Chess Records 80

  Luther Dixon (left) | Fine Print Heroes | tc354 Singer, song writer and record producer Luther Dixon (pictured left with Florence Greenberg (2nd left), Chuck Jackson (white jacket) with music publisher Marvin Schlacter, right) was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on 7 August 1931. His family moved to New York when he was young.  He started singing in doo wop groups in the early 1950s. By 1955 his song “Why baby why” had provided Pat Boone with an international hit. By 1960 Dixon was working with Scepter-Wand records and was responsible for hits by The Shirelles and others. He later moved to other record companies and was for a while married to the singer Inez Foxx. Luther Dixon  died in Jacksonville, Florida on 22 October 2009.  

The recording on Checker 1017 by James Dixon was the subject of a legal action against Chess by Duke/Peacock Records of Houston, who alleged that the recording was by the Rev. Robert Ballinger, who was at the time under contract to them.

  Floyd Dixon | Specialty Records | tc090 Pianist and singer Jay Riggins Jr. (Floyd Dixon) was born in Marshall, Texas on February 8, 1929. He was a pioneer of country influenced jump blues. His family moved to California in 1942. He was influenced by Charles Brown. In 1949 he signed with Modern Records. In 1993, Dixon received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Floyd Dixon died  of cancer-related renal failure  in Orange County, California, on July 26, 2006. 

A gospel music act signed to Chess, the Dixieland singers were formed in Jackson, Tenn. by a Mr. Pittman. The lead singer on the Chess recording, which dates from 1955, is understood to be Tommie Humphrey. Both persons are understood to be deceased. Can anyone provide more information about this group, please.

Larry Diamond was a rockabilly singer from Dallas, Texas, who had a small number of single releases on different labels. No further details are known.

  Clinton Ford | The Independent | tc670 Ian George Stopford Harrison, who sung under the names of Clinton Ford and Ali Ben Dhown, was born on 4 November 1931 in Salford, Lancashire. In 1957 he joined Butlins Holiday Camps as a "Red Coat". During the winter periods of those years he sang with a jazz band at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. He donated the proceeds from his first successful release with Oriole Records, "Old Shep", to Guide Dogs For The Blind. His biggest hit with Oriole was "Fanlight Fanny" (1962). He regularly appeared on BBC Radio programmes such as "Saturday Club" where live singers were required to sing current hits due to the shortage of needle time. Saturday Club's main presenter, Brian Matthew, was chosen to be Best Man at his wedding. He often recorded with musician George Chisholm.  Clinton Ford died after a long illness on 21 October 2009 in Douglas, Isle of Man.

  Dean DeWolf LP cover | Acoustic Sounds | tc184 Dean DeWolf was a little known folk singer who recorded two albums for Argo at the height of the folk boom in 1963 and 1964. His whereabouts since are unknown.

  Alchetron | tc748 Blues pianist, song writer and singer Emery Williams Junior (Detroit Junior) was born in Haynes, Arkansas on October 26, 1931. He started his career in Detroit backing John Lee Hooker, Amos Millburn and Eddie Boyd, and toured extensively when in Howlin’ Wolf’s band. Detroit Junior died of heart failure in Chicago, Illinois on August 9, 2005. 

  Sugar Pie DeSanto | Paul Chinn/San Francisco Chronicle | tc035 Umpeylia Marsema Balinton (Sugar Pie DeSanto) was born on October 16, 1935 in New York and grew up near her friend Etta James. She joined the Johnny Otis Revue in 1955, which is when Johnny Otis gave her her stage name. She joined Chess in 1962 and stayed until 1966. She also worked with the James Brown Revue. Ms DeSanto lived in San Francisco, where she had headlined the Bay Area Blues Festival. After two months in hospice care, Ms DeSanto died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure on Friday, 20th December, 2024.

Jazz guitarist Bernardo Dennis was a founder member of a Chicago hot jazz group The Four Jumps Of Jive, along with Willie Dixon, Gene Gilmore and Ellis Hunter. Dennis then joined the Big Three Trio, but left after one year and was replaced by Ollie Crawford. Bernardo Randolph Dennis was born in  Vicksburg,  Mississippi, on 11 January 1914. There is no public record of his death.

  Singer, musician, song writer and vocal coach Craig Derry resides in New York with his family and can be heard singing backgrounds on recordings by Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson, among others. Craig Lewis Derry was born on 9 March 1948.

  The Del-Phis | Doo wop Blog | tc 552 Vocal group The Del-Phis from Detroit were incorrectly credited on the Check-Mate label and should have been the Del-Fis. They were (left to right in the photo) Gloria Jean Williamson, Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford and Anette Beard. They had formed in 1960 and were providing background singing on sessions in Detroit. Their first recording session for Motown was “Stubborn kind of fellow” by Marvin Gaye, in 1962. Gloria Jean Williams, August 1, 1942 – July 5, 2000. Martha Reeves, July 18, 1941 – Rosalind Ashford, September 2, 1943 – Anette Simmons nee Beard, July 4, 1943 –

  The El-Rays/Dells | Uncle Marv | tc297 The Dells, known originally as The El Rays, are one of the longest serving successful vocal groups in soul music. Their first record, “Darling I know/Christine” as the El Rays was released on Checker 794 in 1954. They were formed at high school in 1952. The main members of the group have been Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Mickey and Lucius McGill. In 1956 they had their first R&B hit with “Oh What a Night”. After disbanding due to a near-fatal car crash in 1958, the band reformed in 1960 with Johnny Funches being replaced by Johnny Carter. Marvin Junior was born in Harell, Arkansas, on 31 January 1936 and died in Harvey, Illinois on May 29, 2013. Johnny Funches was born in Harvey, Illinois, on 18 July 1935 and died on January 23, 1998. John E. Carter, a founding member of The Flamingos, was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 2 June 1934 and died of lung cancer in Harvey, Illinois, on August 21, 2009. Verne...

  Sam Dees | Soulwalking | tc428 Soul singer, song writer and record producer Sam Dees was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on December 17, 1945.  Chess Records producer Lenny Sachs gave him an opportunity to self-produce for the Chess label, which Dees recorded in a former church in Birmingham. His songs have been recorded by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and others.

  Photo: The Newbeats | YouTube | tc553 Multi instrumentalists and singers Dean and Marc were real brothers Dean Mathis and Marc Mathis. They played in a High School Band and decided to pursue music as a career after leaving school. Their Chess single “Tell him no” reached no. 42 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Friend Larry Henley joined them and they then changed their name to The Newbeats, signed for Hickory Records, and had an international hit with “Bread and Butter” which peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies. Louis Aldean "Dean" Mathis, 17 March 1939 - Marcus Felton "Marc" Mathis, 9 February 1942 -

Singer William Bullock (Bobby Dean) from Elm Grove, Wisconsin, recorded two singles for Chess in 1957.  He became a computer specialist and help desk operator. See detailed correspondence on our old website .

  A line up of The Daylighters | Jungle Hop Japan | tc325 The Daylighters, a Chicago group, on the recording of “No One’s Gonna Help You/War Hoss Mash” on Checker 1051 are George Wood, Dorsey Wood, Charles Colbert Jr. and Eddie Thomas (deceased 1986). The record was actually recorded in 1961. Dorsey Wood sings the lead vocals. The group had changed names, and personnel, a number of times before making this recording. The personnel line up of the photograph may differ from the recording. They are the “Daylighters” who recorded “Oh Mom”/”Hard headed Girl” (with a changed line up) which was released in the UK on the Sue label, from a different source.

Checker recording group Sonny Day and The Versatiles were understood to have been Kripp Johnson and Chuck Jackson (of The Del-Vikings), Don Jackson, Eddie Everette and Davis Fatawlsky (Sonny Day). The group was assembled by entrepreneur Joe Averbach in 1958, but the recording was not successful. White Doo Wop Collector notes that Fatawlsky continued to record until the mid 1960s. Chuck Jackson had a successful solo career with songs like "Any Day Now". Kripp Johnson, 16 May 1936 - 22 June 1990. Chuck Jackson, 22 July 1937 - 16 February 2023. Don Jackson, no information. ls: 07/26 Eddie Everette,  no information. ls: 07/26 Davis Fatawlsky, no information. ls: 07/26

  Alan Dawson | Drummer World | tc638 Jazz drummer and teacher Alan Dawson was born in Marietta, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 1929.  He played with the Army Dance Band while serving in Korea. He began teaching at Berklee College of Music in 1957 but suffered a ruptured disc in 1975 and having to limit his teaching to his home in Lexington, Massachusetts. He is associated with Dave Brubeck, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, and Quincy Jones, among others. Alan Dawson died in Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts, on February 23, 1996.

