Chance Records
Encyclopedia
Chance Records was a Chicago
-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues
, jazz
, doo-wop
, and gospel
.
Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos
, The Moonglows
, Homesick James
, J. B. Hutto, Brother John Sellers
, and Schoolboy Porter. In addition, Chance released three singles by John Lee Hooker
and made a coordinated issue of the first singles by Jimmy Reed
and The Spaniels
with the brand-new and still tiny Vee-Jay Records
.
The company closed down at the end of 1954. Sheridan became one of the financial backers of Vee-Jay.
band. Porter's rendition of "Tennessee Waltz
," a much-covered hit in 1950, sold well enough that Sheridan's pressing plant, Armour Plastics, couldn't meet the demand and many copies were pressed by RCA Victor. Porter would be a steady contributor until he left Chicago in 1952.
In 1951, however, the company ran into big trouble with the American Federation of Musicians
on account of employing non-Union personnel on one of Schoolboy Porter's sessions. The company actually lost its license to record with Union musicians for one year, although Sheridan was able to work in a few sessions by gospel
groups, which in those days were almost entirely non-Union. He would remain persona non grata
with Musicians Union Local 208 for many years.
While restricted from making new recordings, Sheridan astutely picked up items for release from many small labels: the debut session by jazz pianist John Young, Little Walter
's very first session, a long out-of-print single by Sunnyland Slim
, and three John Lee Hooker
78s, all released under the low-effort pseudonym John L. Booker.
Chance quickly recovered when the ban ended in May 1952, and Sheridan moved both the record company and his distribution operation to 1151 East 47th Street. Added to the roster were blues singer Brother John Sellers
, jazz trumpeter King Kolax
, down-home blues guitarist Homesick James
, and flamboyant blues shouter Jo Jo Adams. In the fall, bassist Al Smith took over as leader of a house band that featured tenor saxophonist Red Holloway
, guitarist Lefty Bates
, and drummer Vernel Fournier
; among the first singers they backed was Bobby Prince.
Chance hit its peak in 1953. A collaboration with Joe Brown's JOB Records brought a new release by Homesick James
, including his signature number "Homesick" a release by Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, and further tracks by Sunnyland Slim
and Johnny Shines
that were not released till later. The company's blues roster grew further to include Lazy Bill Lucas
and Willie Nix
. Singer/guitarist Rudy Greene also recorded for Chance.
Sheridan made a significant investment in doo-wop, signing two of the two top groups of the period, The Flamingos
and The Moonglows
. The established R&B combo led by Tommy Dean made a session, as did the jazz groups of pianist Jimmy Binkley and trumpeter Conte Candoli
. In the summer, Sheridan opened a new subsidiary called Sabre
at 1225 East 47th Street to handle some of his expanding catalog. Two doo-wop groups that Sheridan signed, the Five Echoes, and the Five Blue Notes, recorded exclusively for the new subsidiary.
In June 1953, Sheridan lent a hand to an emerging outfit from Gary, Indiana
called Vee-Jay
, which needed marketing and distribution help on its first releases by bluesman Jimmy Reed
and the vocal group The Spaniels
. Each was given a parallel release on Chance.
In 1954, the company recorded The Moonglows
, The Flamingos
, along with a new vocal group called the Five Chances. It picked up what was probably its highest-profile gospel group, the Famous Boyer Brothers
. A single by blues shouter Freddie Hall came from the tiny Ebony label, run by J. Mayo Williams
. A major new blues signing was J. B. Hutto, who made his recording debut for Chance.
However, in June 1954, Al Smith and his corps of studio musicians moved to Vee-Jay. Sabre Records
made its last release in August. Sheridan wound Chance Records down in December 1954, becoming a behind-the-scenes investor in the newer company. Ewart Abner
, who had been Sheridan's right-hand man at Chance, went to work for Vee-Jay in early 1955.
' Meteor label).
noted that Chance "might have done well with rock 'n' roll, given its roster," but the company closed too soon. The Flamingos went to Parrot
and then to Checker
and The Moonglows to Chess
.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based label founded in 1950 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
, and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
.
Among the acts who recorded for Chance were The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
, The Moonglows
The Moonglows
The Moonglows were an American R&B and doo-wop group based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early years:Originally formed in their native Louisville, Kentucky as the Crazy Sounds, the group moved to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed renamed them 'the Moonglows'...
, Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
, J. B. Hutto, Brother John Sellers
Brother John Sellers
Brother John Sellers was an American gospel and folk singer.Sellers played in gospel tent shows while young. He was discovered by Mahalia Jackson, who brought him to Chicago to perform with her. In the 1950s he began playing secular music, and recorded his first album in 1954 for Vanguard Records...
