An Important Film On The History Of American Music: Cadillac Records

December 5th is the release date for the film, Cadillac Records, the story of the most legendary of all American record labels, Chicago's Chess Records. Chess was founded in 1950 by Leonard and Philip Chess, two Jewish immigrants from Poland, and its address, 2120 So. Michigan Avenue, was immortalized by a Rolling Stones song of the same name. It's now the home of the Blues Heaven Foundation. The label itself was the home of a breathtaking list of artists including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Memphis Slim, Jimmy Rogers, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, The Flamingos, Chuck Berry, the Moonglows, Bo Diddley, Etta James, The Dells, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Fontella Bass, Willie Dixon, Moms Mabley...

The film was written and directed by Darnell Martin and stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, and Beyoncé as Etta James. Here's the trailer:



And here's Beyoncé's cover of the classic Etta James song, "At Last," which will be released as the soundtrack's first single in two weeks: