The Birth of Cadillac Records: Leonard Chess' Unlikely Discovery

Leonard Chess was not exactly thrilled with the idea of recording Muddy Waters, a Mississippi singer with a raw and country sound. In fact, when he first heard Waters sing 'I Can't Be Satisfied,' he couldn't imagine it pleasing anyone. But his partner, Evelyn Arons, had other ideas. She suggested that black southerners who had moved to the North in search of jobs might enjoy the sounds of home.

At the time, Chess was involved with a small local label called Aristocrat Records, which focused on jazz groups playing bebop, pop tunes, and mellow blues ballads. But after his first few records failed to gain traction, he decided to take a chance on Waters and other musicians who catered to the tastes of better-paying black patrons.

The Macomba Lounge, Chess' nightclub in Chicago's African American neighborhood, was known for its good music, despite being a rough ghetto bar patronized by prostitutes and drug dealers. It was here that Chess discovered Waters and other artists who would go on to shape the course of American music.

Chess and his brother Phil were prototypical record men - cigar-chomping, old-fashioned entrepreneurs who took risks on music they didn't fully understand. As Frank Zappa once said, 'The best years of rock were when records were produced by 'cigar-chomping old guys who looked at the product that came and said, 'I don't know...but I'll stick it out.''

In 1947, Chess bought a liquor store in an African American neighborhood on Chicago's south side and eventually opened the Macomba Lounge. It was through this nightclub that he discovered Waters and other artists who would define the sound of rock 'n' roll.

Chess' willingness to take risks on music he didn't understand led to some of the most iconic recordings in history, including Muddy Waters' 'I Can't Be Satisfied' and Bo Diddley's 'Bo Diddley.' His label, Chess Records, went on to become one of the most influential record labels of all time.

Leonard Chess may not have understood music, but he knew a hit when he heard it. And his willingness to take risks on artists like Muddy Waters helped shape the course of American rock 'n' roll.

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