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(March 12, 1917 - October 16, 1969) was a record company executive, founder of Chess Records. In 1948, the Chess brothers took control of the company and in 1950 renamed it Chess Records. Chess contacted Sam Phillips (of Sun Records) to help find and record new artists in the south. Phillips supplied Chess with recordings by Howlin' Wolf, Rufus Thomas and Doctor Ross among others. Of these, Howlin' Wolf especially became the very popular, and Chess Records had to fight over him with other companies which had also been supplied with Wolf recordings by Phillips. In the 1950s, Chess Records' commercial success only grew with artists like Little Walter, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, Chuck Berry, and in the '60s with Etta James, Fontella Bass, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Laura Lee, and Tommy Tucker, and subsidiary labels Checker, Argo and Cadet. As the 1960s progressed, Chess's recording enterprise branched out into other genres including gospel, traditional jazz, spoken word, comedy, and more. In the early 1960s the Chess became involved in the broadcasting business as part owner of WVON-AM radio, and later acquired WSDM-FM, The recording executive, born in Poland both he was raised in Chicago, where his immigrant family settled in 1928. In 1939 he and his brother Phil Chess opened the Macombo Lounge, a nightclub catering for African-American patrons on Chicago's South Side. In 1946, the brothers formed Aristocrat Records and recorded several local blues artists, notably Muddy Waters. In 1950 Aristocrat was succeeded by Chess Records, which they operated until its sale in 1968. Throughout its operation, the company featured the major figures of Chicago blues, including Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Willie Dixon, and this is its chief legacy. By 1955 it had diversified to include rock 'n' roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and in the 1960s its most popular artist was the soul singer Etta James. In 1963 he purchased radio station WVON (‘Voice of the Negro’) in Chicago, and at the time of his death from a heart attack, his firm, L & P Broadcasting, owned additional stations in Chicago IL.and Milwaukee WI.
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Leonard Chess 
