To mark Willie Dixon’s 110th birthday, retired music publicist and journalist Cary Baker offers a rare and personal tribute. From his early days as a Golden Gloves boxing champion to his pivotal role at Chess Records, Dixon’s songwriting and production helped elevate the careers of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, and many others. Baker reflects on a remarkable friendship that began with a cold call in 1970 and grew into a decades-long connection with one of American music’s most influential figures.
Browsing: Chess Records
Muddy Waters was the most important link between his urban black audience in the nightclubs of Chicago and the young white fans who came to know him as a result of the folk music craze beginning in the early to mid ’60s. Blues fans have heard his story time and time again. Here’s some things you may not have heard.
See what made Little Walter so unique.
Interview with Marshall Chess and Keith LeBlanc about new album ‘New Moves,’ out now!
This article is part one of a three-part look at a man who spiked the sweet tea that is today’s blues scene.
Happy Birthday to Chuck Berry!
Chess went on to put out some of the most beloved LPs in music history. Here are ten of them.
A true paragon of the blues, he brought the music of the Mississippi Delta to Chicago in 1952.
Muddy Waters had an arsenal of guitars, both electric and acoustic.
First release since their acclaimed 2019 self-titled debut