Spinning Blues into Gold

I picked up this book after listening to an old Sound Opinions podcast about Chess Records. Both this book and the movie, “Cadillac Records,” were mentioned and accompanied by a selection of great songs from the studio's stars, which made it a must-read.

This book took some time to get through because it is so densely packed. I give the author credit for the amount of research behind the final product, but there are portions of the book that dragged. To bring Chess Records and its artists to life, I listened to each track as it came up in the book. On the plus side, it's a balanced peek into the rise and fall of a small Chicago studio run by Polish immigrants. Check it out if you are interested in blues, early rock, and soul out of Chicago.