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Top 10 Amazing Facts about Phil Chess
Phil Chess was born on March 27th, 1921. He was a music producer and company executive of Chess Records which he co-founded with his brother. Their label focused on the R&B genre.
Therefore, they signed great musicians like Muddy Waters, Etta James, Chuck Berry, and more while at the peak of their careers. Phil is the king of the blues and has won several awards in recognition of the same.
Here are the 10 outstanding truths about Phil Chess.
1. Phil Chess wasn’t his birth name
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He came from a Polish Jew family in the village of Mota, in eastern Poland and now part of Belarus. His siblings were brother Lejzor and sister Milka.
They moved with their mother to Chicago in 1928 to live with their father. Thus, following their move, Phil and his siblings obtained new identities for a fresh start.
So, they adopted the family name Chess. Lejzor his brother became Leonard and Phil dropped his original name, Fiszel for Philip.
2. Phil Chess’s interest in the blues was influenced by choir music
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His father was a shoemaker and carpenter but later transitioned to manage their junkyard. When they were teenagers they often joined their dad to assist him with the family’s junkyard.
At the back of the yard, was a Baptist church that would have choir members singing throughout the week. Thus, this later influenced their music-producing skills.
Additionally, it was through listening to the choir at the Baptist church that shaped the kind of music and style Phil and his brother produced later during his producer years. The singing they heard in the church gradually developed their liking for the blues.
3. He took part in World War II
Phil Chess was among the World War II fighters and after he returned is when he joined his brother who owned a club business in Bronzeville. This was famed as the center of black life. Hence, triggered them to buy an existing music company named Aristocrat Records.
It was a pop label that the brother decided to rename Chess. After they bought the business their first trial on the production space was I can鈥檛 be satisfied by Muddy Waters. It was a commercial success and sold over 3,000 copies, even more, fascinating was that in a single day the record sold out.
4. Phil鈥檚 role at Chess Records was administrative
Leonardo Chess (Phil’s brother) had hands-on experience in handling artists’ recordings and production. So, he was responsible for securing artists’ recording sessions.
Subsequently, Phil was left in charge of the office kinds of stuff which was a much layback role. His specific duties were such as handling the company鈥檚 documentation for artists. Also, organizing their traveling to radio stations across the U.S. Furthermore, he made requests to disc jockeys to give their artists a chance.
5. He was the pillar of the Chess Record company
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Phil was the rock that glued the record label together. Being in charge of office management including finances, he had a sober and personable personality.
Besides, his brother was known to be emotional and quick to anger which made it difficult to approach him. Phil was the easy-going type of guy which made him approachable and appropriate for business-related negotiations.
6. Their entity targeted the black audience until the 1950s when they broke camp
Chess Records began with overdependence on the black community as their market. They had no strategy intended to sell to other ethnic segments. What’s more, radio play was still segregated with little opportunity for a fair chance for all races.
Starting in 1950 artists like Muddy Waters went beyond the black market to gain followers of different ethnicity, particularly in England. Other artists followed suit and Phil Chess’s enterprise obtained a good grasp of the white market.
7. Phil Chess was a self-taught music producer
Both Phil and his brother didn鈥檛 have any musical background or training. Their pride was that they had a good listening ear. In addition, they could spot a stand-out feature in all the different artists they had a chance to associate with. That formed the basis of their measuring bar to sign any artists on their label.
8. The Chess Company was sold in 1969
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Phil’s brother decided to retire from the music industry by selling the Chess company in the year 1969. Leonard later died out of a heart attack. This was devastating for Phil due to the bond they had all through their lives as brothers as well as business partners.
9. Phil Chess retired in 1972
Following his brother exiting active music involvement, Phil also retired to Arizona in 1972. Both brothers were inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as non-performers in 1995.
Further, Phil attended the ceremony to receive one of the Recording Academy Trustees Awards for non-performers presented to him and his brother.
Universal Music Group now controls the Chess catalogs and the label’s final headquarters is at 2012 Michigan Avenue. Operational rights are under the foundation owned by the family of Willie Dixon.
10. Phil Chess died in 2016
He died at the age of 95 on October 18, 2016, at his home in Tucson Arizona. He was married to Sheva Jonesi, who he met in high school. Sheva also died within the same year. They both had three children who later joined the music industry as well.
Phil Chess is a legendary music producer. Having run a successful records label without professional training on the same was a testament to his natural music talent. The music arena and more so the R&B section celebrates the foundation he established. His legacy will carry on for generations.
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