  Billy Davis | Spectropop | tc152 Roquel “Billy” Davis was born in Detroit on July 11, 1932. He was a songwriter, musician and record producer. He was associated with the Four Tops and other Detroit acts. (One cousin was Lawrence Payton of the Four Tops.)  He had a long association with Chess Records writing, arranging and producing for many of their 1960s soul artists. His biggest success was the Fontella Bass recording of “Rescue Me”.  He moved to become Senior Vice-President and Music Director at the McCann Erickson advertising agency, where his work included commercials for Coca-Cola.  Billy Davis  died of natural causes in New York on September 2, 2004.  

  George Davis | Central Iowa Blues Society | tc789 Guitarist, arranger, song writer and multi instrumentalist George Richard Davis Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 30th, 1938.  A childhood friend of the Nevilles, and a member of The Hawkettes, he became a session musician. During his career he played with Allen Toussaint, Aaron Neville, Larry Williams, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Buddy Rich, Wardell Quezergue and others.  With Lee Diamond, another long time friend, he wrote the song “Tell it like it is” for Aaron Neville.  Mr. Davis died of heart failure in Lilburn, Georgia, on 10th September 2008.

  Don Davis (outside the vault of his bank) | Marcin Szczepanski, Detroit Free Press | tc846 Record producer, guitarist, composer and banker Donald “Don” Davis was born in Detroit, Michigan on 25 October 1938. He started playing guitar while at school and on leaving school, formed a jazz group.  He quickly found work as a session musician and can be heard playing guitar on Barrett Strong’s Motown recording of “Money” and Mary Wells’ recording “Bye bye baby”. He began wri,ting and producing records in Detroit, then at and for Stax Records in Memphis, with whom in 1968 he had great success with Johnnie Taylor’s recording of his song and production “Who’s making Love” (on which Davis and Steve Cropper can both be heard playing guitar). He set up Groovesville Productions and bought the Detroit recording studio “United Sound” at 5840 Second Avenue, Detroit, an historic studio founded in 1933 and at its current site since the 1940s, where John Lee Hooker and Aretha Franklin are amon...

  Minnie Ripperton LP cover | tc080 Andrea Davis is better known as Minnie Ripperton, who sang with the group The Gems and with Rotary Connection before commencing a successful but alas short solo career. Minnie Julia Riperton was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 8, 1947.  The young Ripperton received operatic vocal training from Marion Jeffery. Her amazing voice led to many recordings, in groups, solo, and singing backgrounds on tracks by artists including Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. In 1976 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but the surgery was too late and she was given about six months to live. She continued her career and also went public with her breast cancer diagnosis. In 1977 she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society then in 1978 Ripperton received the American Cancer Society’s Courage Award which was presented to her by then President Jimmy Carter. Andrea Davis died in Los Angeles, Califo...

  Lester Davenport | Earwig Music | tc1027 Blues harmonica player and singer Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport was born in Tchula, Mississippi, on 16 January 1932. He moved to Chicago when he was 14 years old and played with Bo Diddley, Homesick James and others. Lester Davenport died in Chicago, Illinois, from prostate cancer on 17 March 2009.

  Dave And The Shadows | Image Restored By Google | tc1026 Dave And The Shadows were a rock group from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who recorded for Chess in 1962. They were Dave Kalmbach (organ/lead), Jim Wilson (guitar), Larry Cook (guitar), Tom Marvin (bass), Rick Sutherland (drums) and Sue Greiner (vocals). Dave Kalmbach went on to found Fenton Records and became an electronics innovator.

  Daughters of Eve | Copyright control | tc506 The Daughters of Eve were a rock band formed in Chicago in 1965 who had a few singles, one of which was released on Cadet records. The group had various lineups including Judy Johnson, Marsha Tomal, Andrea Levin, Debi Pomeroy, Marilou Davison and Lori Wax. Shortly after the single on Cadet was issued, in 1968, they disbanded.

  Larry Darnell | Public domain | tc195 Leo Edward Donald (Larry Darnell) was born in Columbus, Ohio on December 21, 1928.  He was a pioneer of the New Orleans style of R&B in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He started off as a dancer in Burlesque, but by 1949 he was recording as a singer in New Orleans. By 1951 he had two successful singles under his belt and was known as “Mr Heart and Soul”. His recording “With Tears In My Eyes/I’ll Get Along Somehow” was issued on the Argo label. He appeared in the 1955 movie “Harlem Rock & Roll Revue”. He also sang lead vocal with another Argo group, The Fortunes.  Larry Darnell died in Columbus, Ohio on July 3, 1983 of lung cancer, discovered after a severe beating.

