For all Unofficial / Bootleg copies of this label please us Checker (2)
Checker Records is an inactive record label that was started in 1952 as a subsidiary of 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 (GRT) in 1969, shortly before Leonard's death.
The label released recordings by mostly African American artists and groups. Checker's releases cover a wide range of genres including blues (Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II), rhythm and blues (Sax Mallard, Jimmy McCracklin), doo-wop (The Flamingos, The Moonglows), gospel (Aretha Franklin, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi), rock and roll (Bo Diddley, Dale Hawkins), and soul (Gene Chandler).
The label was discontinued in 1971 following GRT's consolidation of the Chess catalogs. As with Cadet and Chess, the label's catalog is now owned by Universal Music Group and releases from the Checker catalog are released by Geffen Records and Chess.
Guide to label designs for 45s (date ranges are approximate) -- can be used to identify and roughly date represses/reissues:
1952-1957: Maroon "web top" logo (final one might be #876: Dale Hawkins - Baby, Baby / Mrs. Merguitory's Daughter but continued to be used on 78s into 1958)
1957-1966: Maroon vertically-printed Checker on left side of labels (overlaps later designs by a few years, perhaps one pressing plant just kept on using this label stock. Final one seems to be Checker #1135: Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle / Blues Heaven)
1963-1965: Blue with checker game pieces logo (but was used at least twice in early-to-mid 1966: Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle / Blues Heaven and Fontella Bass - I Surrender / I Can't Rest)
1965-1970: Blue-to-white gradient with red/white/blue Checker logo
45 RPM Catalog Number, Date and Label Identification:
758 through 800 (1952–1954): Maroon and silver
"checkerboard" top label, without "Record Co." under the name
Checker.
801 through 876 (1954–1957): Maroon and silver
"checkerboard" top label, with "Record Co." under the name
Checker.
877 through 1050 (1957–1963): Maroon label, with vertical
Checker letters on left side.
1101 and higher (1965 forward): Light blue label, without
checkers. Inexplicable pressing plant variations exist, such as
numbers as high as 1129 (late '65) with the maroon label, with
vertical Checker letters on left side.
Notes: There is some doubt that 759 and 761 were issued on
45. Some colored plastic exists in the 766–800 series. Several
issues after 1101 used the blue label with checkers, but they
were inconsistent during that period. A few red vinyl issues
appeared in the 766 to 800 series. The first "checkerboard"
(maroon) label is often referred to as the "web top" Checker
label; however it is a checkerboard and not a spider's web.
Checker 78s as late as 937 exist with the checkerboard
design at top, as opposed to 45s which switched designs
beginning with 876. Also, 78s as early as 900 have Checker
name vertically on left side.
Label code: LC 0155 / LC 00155
