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Phil Chess
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Phil Chess
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Key Information

Philip Chess (born Fiszel Czyż; March 27, 1921 – October 18, 2016) was a Polish-born American record company executive, the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Leonard.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Chess was born to a Polish-Jewish family[2] in the village of Motal, then in eastern Poland and now part of Belarus.[3] He and his brother Lejzor, sister Malka and mother followed their father to Chicago in 1928. The family name was changed to Chess, with Lejzor becoming Leonard and Fiszel becoming Philip.[4]

Career

[edit]

Chess served in the army during World War II. In 1946, after leaving the Army, Phil joined Leonard in running a popular club, the Macomba Lounge. Two years later, Leonard became a partner in Aristocrat Records, a local company that recorded a wide range of music,[5] and Phil joined in 1950. The company then changed its name to Chess Records, and began concentrating on R&B music, signing and recording artists such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Rice Miller), Robert Lockwood Jr., Etta James, Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf and Chuck Berry.[6][7] Phil Chess was actively involved in producing many of their blues and rock and roll recordings. The company expanded successfully through the 1950s and early 1960s, until it was sold to GRT in 1969.

Chess was also a co-founder with his brother of L & P Broadcasting, which operated radio station WSDM.[8]

Retirement

[edit]

Phil Chess retired to Arizona in 1972.[9] Phil and Leonard Chess were both inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame as non-performers in 1995. In February 2013, Phil Chess attended the ceremony to receive one of The Recording Academy's Trustees Awards for non-performers presented to him and his brother.[10]

Death

[edit]

Chess died at his home in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 95.[11][6]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Phil Chess

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Phil Chess (March 27, 1921 – October 18, 2016) was a Polish-born American record executive and co-founder of , the influential Chicago-based label that played a pivotal role in popularizing and launching early rock 'n' roll by recording groundbreaking Black artists such as , , and . Born Fiszel Czyż in Motol, Poland, to a Jewish family, Chess immigrated to the in 1928 at age seven with his parents and older brother , fleeing in ; the family anglicized their surname from Czyż to Chess upon arrival in . Growing up in a working-class immigrant household, the Chess brothers helped their father run a junkyard and later a on Chicago's South Side, where they were exposed to the vibrant sounds of Black jazz and blues emanating from nearby clubs and churches. After serving in the U.S. Army during , Phil joined Leonard in the nightclub business in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, operating venues like the Macomba Lounge that featured performers; this experience led them to invest in the recording industry. In 1947, the brothers became partners in the fledgling Aristocrat Records, a small label focused on , which they fully acquired and renamed in 1950, operating from a studio at . Under their stewardship, became a cornerstone of post-war American music, releasing seminal tracks like Muddy Waters's "" (1954), Howlin' Wolf's "" (1956), and Chuck Berry's "" (1955), which helped bridge with the emerging rock 'n' roll . While handled much of the production and artist relations, Phil focused on promotion, traveling across the U.S. to pitch records to radio disc jockeys and distributors, which was crucial to breaking artists like , , , and into wider audiences. The label's output not only defined but also influenced global , inspiring British acts like and Led Zeppelin through covers of Chess recordings; in 1951, Chess even released "Rocket 88" by , often cited as an early rock 'n' roll milestone. The brothers sold to GRT Corporation in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death that year; Phil continued in the industry until retiring to in 1972. Chess's legacy endures through the enduring catalog now owned by , which continues to shape understandings of and rock origins; as biographer Nadine Cohodas noted, the brothers' "scrappy kind of existence" as immigrants propelled them to amplify voices that transformed modern music. He spent his later years in , passing away at his home in Tucson on October 18, 2016, at the age of 95, survived by family including his wife Sheva and children.

