Biography

Leonard Chess (record executive and producer; March 12, 1917 – October 16, 1969) Leonard Chess was born Lejzor Czyz in Motal, Poland, in 1917. In 1928, his family moved to New York and then to Chicago, where his father was in the liquor business. The family’s name was changed to Chess, and Lejzor became Leonard. In his early twenties, Leonard and his brother Phil became active in the South Side of Chicago’s nightclub scene. There, they ran a series of jazz clubs, including the Macamba Lounge. In 1947, Leonard began working with Aristocrat Records, and eventually he and his brother ...