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STORY OF CHESS RECORDS, THE

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Double Feature!

THE STORY OF CHESS RECORDS
U.K. film. Chicago's Chess Records was one of the greatest labels of the post-war era, ranking alongside other mighty independents like Atlantic, Stax and Sun. From 1950 until its demise at the end of the 60s, Chess released a myriad of electric blues, rock 'n' roll and soul classics that helped change the landscape of black and white popular music.

There are only a handful of record labels that can claim to have changed the course of popular music. Chess Records is one of them. Responsible for signing and developing some of the greatest names in music, such as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Howlin' Wolf, Chess provided the fundamental foundation for rock and roll as we know it.

Although known primarily as the home of the blues, its output covers a stunning mix of styles including rock 'n' roll, doo-wop, R&B and soul as well as progressive new directions in psychedelic jazz and funk. Now it is time for it to take its rightful place at the top table alongside other groundbreaking black music labels such as Motown, Studio One and Stax.

This film reveals how two Polish immigrants, Leonard and Phil Chess, forged relationships with black musicians in late 1940s Chicago, shrewdly building a specialty blues record label into a huge independent worth millions by the end of the 1960s. Full of dramatic period detail, it places the Chess story within a wider social and historical context—as well as being about some of the greatest music ever recorded, it is, inevitably, about race in America during the 1950s & 1960s.

Plus this bonus selection...

ROCK 'N' ROLL REVUE 1955
U.S. short film. Master of ceremonies Willie Bryant hosts an eventful evening of music and comedy captured live at the Apollo Theater and featuring such popular artists as Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, the Clovers, Dinah Washington, Martha Davis, and Mantan Moreland. Rhythm and blues, jazz, tap dancing, and comedy performances make this a treat for audiences of all ages.

Performing artists include: The Clovers, Duke Ellington, Nat 'King' Cole, Big Joe Turner, Delta Rhythm Boys, Ruth Brown, Louie Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington and others.


THE STORY OF CHESS RECORDS documentary on DVD



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