Early life

Birth and family

Phil Chess was born Fiszel Czyż on March 27, 1921, in the village of Motal, then part of eastern and now in , into a Jewish family amid the turbulent socio-political landscape of the region. His parents were Joseph (also known as Yusl or Yasel) Czyż, a cobbler by trade, and Cyrla (later Celia) Czyż. Chess grew up with several siblings, including his older brother Lejzor (later , born in 1917), who would later partner with him in family business ventures, and an older sister named Malka (later Mae); the family included additional sisters as well. The Czyż household was part of a tight-knit Jewish community in Motal, a where families endured significant economic hardships, living without running water, electricity, or modern heating in modest, often single-room dwellings. The early 20th-century context for Jewish families like the Czyżes in the Poland-Belarus borderlands was marked by pervasive poverty and systemic discrimination against Jewish communities, exacerbated by widespread antisemitic pogroms during events such as the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921, which claimed thousands of Jewish lives across the region. These conditions reflected the broader vulnerabilities of , where economic marginalization and violent outbursts forced many to seek emigration.

Immigration and early years in Chicago

In 1928, at the age of seven, Phil Chess—born Fiszel Czyż—emigrated from Motal, , with his mother, older brother , and sister Malka to join their father in , arriving amid the onset of economic hardships that would soon define the . The family had fled in their home region, and their father had preceded them to the , initially working as a shoemaker before establishing a foothold in the city. Upon arrival, the Czyż family Americanized their surname to Chess, with Fiszel becoming , as they settled in Chicago's West Side Jewish immigrant community, a hub for Eastern European newcomers adapting to urban American life. The Chess family's primary livelihood centered on a junkyard started by their father, which the brothers helped operate as teenagers amid the family's financial pressures during the Depression. Phil, alongside , took on responsibilities in and day-to-day operations at the metal yard, learning the essentials of in a gritty industrial environment that demanded hands-on labor and resourcefulness. This venture, later formalized as Chess Brothers Inc., provided stability but also exposed the young Phil to the harsh realities of immigrant economic survival in . Growing up in the diverse, bustling neighborhoods of Chicago's West Side, Phil encountered the city's multicultural fabric, including interactions with African American communities nearby, which subtly shaped his worldview without yet drawing him into specific pursuits. The junkyard's location across from a Black Baptist church offered early auditory glimpses of rhythmic spilling from services, fostering a nascent curiosity about urban nightlife and entertainment scenes that hummed beyond the family's workday routine. shared in these experiences, contributing equally to the family enterprise as the brothers navigated their formative years.

Career in music

Nightclub ventures and entry into recording

Following World War II, Phil Chess joined his brother in expanding their family enterprises into Chicago's South Side nightlife, leveraging profits from their earlier junkyard business to fund these ventures. In 1945, opened the Mocambo Lounge, an after-hours spot where they began booking musicians, immersing themselves in the vibrant yet segregated Black music scene. By 1946, they had acquired and renovated the Macomba Lounge at 3905 South Grove Avenue, transforming it into a key venue for and performances amid the city's racial divides that confined such entertainment to Black neighborhoods. At the Macomba, the brothers promoted acts including vocalist Andrew Tibbs and pianist , whose performances highlighted the raw energy of postwar and helped the Chess siblings build relationships with artists and audiences in a racially tense environment. Phil took an active role in club management, handling operations and fostering artist connections, while their 1946 expansion into distribution provided additional revenue streams that supported informal promotion through barroom jukeboxes and live bookings. These experiences exposed them to the untapped potential of Black music, contrasting with the mainstream white-oriented entertainment of the era. In 1947, the Chess brothers invested in Aristocrat Records, a fledgling label founded that by and Evelyn Aron, offering financial backing and aiding distribution to stabilize the operation amid its early struggles with pop and releases. Phil's involvement deepened in late when he joined full-time, focusing on sales and promotion to boost the label's reach in Chicago's competitive market. This move marked a transition from live performances to recorded music, fueled by the explosive postwar boom as Southern migrants brought electric styles to the city, prompting the brothers to capture these sounds for wider dissemination.