, and Schoolboy Porter. In addition, Chance released three singles by John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
and made a coordinated issue of the first singles by Jimmy Reed
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries...
and The Spaniels
The Spaniels
The Spaniels were an American R&B doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group...
with the brand-new and still tiny Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
.
The company closed down at the end of 1954. Sheridan became one of the financial backers of Vee-Jay.
History
Chance Records opened for business in September 1950. Initially the company was housed at Sheridan's American Record Distributors, 2011 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Among the first artists to record for the company were the Al Sims Trio, an uptown blues group, and a combo led by tenor saxophonist John "Schoolboy" Porter, who had developed a vigorous R&B style in the Cootie WilliamsCootie Williams
Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter.-Biography:...
band. Porter's rendition of "Tennessee Waltz
The Tennessee Waltz
"Tennessee Waltz" is a popular/country music song with lyrics by Redd Stewart and music by Pee Wee King written in 1946 and first released in December 1947 as a single by Cowboy Copas that same year...
," a much-covered hit in 1950, sold well enough that Sheridan's pressing plant, Armour Plastics, couldn't meet the demand and many copies were pressed by RCA Victor. Porter would be a steady contributor until he left Chicago in 1952.
In 1951, however, the company ran into big trouble with the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
on account of employing non-Union personnel on one of Schoolboy Porter's sessions. The company actually lost its license to record with Union musicians for one year, although Sheridan was able to work in a few sessions by gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
groups, which in those days were almost entirely non-Union. He would remain persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
with Musicians Union Local 208 for many years.
While restricted from making new recordings, Sheridan astutely picked up items for release from many small labels: the debut session by jazz pianist John Young, Little Walter
Little Walter
Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs , was an American blues harmonica player, whose revolutionary approach to his instrument has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, for innovation and impact on succeeding generations...
's very first session, a long out-of-print single by Sunnyland Slim
Sunnyland Slim
Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was an American blues pianist, who was born in the Mississippi Delta, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, to contribute to that city's post-war scene as a center for blues music...
, and three John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
78s, all released under the low-effort pseudonym John L. Booker.
Chance quickly recovered when the ban ended in May 1952, and Sheridan moved both the record company and his distribution operation to 1151 East 47th Street. Added to the roster were blues singer Brother John Sellers
Brother John Sellers
Brother John Sellers was an American gospel and folk singer.Sellers played in gospel tent shows while young. He was discovered by Mahalia Jackson, who brought him to Chicago to perform with her. In the 1950s he began playing secular music, and recorded his first album in 1954 for Vanguard Records...
, jazz trumpeter King Kolax
King Kolax
King Kolax was a United States jazz trumpeter.-Biography:...
, down-home blues guitarist Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
, and flamboyant blues shouter Jo Jo Adams. In the fall, bassist Al Smith took over as leader of a house band that featured tenor saxophonist Red Holloway
Red Holloway
James W. "Red" Holloway is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Holloway started playing banjo and harmonica, switching to tenor sax when he was twelve years old...
, guitarist Lefty Bates
Lefty Bates
Lefty Bates was an American Chicago blues guitarist. He led the Lefty Bates Combo, and variously worked with the El Dorados, the Flamingos, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Etta James, the Aristo-Kats, the Hi-De-Ho Boys, the Moroccos, the Impressions, and a latter day version of the Ink Spots...
, and drummer Vernel Fournier
Vernel fournier
Vernel Anthony Fournier and, from 1975, known as Amir Rushdan, was a jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Ahmad Jamal from 1956 to 1962....
; among the first singers they backed was Bobby Prince.
Chance hit its peak in 1953. A collaboration with Joe Brown's JOB Records brought a new release by Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
, including his signature number "Homesick" a release by Arthur "Big Boy" Spires, and further tracks by Sunnyland Slim
Sunnyland Slim
Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was an American blues pianist, who was born in the Mississippi Delta, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, to contribute to that city's post-war scene as a center for blues music...
and Johnny Shines
Johnny Shines
Johnny Shines was an American blues singer and guitarist. According to the music journalist Tony Russell, "Shines was that rare being, a blues artist who overcame age and rustiness to make music that stood up beside the work of his youth...
that were not released till later. The company's blues roster grew further to include Lazy Bill Lucas
Lazy Bill Lucas
Lazy Bill Lucas was an American blues musician, who was part of the birth of the Chicago blues scene during the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, before taking his talents to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and becoming an important part of that city's blues history until his death.-Early career:Born to...
and Willie Nix
Willie Nix
Willie Nix was an American Chicago blues singer and drummer, active in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, in the 1940s and 1950s.-Life and career:...
. Singer/guitarist Rudy Greene also recorded for Chance.