  (Believed to be) The Daps | Doo Wop Blogg | tc1025 The Daps were a group from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who recorded three titles in one session for Chess' Marterry subsidiary label. Those were their only known recordings.  The Daps were: Charles Clark, Jim Pierson, Earl Jones, Willy Walker, Floyd Smith and Henry Dungey. The personnel shown in the image are currently unidentified.

  Roger Daltrey | Manchester Evening News | tc458 English singer and actor Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE was born in East Acton, London, during a WW2 bombing raid on 1 March 1944, and first came to prominence as vocalist with The Who. He has enjoyed a successful career of more than 50 years and is one of the most prominent rock musicians in the world. In 2015 a recording by Roger Daltrey and Wilco Johnson was released by Universal on their Chess “brand” which was the first new product to be released anywhere on the Chess label for almost forty years.

  Joe Daley | Rhizome DC | tc705 Jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and music teacher Joseph “Joe” Albert Daley was born in Salem, Ohio on July 30, 1918. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and a Master’s degree in Composition from Chicago Musical College. He spent World War II in the Army Air Corps as a pilot and also played saxophone in the Air Corps Band. Musicians he taught include David Sanborn and John Klemmer.  Mr Daley died on March 5, 1994.

Prince Curtis is an obscure Northern Soul singer from Washington DC who recorded for Chess in around 1963-4 and of whom very little information is available.  

1969 Topps Chicago Cubs Team Poster | Wax Pax | tc1024 In 1969 the local baseball team The Chicago Cubs recorded a single for Chess Records.  Google AI notes: " The 1969 Chicago Cubs are famously remembered as one of the best second-place teams in baseball history . Led by Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher, they held first place in the National League East for 155 days but collapsed late in the season to finish with a 92-70 record."

  Jesse Cryor (centre) | Blog Talk Radio | tc 551 Blues and jazz singer and songwriter Jesse Olden Cryor was born in Baltimore, Maryland on August 12, 1906.  He was the eldest of seven children and was blinded after a vehicle accident. He joined a vaudeville troupe to raise money for the family and moved to New York around 1930. In 1943 he moved to Los Angeles. He also provided the voice of a character in a Disney cartoon. In 1951 he recorded some sides for Premium Records, the assets of which were acquired by the Chess company.  Jesse Cryor died in Hazel Crest, Illinois on January 11, 2006, age 99.

  101 | 2 October 2021 Jazz saxophonist, trumpeter and clarinetist Manuel “Manny” Mitchell Crusto, shown above, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on 2 May 1918.  For many years he was a member of the famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans.  Manuel Crusto died in New Orleans after a short illness on 18 March 2002.  Thanks to Marc for his help with this post.

  The Crume Brothers | Copyright control | tc456 The Crume Brothers of Chicago were real brothers who formed a gospel and soul music group while they were quite young. There were eight brothers and two sisters in the family, who moved to Chicago when the leader of the group, Dillard Crume, was aged 8. The group introduced electric guitar into gospel music and became quite famous in Chicago. When he was 19, Dillard was approached by the Blind Boys of Alabama to become their guitarist and with them he travelled extensively. Many of the Brothers became members of another famous gospel group, The Soul Stirrers, of whom perhaps the most notable former member was Sam Cooke. The Crume Brothers also recorded for Atlantic/Atco and Vee Jay Records. LeRoy Crume died in October 2014, and Arthur Lee Crume died on 12 December 2023. The other brothers were Amos Crume, Peter Crume, LeRoy Crume, Rayfield Crume and their brother-in-law Rufus Meeks.

  Arthur Crudup | Copyright control | tc220 Blues singer and song writer Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup was born in Forest, Mississippi, on August 24, 1905. He also recorded under other names including Percy Lee Crudup, as he is credited on Checker 754. He is associated with Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, with whom he often toured. He is famed as the originator of Presley’s “That’s all right”. His recordings for Checker were made in the early 1950s.    Arthur Crudup died in Nassawadox, Virginia, on March 28, 1974 from complications of heart disease and diabetes.  

Tenor saxophonist Robert Henry “Little Sax” Crowder was born in the USA in 1912. He is associated with the orchestra of Earl Hines, and settled in Chicago in the 1940s, where he undertook a lot of session work for various record companies. There has been no further information on this person for many years, and I have been unable to locate a reliable image.

  George Crockett | Copyright control | tc455 Rhythm and blues singer George L. Crockett, also known as G. Davy Crockett, was born on September 18, 1928 in Carrollton, Mississippi.  In the mid-1950s he was living in Chicago and performed with Freddie King and Magic Sam. He had problems with alcoholism. His first record, “Look Out Mabel” was issued in 1957 on the Chief label. The issue on Checker is an alternative take. G LCrockett died in Chicago, Illinois on February 15, 1967 from a cerebral haemorrhage and hypertension.

