The Record Men: The Chess Brothers and the Birth of Rock & Roll (Enterprise) [Paperback]

Rich Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Enterprise | Publication Date: October 17, 2005

"Brilliant; the best book I have ever read about the recording industry; a classic."--Larry King

On the south side of Chicago in the late 1940s, two immigrants; one a Jew born in Russia, the other a black blues singer from Mississippi; met and changed the course of musical history. Muddy Waters electrified the blues, and Leonard Chess recorded it. Soon Bo Diddly and Chuck Berry added a dose of pulsating rhythm, and Chess Records captured that, too. Rock & roll had arrived, and an industry was born. In a book as vibrantly and exuberantly written as the music and people it portrays, Rich Cohen tells the engrossing story of how Leonard Chess, with the other record men, made this new sound into a multi-billion-dollar business; aggressively acquiring artists, hard-selling distributors, riding the crest of a wave that would crash over a whole generation. Originally published in hardcover as Machers and Rockers. About the series: Enterprise pairs distinguished writers with stories of the economic forces that have shaped the modern worlds; the institutions, the entrepreneurs, the ideas. Enterprise introduces a new genre; the business book as literature. 12 illustrations

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rich Cohen is the author of Tough Jews, The Avengers, and Lake Effect. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton (October 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393327507
• ISBN-13: 978-0393327502
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Adequate Book but Misrepresented on Several Levels, July 6, 2008

By 

J. Sowinski "Musical Historian" (Tuckahoe, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Record Men: The Chess Brothers and the Birth of Rock & Roll (Enterprise) (Paperback)

First, my wife ordered both "The Record Men" and "Machers and Rockers" for me on the Amazon Buy-Together discount, as I was researching Chess Records for a historical presentation we are working on. They turned out to be the exact same book, only with different titles and one has a hardcover. This is misleading on the parts of the author, publisher AND Amazon.
Second, the subtitle of "Machers and Rockers" is Chess Records and the Business of Rock & Roll. Well, these subjects are covered, but not in the detail one would expect from the title. It covers a broader history of American music, but doesn't do either the justice they deserve. Considering the title(s) (of both books) do we really need to cover the story of W.C. Handy's first experience of Delta Blues? It's been done much better in other books.
And third, the author is sloppy with some of the details. He refers to a 1977 concert by The Who promoting their album "Who's Next" which was actually released in 1971.
If you are only going to read one book on Chess Records, either one (the're both the same) is adequate. However, for a more in-depth look at Chicago blues, I would recommend the biographies of Muddy Waters ("Can't Be Satisfied") and Howlin' Wolf ("Moanin' At Midnight") - both excellent books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, well written, and full of great anecdotes, June 4, 2011

By 

S. Jacobson (Portland OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Record Men: The Chess Brothers and the Birth of Rock & Roll (Enterprise) (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book very much. Mr. Cohen has a distinctive voice, and once you pick up his rhythms the book is an entertaining read. (A number of great anecdotes also help make it a fun read). He weaves the various strands of the story - musical, cultural, sociological, historical - together fluently, and makes a number of insightful points that help the reader connect the dots. As other reviewers have noted, this is not a purely chronological history full of lists and footnotes; but it will take you back to a time and place that is forever gone. Highly recommended.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but something's missing, March 5, 2007

By 

M. Buisman "Martijn Buisman" (Amsterdam, NL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Record Men: The Chess Brothers and the Birth of Rock & Roll (Enterprise) (Paperback)

This is a nice book about the Chess family. However, it is mostly a short history of American popular music of which there are already so many. The history of Chess is short and not in much depth and you constantly feel you are missing something.
Nice to buy when the price is low, but really not that special.