Founding Chess Records

In late 1949, brothers Phil and purchased the remaining interests from their partners and Evelyn Aron, gaining sole ownership of Aristocrat Records, which they had initially invested in during 1947. On June 3, 1950, they reorganized the company and rebranded it as , incorporating it in as a dedicated platform for recording , , and artists. This transition marked a pivotal shift, allowing the brothers full control to shape the label's direction amid growing demand for from 's Side music scene. Phil Chess primarily managed sales, promotion, and distribution efforts, leveraging connections from their family junkyard business and operations to secure placements and build market reach. , in contrast, oversaw artist and repertoire (A&R) decisions, production, and recording sessions, drawing on his experience scouting talent at venues like the Macomba Lounge. The label established its initial operations at 4750 South Cottage Grove Avenue in , setting up a modest in-house studio with second-hand equipment to capture raw performances by musicians. This setup emphasized an intimate, unpolished sound, aligning with the gritty aesthetic of post-war urban . Early releases built on Aristocrat's foundation, including Muddy Waters' breakthrough single "I Can't Be Satisfied," recorded in 1947 and issued in 1948, which continued to drive sales under the new Chess imprint. The label's first official Chess release was ' "My Foolish Heart" in June 1950, but the focus remained on artists like Waters, whose amplified style defined the catalog. Financially, the Chess brothers adopted self-distribution strategies, handling independently to cut costs and maintain control, while forging ties with operators in clubs to disseminate records directly to audiences. These operators, often linked to their nightclub networks, provided essential exposure in Black communities, helping bootstrap the label's growth without heavy reliance on major distributors early on.

Key contributions to blues and rock 'n' roll

Phil Chess played a pivotal role in elevating through by signing and nurturing key artists who defined the genre's electrified sound. He and his brother acquired full control of Aristocrat Records in , renaming it Chess in 1950, and continued ' catalog from his early 1948 recordings, releasing seminal tracks like "I Can't Be Satisfied" that captured the raw, urban migration to electric amplification. In 1951, they signed , whose debut single "How Many More Years" showcased his gravelly vocals and intense delivery, becoming a cornerstone of postwar with lasting influence on rock. Little Walter joined the roster around the same period, revolutionizing harmonica playing by amplifying it through a cupped for a gritty, saxophone-like tone, as heard in hits like "Juke," which topped the R&B charts in 1952. Chess Records' transition to rock 'n' roll under Phil's guidance marked a significant genre evolution, blending rhythms with upbeat narratives to appeal to broader audiences. In 1955, Phil and Leonard signed after he auditioned at their studio, leading to the release of "Maybellene," a guitar-driven track fusing country, R&B, and storytelling that reached No. 5 on the and helped pioneer rock 'n' roll's accessibility. That same year, they signed to their Checker subsidiary, capturing his signature "hambone" rhythm on tracks like "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man," which influenced countless guitarists with their primal, hypnotic grooves. The Chess brothers' production emphasized the unpolished Chicago blues aesthetic, prioritizing live-band energy over studio polish to preserve authenticity. They produced Etta James's 1960 album At Last!, including the orchestral ballad "At Last," which blended blues emotion with pop orchestration and became a timeless standard, peaking at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. To promote their releases amid 1950s racial segregation, Phil actively drove records to radio stations for airplay and secured national distribution deals, helping bridge Black and white audiences by getting blues and R&B onto mainstream outlets despite payola scandals and discriminatory policies. In 1952, they founded the subsidiary Checker Records specifically to circumvent radio stations' limits on plays from a single label, allowing diversified R&B output that amplified artists like Little Walter and Bo Diddley while expanding the label's reach.

Expansion and sale of the label

During the 1950s and 1960s, Chess Records experienced substantial growth, transforming from a regional operation into a national powerhouse through strategic acquisitions and expanded operations. The Chess brothers acquired WHFC-AM in 1963 and rebranded it as WVON, Chicago's influential "Voice of the Negro" station dedicated to African American music, which boosted promotion for their releases. They also pursued international distribution deals, licensing recordings to labels like London Records to reach markets beyond the U.S. This expansion was fueled by the commercial success of key blues and R&B artists, enabling the company to purchase a dedicated eight-story factory in 1966 for manufacturing and distribution. To diversify beyond , the label launched subsidiaries such as in 1952 for R&B and , Records in 1955 for jazz and pop, and later Cadet Records in 1965 after renaming to focus on and instrumental genres. These imprints broadened Chess's portfolio into and , yielding hits like Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me" on , which reached number one on the R&B chart in 1965. By the mid-1960s, the Chess group, including these subsidiaries, had established robust national and international reach, with annual revenues supporting further investments in infrastructure. The company's trajectory faced a major setback in October 1969 when died of a heart attack at age 52, prompting Phil Chess to assume temporary leadership amid ongoing transitions. Earlier that year, in January 1969, the brothers had sold to General Recorded Tape (GRT) for $6.5 million plus 20,000 shares of GRT stock, with Phil playing a key role in the negotiations as co-owner and operational head; the deal allowed the Chess family, including Leonard's son Marshall, to retain managerial positions initially. Phil oversaw the immediate post-sale transition, ensuring continuity in operations. Under GRT's ownership, Chess Records rapidly declined, as the new parent company relocated much of the operation to New York and integrated it into its Janus Records division, leading to diminished artistic quality and reduced output by 1972. By August 1975, GRT shuttered its record divisions entirely, selling the remnants of Chess to All Platinum Records, where it functioned primarily as a reissue label with little new activity.

