Leonard Chess

Leonard Chess (born March 12, 1917, Motule, Poland—died October 16, 1969, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) was a Polish-born American record producer whose record label, Chess Records, helped define the Chicago blues sound and also disseminated some of the earliest rock and roll recordings.

He immigrated to the United States in 1928 with his mother, sister, and brother—and future partner—Fiszel (later Philip); they joined his father, who had preceded them, in Chicago. After working at several trades, Leonard Chess opened a lounge, and Phil joined him in the business.

In 1947 Leonard joined the Aristocrat Record Company; in 1950 he bought the company and, with Phil as partner, renamed it Chess Records. As fans of the electric blues, a style being heard in Chicago after World War II, they signed such artists as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James, Koko Taylor, and Bo Diddley and played a major role in introducing Black music to a wider white audience.

In 1969 the Chess brothers sold the label to GRT Records for $6.5 million. Shortly after the sale, Leonard died of a heart attack. The company’s studio was eventually shut down, and by 1975 Chess had become a reissue-only label.

In 1987 Leonard Chess was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1990 Chess Records’ office and studio at 2120 South Michigan Avenue on the South Side of Chicago was designated a city landmark. The film Cadillac Records (2008) is a fictionalized drama about the label, with Adrien Brody playing Leonard.