  The Crew Cuts | Music Pop Hits .com | tc060 The Crew Cuts were a Canadian singing group, comprising Rudi Maugeri (January 21, 1931 – May 7, 2004), John Perkins (born August 28, 1931), his brother Ray Perkins (born November 24, 1932) and Pat Barrett (September 15, 1933 - 27 July 2016). They were mainly famous for their cover of the R&B hit “ShBoom” which they recorded for Mercury Records. They recorded just one single for Chess records, which was not released in the UK, and is fairly obscure.

  The Crescendos | Nasco Records | tc667 The Crescendos were a group from Nashville, Tennessee who were formed while at Cumberland High School in 1957 and are remembered for their hit “Oh Julie” which reached no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 4 on the R&B chart in 1958.  The Crescendos were George Lanius, James Lanius, Ken Brigham, Tom Fortner and Jim Hall.The recording featured backing vocals by Janice Green. George Lanius, 4 September 1939 - 21 April 1966. James Lanius, 21 May 1938 - 6 September 2022. Kenneth L. Brigham, 29 October 1939 - 18 June 2022. Thomas Fortner, 5 March 1939 - 14 September 2025. James Hall, no dates available. Janice Green, September 1941 - 

  Sugar Boy Crawford | Wireimage | tc051 James “Sugar Boy” Crawford, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 12, 1934.  Based in New Orleans, he originally signed to Chess as an instrumentalist playing trombone. His best known song "Jock a mo" was recorded by Chess in 1954. The Dixie Cups "Iko Iko" is based on the song. In 1963 a severe beating by state troopers incapacitated him for two years and he quit the music business, although he made some guest appearances later in his life. He became a building engineer, and later ran a locksmith business. In 1984 he met Benny Goodman’s brother, Gene, who offered to help him recover his royalties for Jock-A-Mo. James Crawford died in New Orleans, Louisiana, after a brief illness, on September 15, 2012.

  Ernest “Big” Crawford, extreme left | Restored by Google | Copyright Control | tc752 Bassist Ernest “Big” Crawford was born on July 31, 1897 and died in Memphis, Tennessee in March, 1956. He is associated with Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy, Mahalia Jackson and many more. Further information will be very welcome.

  The Merseybeats including Tony Crane |  The Merseybeats |  tc672 Singer and musician Anthony Crane MBE was born on 17 April 1945 in Anfield, Liverpool and is best known as Tony Crane, the founder of the 1960’s pop group The Merseybeats. He is still active in music.

  Sonny Cox LP cover | CD and LPs | tc249 Jazz alto saxophonist and basketball coach Landon “Sonny” Cox was born in Cincinatti, Ohio in 1938. From the late 50s to the mid 60s Cox worked in backing groups for the top soul singers of the day, including Jackie Wilson. In 1964 Cox met Ken Prince and Robert Shy and formed The Three Souls, who recorded for Argo/Cadet. Cox was influenced by Earl Bostic and Charlie Parker. Sonny Cox died from natural causes in Chicago, Illinois, on 5 May 2020.

  Phil Coulter | Ireland's Eye | tc1023 Musician, arranger, song writer and record producer Phil Coulter was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. on 19 February 1942. In his career he has amassed 23 platinum, 39 gold and 52 silver discs. He studied at St. Columb's College then went to Queen's University, Belfast. He started his first band at Queen's. In 1963 while at University the Capitol Showband had already given him his first hit song. He completed university in 1964 and moved to London, working for a music publisher as arranger and composer. In 1964 he arranged the song "Terry" for Twinkle. He worked with Tom Jones and Van Morrison, among others. In 1965 he partnered with song writer Bill Martin (1938-2020) and they had success with "Puppet on a string" and other songs. He is a former president of Derry Football Club. In 2022 he was awarded The Freedom of the City of Derry.

  Lawrence Cotton | Living Legends of Jazz | tc788 Pianist Lawrence Cotton was born in New Orleans on February 2, 1927. Famed as Guitar Slim’s pianist (from 1954 to 1958), he has also played with T Bone Walker, Big Joe Turner, Dave Bartholomew and Danny White, among others. He still lives in New Orleans and prior to the pandemic was the oldest performing pianist in New Orleans.

