Leonard Chess

Leonard Chess, born Lejzor Czyż, was a Polish-Jewish immigrant who with his brother Phil co-founded Chess Records in Chicago, the label that recorded blues and early rock 'n' roll giants such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Chuck Berry. Chess Records became one of the most influential labels in American music, shaping the sound that led to rock and roll. Leonard Chess emigrated as a child from a Jewish family in what is now Belarus.