Legendary blues and rock label Chess Records will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a reissue campaign that begins in October with the release of albums by two blues music pioneers: Muddy Waters’ The Best of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ in the Moonlight.
The monthly series will continue with two classic albums reissued per month. Coming up through the end of the year will be Chuck Berry’s Berry On Top, which features classics “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” and Etta James’ At Last, both on Nov. 21; and Little Walter’s The Best of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II’s The Real Folk Blues, both on Dec. 21. More titles will roll out in 2026. Each title will be remastered from the original analog tapes and cut to lacquer by Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab at Quality Record Pressing. Each release will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and feature gatefold jackets.
“Chess Records didn’t just help birth rock & roll — it gave voice to the legends who defined it,” said Steve Berman, vice chairman of Interscope Capitol, in a statement. “This 75th anniversary series honors that legacy by bringing these foundational recordings back to life, cut with extraordinary care directly from the original masters. These releases are a gift to lifelong fans and a revelation for new listeners discovering the roots of modern music.”
Founded by Leonard and Phil Chess in Chicago in 1950, the influential label released what many consider the first rock and roll record, 1951’s “Rocket 88” by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. It continued to roll out blues, R&B, soul and rock music that laid the cornerstones for American music.
After a nearly 20-year run, the Chess brothers sold the label to General Recorded Tape in 1969. After changing hands again to All Platinum Records in the mid-’70s, the Chess masters were ultimately acquired by MCA Records in 1986, which was bought by what became Universal Music Group in 1995.
Other artists on the label included John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon and Big Bill Broonzy.
“Chess Records electrified the sound of American music,” said Bruce Resnikoff, president/CEO of UMG’s catalog division, UMe, on the cultural impact of the label. “The legendary rhythm and blues label released albums from Muddy Waters to Howlin’ Wolf to Etta James, becoming one of the most influential labels in history. These new albums showcase incredible artists and their legacy on peerless audiophile quality vinyl releases.”
A June 2008 fire on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood damaged the archives for a number of masters of UMG-owned recordings, but the destruction turned out to not be as extensive as the New York Times story originally reported and did not affect plans for 75th anniversary Chess project. As Resnikoff tells Billboard, the diligent work of preserving Chess’s masters has been a thorough, ongoing project for decades.
“The numerous false and damaging claims contained within the since debunked New York Times Magazine article included mentions of “destroyed Chess masters” – masters which either remain in UMG’s archive today or that were never in UMG’s possession to begin with,” Resnikoff says. “The Chess Records history has been extensively reported over the years, and it is well documented that in the early Seventies, when the label was sold and the studio shut down, many of its master tapes were discarded or lost. Thanks to UMG having acquired former Chess licensees in the U.K. and Europe, every single LP in the Chess/Acoustic Sounds series has been painstakingly tracked down, meticulously restored and cut either from the original U.S. master tapes, or from the licensee analog tapes which were created at the same time as the original recordings. As a direct result of the work of UMG’s archivists, these recording are preserved for generations to come.”
Audiophiles and collectors can pre-order the October releases here.
