Join us
Start your journey into one of the most influential labels in music with our list of the best Chess albums to own on vinyl.
Son of Chess Records co-founder Leonard Chess, Marshall Chess offers an exclusive guide to the Chicago label that helped invent rock’n’roll.
We present 50 songs that were part of rhythm and blues heritage but which didn’t fully find a mainstream audience until they were remade.
From blues and jazz to rock'n'roll and soul, here are the 50 best Chess Records singles to discuss and debate, but mainly to hear and consider.
Willie Dixon was a fixer, arranger, talent scout, boxer, performer and songwriter, who did more to shape the sound of post war Chicago blues than any other.
It's the quintessential blues riff, but what is its strange history? Performed by everyone from Robert Johnson to Elmore James, we trace the song's origins.
With his track record on disc, and his voracious appetite for touring still intact, Miller's place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is well-earned.
One of the finest artists on the illustrious Chess label, Howlin’ Wolf shaped the blues, as this playlist of 20 of the best Howlin’ Wolf songs shows.
On 3 January 1950, Sam Phillips opened Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee — later to be known to the world as Sun Studio.
The 14 honorees for 2020 span almost a century of music, with nods for a wide range of artists from Victoria Spivey to Bettye Lavette.
Released in 1964, The Rolling Stones’ version of Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Little Red Rooster’ became the first blues record to top the UK singles chart.
'Little Red Rooster', The Rolling Stones fifth single. became their 2nd single to top the UK chart, despite being a blues song.
A controversial album for both Howlin’ Wolf and his fans, ‘The Howlin’ Wolf Album’ was a psych-blues experiment that is much more than a novelty listen.
The songs that influenced The Rolling Stones most have all come from the blues tradition – as the ‘Confessin’ The Blues’ compilation reveals.
Ken Burns’ compelling documentary, ‘The Vietnam War’ explores one of the darkest hours in US history and the music that came out of it.
