Editing Checker Records (section)

== History ==
Due to the recent expansion of Chess Records, as well as to achieve greater airplay for [[Single (music)|singles]], the Chess brothers opened up a subsidiary label named Checker. The first [[Gramophone record|45/78&nbsp;rpm]] single released by the label was "Slow Caboose" b/w "Darling, Let's Give Love a Chance" by Sax Mallard and his Orchestra, which was released as Checker 750 in April 1952.<ref name="Label1">{{cite web |url=http://campber.people.clemson.edu/chess1.html |title=The Chess Label Part I (1950–1952) |author=George R. White |author2=Robert L. Campbell |author3=Tom Kelly  |work=Robert Campbell |publisher=[[Clemson University]] |location=[[Clemson, South Carolina]] |access-date=March 14, 2011}}</ref>

The label's most popular artist, in the label's early years, was [[Little Walter]], who had ten songs released by Checker that made the Top Ten of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine's [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Top Rhythm & Blues Records]] charts.<ref name="Devil">{{cite book|title=The Devil's Music|author=Giles Oakley|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/devilsmusichisto00oakl_0/page/223 223/5]|isbn=978-0-306-80743-5|date=1997|url=https://archive.org/details/devilsmusichisto00oakl_0/page/223}}</ref>  Among those ten was "[[Juke (song)|Juke]]" which topped the charts<ref name="r&b">{{cite book
  | last = Whiburn
  | first = Joel
  | author-link = Joel Whitburn
  | title = Top R&B Singles 1942–1988
  | publisher = Record Research
  | year = 1988
  | isbn = 0-89820-068-7
  | url = https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whit
  }}</ref> and was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]] in 2008.<ref name="grammy">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |title=Grammy Hall of Fame |work=[[Grammy Award]]s |publisher=[[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] |location=United States |access-date=March 14, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=January 22, 2011 }}</ref>

Checker released several singles by well-established blues artists such as [[Elmore James]],<ref name="Devil"/> [[Arthur Crudup|Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup]] (credited as Perry Lee Crudup), and [[Memphis Minnie]], none of which sold well.<ref name="Label1" /><ref name="Label2">{{cite web |url=http://campber.people.clemson.edu/chess2.html |title=The Chess Label Part II (1953–1955) |author=George R. White |author2=Robert L. Campbell |author3=Tom Kelly  |work=Robert Campbell |publisher=[[Clemson University]] |location=[[Clemson, South Carolina]] |access-date=March 14, 2011}}</ref> One well-established blues artist that did manage to make a hit on Checker was [[Sonny Boy Williamson II]], who charted with "[[Don't Start Me Talkin']]" (number 3) in 1955, "Keep It to Yourself" (number 14) in 1956, and "[[Help Me (Sonny Boy Williamson II song)|Help Me]]" (number 24) in 1963.<ref name="r&b" />

On March 2, 1955, the Chess brothers recorded their first [[rock and roll]] artist, [[Bo Diddley]]. From this session came Bo's [[Bo Diddley (Bo Diddley song)|self-titled debut]] single on Checker,<ref name="Label2" /> which topped the R&B charts<ref name="r&b" /> and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. Another one of Bo Diddley's Checker singles, "[[Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley song)|Who Do You Love?]]", was inducted in 2010.<ref name="grammy" /> In 1957, Checker cracked into the [[rockabilly]] market with [[Dale Hawkins]], who had a [[Crossover (music)|crossover]] hit with "[[Susie Q (song)|Susie Q]]", although he could not repeat the single's success.

In 1958, Checker released its first 12" 33⅓&nbsp;rpm [[LP record]], ''[[The Best of Little Walter]]'', which was released as Checker LP-1428.<ref>[http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php?YearId=18#ref=halloffame_inductees Past Hall of Fame Inductees] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717083052/http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php?YearId=18 |date=2012-07-17 }}. [[Blues Foundation]]. Go under ''1991 Hall of Fame Inductees'' and click on ''The Best of Little Walter--Little Walter (Checker, 1958)'' to view the album review.</ref>