

Learning about Little Walter is akin to a hypothetical film about Factory Records that spends an inordinate amount of time on A Certain Ratio. Profiling a relative obscurant such as Waters, and for that matter, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter, makes "Cadillac Records" unique, because the film is profiling artists that are better known to the black community. In other words, a contemporary white audience forgot who the Sylvers were. Rock wanted to do a bit on The Sylvers, a sort of poor man's Jackson 5, but was turned down by the producer because the disco group were a niche act. "Cadillac Records" brings Chris Rock to mind when he was a regular on "Saturday Night Live". Thank goodness Bo Diddley stayed relevant and did a Nike commercial with multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson, or else the rhythm and blues giant might have been lost to a generation prone to short memories. Muddy Waters is an odd fit for the music biopic treatment because the legendary musician, unfortunately, is not exactly a household name. As a result, the film has a muted quality, even though the former sharecropper, made it. Waters' stardom is a secret stardom the filmmaker doesn't have television appearances and the usual media-oriented showcases at his disposal. His success is largely invisible to mainstream America it's a tempered success in which "Cadillac Records" shrewdly captures by not falling into the usual trappings of the music biopic. The bluesman makes "race records" that the white kids don't dance to. His success is largely invisible to mainstream America it's a tempered success in which "Cadillac Records" Muddy Waters(Jeffrey Wright) has a number one hit song, but he's number one on the black charts. MCA continues to issue the classic and influential recordings of Chess Records.Muddy Waters(Jeffrey Wright) has a number one hit song, but he's number one on the black charts. Leonard Chess's son, Marshall, took command in 1969 as president of the company, which was sold to GRT later that year. Today it is a Chicago Landmark and home to Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation. Over the next 10 years, “2120” produced hits for Little Milton, Etta James, the Dells, Koko Taylor, the Rolling Stones, and the Yardbirds. As rhythm and blues begot rock and roll, Chess was there with hits by Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and the Flamingos.īy 1957 the company had consolidated operations in a move to a two-story office complex at 2120 Michigan Avenue.
#Cadillac records crack#
Recording under the Argo label, retaining a crack production team of arranger/composer Willie Dixon and Malcolm Chisholm, a recording engineer with Universal Studios. In 1956 the Chess brothers diversified into Located in the heart of Bronzeville at 4750 Cottage Grove, the Chess Company was well established by 1954, featuring blues and R&B hits by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Gene Ammons, and Willie Mabon. In 1947 the brothers formed the Aristocrat Record Corporation, which reorganized in 1950 when they left the nightclub business to concentrate on making records as the Chess Recording Company. Leonard and Phil Chess, immigrants from Poland, began recording acts performing at their Club Macambo at 3905 Cottage Grove after World War II. Founded in 1950, Chess Records captured a vibrant new style of American music with roots in the American South that influenced and inspiredĪnd roll pioneers from Chuck Berry to the Rolling Stones.
