She had a boyfriend who was writing some of her best material at the time. Whether Chess ever dated Etta James is debatable. The Chess company recorded many other musicians and styles during their career. Len Chess did actually serve as a session musician if the situation demanded it. Etta had already been a star for 5 years prior to joining Chess. Etta James did not record "I'd Rather Go Blind" in Chicago although she did record her composition for the Chess label. Len Chess died 2 months after he sold his company not just after stepping foot outside the door. There were 2 Chess Brothers, not just one and both had a strong involvement in the company. ![]() The story is a blend of fiction and fact and one wonders why the half truths and lies had to find their way into the story. ![]() The music is just great with many key blues performances from Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Etta James, Howlin'Wolf and Willie Dixon recreated. Just don't expect any drama that will knock your socks off! Nonetheless, Cadillac Records is worth seeing for the music and the recreation of a bygone era. The film needs a narrator to compensate for the lack of a strong story arc. I didn't buy Leonard Chess's flirtation with Etta James and Brody and Beyonce simply have no chemistry together.Ĭadillac Records is narrated by songwriter Willie Dixon played by Cedric the Entertainer. While Beyonce looks real fine as Etta James, her acting is a bit over the top as she portrays the singer's descent into heroin addiction. In addition to Muddy Water's womanizing, there's also some attention paid to his financial problems that occurred after he no longer was churning out hit records. Little Walter ends up shooting a man for simply using his name in a musical group (I couldn't understand why there was no investigation into that shooting). With Chuck Berry, it's the fact that he was arrested for violating the Mann Act-having sex with underage girls and traveling over interstate lines. Each of the four main characters have one or two things that happen to them that's quite interesting. Mos Def is excellent as a wild and creative Chuck Berry but his screen time is much too short for such a seminal figure. Unfortunately, the shelf life of musicians (and even big time musicians) is not very long-usually only a few years in the spotlight. Then suddenly Chuck Berry takes the spotlight only to be replaced by Etta James. Just as we're getting used to Muddy Waters as the main character, he's supplanted by Little Walter and Howlin Wolf. ![]() The chief flaw of Cadillac Records is that it doesn't have a central protagonist. This is particularly true of Leonard Chess (played by a miscast Adrien Brody) who purportedly short-changed the musicians who were under contract to him (the Chess in "Cadillac Records" is more of a good-natured cheerleader who always tries to be a great friend to the musicians he hires). I've read that there were quite a few liberties taken with the historical record in composing the screenplay. Supposedly Chess Records came to be known as Cadillac Records due to Chess's penchant for paying his musicians with Cadillacs and not cash. Weak story arc but still somewhat entertainingĬadillac Records is really the story of Chess Records founded by a businessman named Leonard Chess who signed some of the biggest black entertainers in the music business during the 50s and 60s.
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