  James Cotton | Kasra Ganjavi | tc101 Singer, song writer and harmonica player James Henry Cotton was born in Tunica, Mississippi, on July 1, 1935. Cotton became interested in music when he first heard Sonny Boy Williamson II on the radio. He was head-hunted by Muddy Waters in 1955 and joined Waters’ band and made the journey to Chicago. He is a drummer as well as a harmonica player. He suffered throat cancer in the 1990s but made a successful comeback.  Mr Cotton died from pneumonia in Austin, Texas on March 16, 2017.

  Ernest Cotton (second from left) with Memphis Slim and his House Rockers | Restored by Google | Copyright controlled | tc752 Tenor saxophonist Ernest Cotton was born on August 2, 1926 and can be heard on many Chicago sessions, recording with Eddie Boyd, Sunnyland Slim, Memphis Slim and many others. Understood to be deceased but no confirmation yet found.

  Pete Cosey | New York Times | tc812 Guitarist Peter Palus Cosey was born in Chicago, Illinois on 9 October 1943. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and developed his guitar style during his teenage years. He is frequently compared with Jimi Hendrix. In 1973 he joined Miles Davis’ band. He also undertook session work with Chess and can be heard on “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass, and records by Etta James and Muddy Waters, among others. An early adopter of the guitar synthesiser, Mr Cosey died in Chicago, Illinois on 30 May 2012.

  Joe Corsello | Not So Modern Drummer | tc1022 Jazz drummer and former Police Officer Joe Corsello was born in Stamford, Connecticut, around 1947, studied at the Barklee School of Music and is a veteran of the Glen Miller and Sonny Rollins bands.

  Dave Baby Cortez | Discogs | tc009 David Cortez Clowney was born in Detroit, Michighan, on August 13, 1938. His recording career started in 1956, singing with The Pearls and The Valentines, but it was his 1959 recording “The Happy Organ” which made history, becoming the first instrumental to make number one on America’s pop charts. Gary Hammond played drums and Jimmy Spruill played guitar on the recording. Clowney then signed with Chess records and his 1962 recording “Rinky Dink” became well known, being used as a signature tune used widely in television and radio. Clowney’s last recording was issued in 2011. His Chess masters are understood to have been destroyed in the 2009 Universal warehouse fire. After living a mainly reclusive life outside the music business, David Clowney died at his home in New York on 31 May 2022. His sister was only informed of his death when she was contacted by the royalties organisation BMI. His death was announced to the public in 2025.

  The Corsairs | Ekla | tc159 The Corsairs were brothers Jay, James and Moses Uzell and their cousin George Wooten, all from North Carolina. They formed in 1961 and signed with Tuff Records. Their Tuff release "Smokey Places" was picked up by Chess for national distribution. It and the follow up, "I’ll take you home" were big hits. They disbanded in 1964. T Jay Dee Uzell died on 1 February 2009. Moses Linberg Uzell died on 11 May 2013. Deacon James Lee Uzell was born on 1 December 1937 and died on 10 September 2014. George Elmer (or Edward) Wooten was born in 1940 and died in 2008.

  The Coronets | Uncle Marv | tc002 The Coronets were Sam and William Griggs, Lester Russaw, Charles Carruthers and George Lewis, and in 1953 they signed with Chess Records who had been sent some demo discs. They were not happy with the band or arrangements that came out of their recording session, but it yielded a hit: Nadine, later covered by The Dells. The group did not stay with Chess Records.

  The Corner Boys  were an instrumental group best known for their 1969 release, "Gang War (Don't Make No Sense)" b/w "Take It Easy Soul Brother" released on Neptune Records N13, which was distributed by Chess. The record w as a Gamble & Huff production. The Corner Boys were session musicians  Jerry Akines, Johnnie Bellmon, Victor Drayton and Reginald Turner.

  Little Miss Cornshucks | Planet Barberella | tc404 Mildred Cummings Jordan (Little Miss Cornshucks) was born in Dayton, Ohio, on 26 May 1923. A night club singer of many years standing, she had a long season in Chicago night clubs. She was very influential, with Aretha Franklin among those naming her as an influence; and was responsible for Atlantic Records’ Ahmet Ertegun becoming interested in recording music.  “Little Miss Cornshucks” was a character of “a country girl lost in a big city” which was designed to appeal to the many men who had migrated to Chicago from the Southern States. After recording over a number of years for many labels she recorded an LP for Chess in 1960, from which a single was taken, but her act suddenly became old fashioned and she ended her live appearances in 1961. Mildred Jordan died in Indianapolis, Indiana, after a series of strokes, on 11 November 1999.