Later years

Retirement from the music industry

Following the sale of Chess Records to General Recorded Tape (GRT) in 1969 for $6.5 million plus 20,000 shares of GRT stock, Phil Chess briefly oversaw operations of the label under the new ownership. This transitional period, spanning roughly 1969 to 1970, was marked by the sudden death of his brother Leonard in October 1969 from a heart attack, which contributed to Phil's decision to step away amid personal grief and professional exhaustion. By 1972, he had fully exited the music business, marking a deliberate withdrawal from the industry he had helped shape. In the years immediately after leaving , Phil Chess shifted his focus to family life in , where he had long been based. He had married Sheva Jonesi, his high school sweetheart, during basic training in the early , and their union lasted over 70 years until her death in 2016. The couple raised three children—a daughter and two sons, Kevin and Terry—prioritizing personal stability over further business ventures during this phase. Chess later reflected on his career in interviews, expressing pride in Chess Records' role in preserving and popularizing music without any expressed regret over the sale. He avoided any return to the music industry, solidifying his retirement as a complete break from the high-stakes world of record production.

Life in Arizona

In 1972, Phil Chess relocated from to , following his retirement from the music industry, drawn by the region's warmer climate and opportunities to focus on family life. He purchased a 30-acre in Tucson, where he settled with his wife Sheva and raised their three children—sons and , and daughter Pam—enjoying a more private existence away from the public eye. Chess adopted a semi-reclusive lifestyle on the ranch, engaging in leisurely pursuits such as golfing, extensive reading, and attending the racetrack, where he briefly owned a horse named Indian Express that competed in the 2003 . He maintained a casual interest in music by listening occasionally and staying in touch with former artists like and via phone calls, but avoided any formal business involvement. Chess also devoted time to his growing family, including his four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His public appearances remained rare during this period, with one notable exception being the 1995 induction into the alongside his brother , recognizing their non-performer contributions to the genre. In his later decades, Chess experienced health challenges, including a significant fall resulting in brain injury that required him to relearn walking and talking, though he demonstrated remarkable resilience under hospice care until his mid-90s.

Death and legacy

Final years and death

In his later years, Phil Chess resided on his 30-acre ranch in , where he had lived for nearly five decades following his retirement from the music industry. As he entered his 90s during the , Chess faced age-related health challenges, including a previous fall and brain injury from which he had recovered by relearning to walk and talk. In his final days, he received hospice care at the ranch, demonstrating resilience until the end. Chess died of natural causes on October 18, 2016, at the age of 95. A private funeral service was held in Tucson shortly after his passing. He was buried at East Lawn Palms Cemetery in Tucson, alongside his wife Sheva, who had died earlier that year in April. Chess was survived by his daughter Pam and sons and . In tributes, his daughter Pam highlighted his enduring spirit and quiet dignity, noting how he opened his eyes and spoke during care, reflecting the same determination that defined his life.

