A History of Chess Records in 10 Songs | The Track Star Podcast

The Track Star Podcast returns with the story of one of the most important record labels in American music history: Chess Records. This week, Jack sits down with drummer, producer, and musical historian Steve Jordan, whose knowledge of Chess runs as deep as his legendary resume.

Across the episode, Steve breaks down the innovations of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Etta James and more, explaining how the Delta blues evolved in Chicago, how amplification transformed the guitar, how Chuck Berry reinvented lyric writing, why the Bo Diddley beat terrified the establishment, and how Chess marketed Black music into what the world came to know as rock and roll. We also hear from John Fogerty and Maya Rudolph, who share personal stories about discovering Chess artists and learning from their records, and from David Remnick, who describes how these songs crossed the Atlantic and helped spark the British Invasion, inspiring the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and a new era of rock music.

Listen to our extended playlist for this episode:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2oYgkNur1kI6UbJM69ZEfq?si=96a0b03523be46bf
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-track-star-podcast-episode-12/pl.u-mJy88DrtN9dk9N7
Youtube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJwfZsOZW3kU-tzUfi9PvEH8aZGQXRBO_&si=HcHemIBgPjJaOsuA

New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday. Let us know which topic you want us to explore next.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1d5i6AQX4dZaO4MDCbdhjR
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-track-star-podcast/id1836496108
More platforms: https://play.megaphone.fm/f-rd86qotxojfhckdq6uaa

This Episode’s Tracklist:
00:00 - Intro
01:40 - Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats — “Rocket 88”
05:27 - Bo Diddley — “Bo Diddley”
09:57 - Chuck Berry — “Maybellene”
27:29 - Muddy Waters — “Mannish Boy”
30:23 - Howlin’ Wolf — “Smokestack Lightning”
32:11 - Willie Dixon — “Little Red Rooster”
43:49 - The Beatles — “Roll Over Beethoven”
46:30 - The Moonglows — “Sincerely”
49:07 - Etta James — “I’d Rather Go Blind”
54:30 - Irma Thomas — “Good to Me”

Track Star Team: Jack Coyne, Kieran Coyne, Henry Kornaros, Noah John, Haley Sobel, Alex Fabry, Ellen Schoenfeld, Sarah Mann, Ellie Aslanian, Ryan Dirgins