs might enjoy the sounds of home. How accurate was the movie Cadillac Records? They quickly went to Chicago to join their father, Joseph, who was already engaged in the liquor business, which was illegal at the height of Prohibition and controlled in Chicago by Al Capone. Also along for the ride are Chess' and Waters' women, Revetta (Entourage's Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Geneva (Gabrielle Union), respectively, who do little other than quietly frown and tolerate their husbands' myriad dalliances. Two Grammy nominees will top the daily bills at the 15th annual version of the Omaha festival held at Aksarben Village. They remember it was important at the beginning of rocknroll., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Have they got blues for you: Leonard, Phil and Marshall Chess Photograph: Chess Family Archive. Ovitor is a website that writes about many topics of interest to you, a blog that shares knowledge and insights useful to everyone in many fields. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You can cancel at any time. Glad you enjoyed it! out-of-control Walter, Walker in an impressive, brief turn as the What is causing the plague in Thebes and how can it be fixed? . The year is 1941 when, according to the movie, a man from the Library of Congress comes out to Mississippi to record a man named McKinley Morganfield playing his own style of folk music. So in conclusion, when I think of an artist whos invested 58 years in writing and singing songs that come from the real chapters of her life, it seems only fitting that she have the honor of a real depiction. How much weight did Beyonc gain to play Etta James? 1 single was The Wallflower in 1955, and James enjoyed large success during the 60s, with hits like All I Could Do Was Cry, I'd Rather Go Blind, and of course, At Last. Her last album, The Dreamer, was released in November. The Stones came to Chicago to record the one I spent most time with was Brian Jones. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. { format_cents } } { { start_price } } { { format_dollars } } /month tax. Brings Muddy Waters to life and Mos Def duckwalks as Chuck Berry latest in. The history books stored in your browser only with your consent and used. A slight exaggeration to say that Chess Records owes its legendary status to that chance meeting on a Dartford platform... 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