Sheridan made a significant investment in doo-wop, signing two of the two top groups of the period, The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
and The Moonglows
The Moonglows
The Moonglows were an American R&B and doo-wop group based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early years:Originally formed in their native Louisville, Kentucky as the Crazy Sounds, the group moved to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed renamed them 'the Moonglows'...
. The established R&B combo led by Tommy Dean made a session, as did the jazz groups of pianist Jimmy Binkley and trumpeter Conte Candoli
Conte Candoli
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
. In the summer, Sheridan opened a new subsidiary called Sabre
Sabre Records
Sabre Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1953 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, and doo-wop.Sabre closed down at the end of 1954, when its former owner became one of the financial backers of Vee-Jay, which was growing into a powerhouse of the independent record business.-...
at 1225 East 47th Street to handle some of his expanding catalog. Two doo-wop groups that Sheridan signed, the Five Echoes, and the Five Blue Notes, recorded exclusively for the new subsidiary.
In June 1953, Sheridan lent a hand to an emerging outfit from Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
called Vee-Jay
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
, which needed marketing and distribution help on its first releases by bluesman Jimmy Reed
Jimmy Reed
Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed was an American blues musician and songwriter, notable for bringing his distinctive style of blues to mainstream audiences. Reed was a major player in the field of electric blues, as opposed to the more acoustic-based sound of many of his contemporaries...
and the vocal group The Spaniels
The Spaniels
The Spaniels were an American R&B doo-wop group, best known for the hit "Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite".They have been called the first successful Midwestern R&B group...
. Each was given a parallel release on Chance.
In 1954, the company recorded The Moonglows
The Moonglows
The Moonglows were an American R&B and doo-wop group based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early years:Originally formed in their native Louisville, Kentucky as the Crazy Sounds, the group moved to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed renamed them 'the Moonglows'...
, The Flamingos
The Flamingos
The Flamingos were a doo wop group from the United States, most popular in the mid to late 1950s and best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You".-Early quintet:...
, along with a new vocal group called the Five Chances. It picked up what was probably its highest-profile gospel group, the Famous Boyer Brothers
Horace Clarence Boyer
Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer was one of the foremost scholars in African-American gospel music. He and his brother James had a career as singers under the name the Famous Boyer Brothers...
. A single by blues shouter Freddie Hall came from the tiny Ebony label, run by J. Mayo Williams
J. Mayo Williams
Jay Mayo "Ink" Williams was a pioneering African-American producer of recorded blues music. Ink Williams earned his nickname by his ability to get the signatures of talented African-American musicians on recording contracts...
. A major new blues signing was J. B. Hutto, who made his recording debut for Chance.
However, in June 1954, Al Smith and his corps of studio musicians moved to Vee-Jay. Sabre Records
Sabre Records
Sabre Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1953 by Art Sheridan. It specialized in blues, jazz, and doo-wop.Sabre closed down at the end of 1954, when its former owner became one of the financial backers of Vee-Jay, which was growing into a powerhouse of the independent record business.-...
made its last release in August. Sheridan wound Chance Records down in December 1954, becoming a behind-the-scenes investor in the newer company. Ewart Abner
Ewart Abner
Ewart Abner was an American record company executive.-Career:...
, who had been Sheridan's right-hand man at Chance, went to work for Vee-Jay in early 1955.
Series
On its main 1100 series, Chance issues ran almost consecutively from 1100 to 1165, for a total of 63 releases. A 5000 series that Sheridan established for gospel records ran from 5000 to 5009, for 10 releases. In addition, there was a 3000 series for pop releases, which finished at 3021; 21 have been accounted for, An abortive effort to start a subsidiary in 1952 led to a single release on Meteor 100 (not to be confused with the Bihari brothersBihari brothers
The Bihari Brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American music entrepreneurs and the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries such as Meteor Records based in Memphis.-Origins:...
' Meteor label).
Legacy
Quite a few Chance and Sabre artists, ranging from the Famous Boyer Brothers to Tommy Dean to King Kolax to the Five Echoes, resurfaced at Vee-Jay. Rock and roll historian Charlie GillettCharlie Gillett
Charlie Gillett , was a British radio presenter, musicologist and writer, mainly on rock and roll and other forms of popular music...
noted that Chance "might have done well with rock 'n' roll, given its roster," but the company closed too soon. The Flamingos went to Parrot
Parrot Records (blues label)
Parrot Records was a Chicago-based label founded in 1952 by disc jockey Al Benson. It specialized in blues, jazz, doo-wop, and gospel. The company began operating in earnest in the summer of 1953, and lasted till the middle of 1956. Several Parrot recordings were later released by Chess...
and then to Checker
Checker Records
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary to Chess Records in Chicago, Illinois. The label was founded by the Chess brothers, Leonard and Phil, who ran the label until they sold it to General Recorded Tape in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.The label...
and The Moonglows to Chess
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
.