Influence on music history

Phil Chess played a pivotal role in popularizing on a global scale through , which recorded seminal artists like and , whose electrified sound defined the genre's urban evolution. This catalog's influence extended internationally, particularly fueling the of the 1960s, as bands such as drew direct inspiration from Chess releases; the Stones named themselves after ' 1950 track "Rollin' Stone." Early exports of Chess singles to the sparked widespread adoption among white British musicians, bridging American traditions to a new wave of rock acts including the Yardbirds and . Chess Records also served as a crucial bridge between blues and mainstream pop, laying foundational elements for rock 'n' roll's emergence. By signing Chuck Berry in 1955 and producing hits like "Maybellene," which blended blues riffs with country and R&B elements, the label propelled Black artists into broader commercial success and influenced the genre's rhythmic and lyrical innovations. Berry's recordings on Chess not only topped R&B charts but also crossed over to pop audiences, establishing a template for rock's hybrid style that resonated globally. As an independent label, Chess pioneered a model that amplified Black music during an era dominated by major corporations, focusing on artist development and raw production techniques that captured the sound. This approach included creating subsidiaries like Checker and to navigate radio play restrictions and maximize distribution for and R&B. In recognition of these contributions, Phil and his brother were inducted into the in 1995 as non-performers. The cultural legacy of Phil Chess endures through depictions in media and efforts to preserve Chicago's musical heritage, though not without contextual critiques of industry practices. The 2008 film dramatizes the rise of , portraying the brothers' (primarily Leonard's) role in nurturing talent amid the label's golden era. The original Chess studio at , designated a Chicago landmark in 1990, now houses the Blues Heaven Foundation, which safeguards artifacts and hosts programs celebrating South Side history. While Chess advanced Black artists' visibility, occasional accusations of exploitative contracts—such as unpaid royalties leading to lawsuits from figures like and —reflect broader mid-20th-century norms in independent labels, where production debts often offset artist earnings until later settlements by successors like MCA in 1989.

References

  1. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/phil-chess-pioneering-blues-and-rock-exec-dead-at-95-122583/
  2. https://www.npr.org/2016/10/19/498579284/phil-chess-co-founder-of-chess-records-dies-at-95
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/20/phil-chess-records-chicago-south-side-blues
  4. https://culture.pl/en/article/chess-brothers-chess-records
  5. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chess-Records
  6. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-phil-chess-appreciation-obituary-20161020-snap-story.html
  7. https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/chess-records-co-founder-phil-chess-dies-aged-95/066296
  8. https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/will-the-real-music-mogul-stand-up/
  9. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/23/phil-chess-obituary
  10. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/phil-chess-co-founder-of-legendary-blues-record-company-dies-at-95
  11. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/the-1919-pogroms-ukraine-and-poland-one-hundred-years-later
  12. https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/jewish-life-poland-holocaust
  13. https://culture.pl/en/article/chess-records-how-two-polish-brothers-made-music-history
  14. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/01/legendary-chicago-blues-label-chess-records-marks-its-75th-anniversary/
  15. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/phil-chess-co-founder-of-music-label-that-brought-blues-to-the-world-dies-at-95/2016/10/20/e62cc34c-9631-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html
  16. https://variety.com/2005/scene/vpage/leonard-phil-chess-1117930858/
  17. https://teachrock.org/people/chess-leonard-and-philip/
  18. https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Chess_Records_Office_and_Studio.pdf
  19. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/06/leonard-phil-marshall-chess-records
  20. https://www.uncamarvy.com/AndrewTibbs/andrewtibbs.html
  21. https://nighthawk.sundayblues.org/chess.htm
  22. https://campber.people.clemson.edu/aristocrat.html
  23. https://www.bsnpubs.com/chess/chesscheck.html
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  26. https://www.thevinylfactory.com/features/chess-records-and-the-ten-7s-that-helped-shape-modern-music
  27. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/chuck-berry-maybellene-song/
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  31. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/arts/music/phil-chess-dead.html
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  33. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2016/10/20/18359536/phil-chess-co-founder-of-chicago-s-chess-records-dead-at-95
  34. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/171739610/phil-chess
  35. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tucson-az/philip-chess-9561006
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  39. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/12/25/chess-vs-cadillac-the-chicago-story/
  40. https://www.culturesonar.com/chess-records-phil-lenny-stolen-loot/
  41. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1989/12/07/mca-to-pay-royalties-to-rb-greats/63714098-29be-481e-915f-cb43f6bdf07c/
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