For bootlegs/unofficial releases, see . Also appears as "Chess Record Corp." on earliest releases and as "Chess Records" from 1967/68. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Chess was one of the premier blues labels of the 1950s and 60s, also releasing R&B, soul, jazz, gospel and rock. They released records by every major blues artist in Chicago, including John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and many others. Brothers Leonard Chess and Phil Chess emigrated from Poland to the United States in 1928. via Discogs →