Releases
| Catalog # | Artist | A-side | B-side |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1100 | "Some Time" | "Yesterdays" | |
| 1101 | "I'll Never Smile Again" | "Schoolboy's Boogie" | |
| 1102 | "Moody Woman" | "I Wonder Baby" | |
| 1103 | "Tennessee Waltz Part I" | "Part II" | |
| 1104 | "Nevertheless" | "Walk Heavy" | |
| 1105 | "Kayron" | "Deep Purple" | |
| 1106 | "Whispering Grass" | "Hear My Call" | |
| 1107 | "The Flame" | "Night Beat" | |
| 1107 | "The Flame" | "Night Beat" | |
| 1108 | "Talkin' Boogie" | "Miss Lorraine" | |
| 1109 | "Storm thru Mississippi" | "Strange Things" | |
| 1110 | "I Love to Boogie" | "Graveyard Blues" | |
| 1111 | "Top Hat" | "Stairway to the Stars" | |
| 1112 | "I May Be Down" | "I'm Nobody's Trick" | |
| 1114 | "Soft Shoulders" | "Rollin' Along" | |
| 1115 | ""4 O'Clock Blues"" | "I Cried" | |
| 1116 | "That's Alright" | "Just Keep Loving Her" | |
| 1117 | "Sentimental Journey" | "Fire Dome" | |
| 1119 | "Break Thru" | "Junco Partner" | |
| 1120 | "Josie Jones" | "Rock Me in the Cradle" | |
| 1121 | "Lonesome Ole Train" | "Farmers Blues" | |
| 1122 | "609 Boogie" | "Road Trouble" | |
| 1123 | "Blues This Ain't No Place for You" | "Mighty Lonesome" | |
| 1124 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | "Slow Mood" | |
| 1125 | "Close to You" | "Lonely Heart" | |
| 1126 | "Yesterdays" | "So There" | |
| 1127 | "Didn't I Tell You" | "I've Got a Crazy Baby" | |
| 1128 | "Tell Me Why, Why, Why" | "I Want to Hold You" | |
| 1129 | "So Many Days" | "Tale of Woe" | |
| 1130 | "How Blue the Night" | "I'm Blue without You" | |
| 1131 | "Homesick" | "The Woman I Love" | |
| 1132 | "Small Squall" | "Lonely Wail" | |
| 1133 | "If I Can't Have You" | "Someday, Someway" | |
| 1134 | "Hey, Hey, Sugar Ray" | "Midnite Wail" | |
| 1135 | "Brand New Rockin' Chair" | "Finance Man" | |
| 1136 | "Brand New Man" | "Chicks Going Crazy" | |
| 1137 | "Which One Do I Love" | "About to Lose My Mind" | |
| 1138 | "Mirror Blues" | "Newport News" | |
| 1139 | "Love Is a Pain" | "No Need of Your Crying" | |
| 1140 | "Hurry Home Baby" | "That's My Desire" | |
| 1141 | "Baby, It's You" | "Bounce" | |
| 1142 | "High and Lonesome" | "Roll and Rhumba" | |
| 1143 | "Rock, Daddy, Rock" | "Tears in My Eyes" | |
| 1144 | "You Go to My Head" | "Memories of You" | |
| 1145 | "Carried Away" | "Golden Teardrops" | |
| 1146 | "The Letter" | "It's You I Love" | |
| 1147 | "Whistle My Love" | "Baby Please" | |
| 1148 | "She Got Me Walkin" | "I Had a Dream" | |
| 1149 | "Plan for Love" | "You Ain't Ready" | |
| 1150 | "Just a Lonely Christmas" | "Hey Santa Claus" | |
| 1151 | "I Had a Feeling" | "Meet Me Baby" | |
| 1152 | "Secret Love" | "Real Gone Mama" | |
| 1153 | "Flamingo" | "Mambo Junior" | |
| 1154 | "Cross over the Bridge" | "Listen to My Plea" | |
| 1155 | "Combination Boogie" | "Now She's Gone" | |
| 1156 | "Ooh Rocking Daddy" | "I Was Wrong" | |
| 1157 | "I May Be Small" | "Nagasaki" | |
| 1158 | "If You Only Knew" | "Think It Over" | |
| 1159 | "This Crooked World" | "Knock Me Out" | |
| 1160 | "Pet Cream Man" | "Lovin You" | |
| 1161 | "219 Train" | "My Gal" | |
| 1162 | "Blues in a Letter" | "Jump Children" | |
| 1163 | "Nervous Wreck" | "No More Love" | |
| 1165 | "Dim Lights" | "Things Are So Slow" | |