Rich Cohen
The Record Men
The Chess Brothers and the Birth of Rock & Roll
"Brilliant . . . the best book I have ever
read about the recording industry . . .
a classic."
—Larry King
AS VIBRANTLY WRITTEN as the music it describes,
The Record Men tells the story of how the Russian Jewish
immigrant Leonard Chess—along with the other
tough-as-nails record men of the 1950s—united
with poor black blues singers to transform the music
of Chicago's South Side into a multi-billion-dollar
business. Full of absorbing lore, animated by stories
of legendary performers like Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley,
and Chuck Berry, and imbued with a deep love
for popular music, Cohen's tale is a smash hit.
"Cohen does a great job of capturing the intensity
of upstart record men like Chess who were catalysts
in a cultural revolution, forging a bond with black
singers across the chasm of race and class."—Jason
Berry, Chicago Tribune
"It's a great story, and Cohen is ideally suited to
tell it. . . . [He] writes with the jagged rhythms of the
street."—David Ulin, Washington Post
RICH COHEN is the author of Tough Jews, The
Avengers, and Lake Effect. He lives in New York
City.
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