Rock to Gold

Author: Cohen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Their meeting was a convergence of the era's tumultuous events! The book's title, Rocking to Riches, is directly derived from the popular work of that time, Turning Blues into Gold. How to capture commercial trends and transform mass entertainment into a profitable industry? This book provides clear guidance. In the 1940s, Chicago was the center of American rock music, with Muddy Waters as a standout figure. However, before meeting Leonard Chess, he was just a fish out of water, yet to be transformed into a dragon. It was an era of fervent excitement, with so many young speculators flooding the record industry—this industry was so new that anyone could rewrite the rules, and the entire entrepreneurial process was so alluring, with no traditional constraints or rules binding you. But Leonard became one of the most successful, successfully transforming an independent label into an industry legend that could stand shoulder to shoulder with major record companies! Looking back at the now-historical Chess Records, faces like water flow past one by one, leaving us amazed at the number of major musicians who emerged from under its banner: Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, "Howlin' Wolf," Baby Boy, Etta James, and Leonard Chess. How did they miraculously bridge the vast gap between the creative industry and commerce? Perhaps a passage in the book reveals some of the secrets: Anyone can see the artist's presence, but only a genius can see a huge market, even though to ordinary people, it may just seem like a rabble.