She captures the artists’ outer bravura as well as her inner fears and demons. Knowles, who has shown some real acting skills in Dreamgirls and Austin Powers: Goldmember, continues to impress with a powerful portrayal as Etta James. In any case, Brody gives a solid performance as the label head, who gave his artists Cadillacs when they completed their first record, but who may have played fast and loose with royalty payments. Leonard Chess actually co-founded the label with his brother Phillip, who for some odd reason is not even mentioned here. Only Motown Records in the ‘60s would have the same kind of effect on the musical landscape that these two labels did. Music underwent a profound change in the 1950s, and Chess and Sun Records were both at the forefront of that change – the birth of rock and roll out of country (Sun Records with Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins) and the blues (Chess Records). Martin has a cinematic love letter to an era and to a record label in particular. Not everybody, sadly, will make it out alive. As the ‘60s dawn and musical tastes begin to change, the influence of the Chess artists becomes apparent even as their record sales begin to dwindle. Berry’s unique blend of blues, country and r&b creates a bastard child that can only be labeled “rock and roll.” His music begins to cross over lines to white audiences and becomes Chess Records’ most successful artist.Īdd into this mix the incredibly talented (and incredibly troubled) Etta James (Knowles) and you have a recipe for game-changing music, as well as for ego-driven conflicts. With songwriter/engineer Willie Dixon (Cedric) in the house, Chess has assembled a winning team which only gets better with the arrival of Howlin’ Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and the great Chuck Berry (Mos Def). Walter’s solo career, however, takes off on its own. However, his abrasive personality and drinking problem leads him to be fired from Muddy’s band, although they still record together. Walter has a unique style that employs electric amplification, something only just coming into style back then. However, Muddy’s career really goes into overdrive when he finds gifted harmonica player Little Walter (Short). So impressive is Muddy’s prowess that Chess buys a recording studio and founds a recording company he names after himself. His wife Geneva (Union) puts up with the rough living conditions and the late nights, turning a blind eye to his many infidelities. Muddy had been a Mississippi sharecropper before being “discovered” by Smithsonian-Folkways recording archivists, and being prompted to move to Chicago to play the Blues.
One of the first guys he finds is a gifted guitarist who goes by the name of Muddy Waters (Wright). Hoping to draw in the local crowd, he hires local talent to play his stage. Hoping to marry the love of his life Revetta (Chriqui), he opens a bar on the predominantly African-American South Side of Chicago.
Leonard Chess (Brody), a Polish émigré to Chicago, has grand ambitions. Once in a great while, fortune and talent come together in a great confluence that allows the most unlikely of people to join together to become legends. (TriStar) Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyonce Knowles, Gabrielle Union, Cedric the Entertainer, Columbus Short, Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Adrian Brody smirks after winning a bet with Jeffrey Wright.
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