[1] Chess was born to a Polish-Jewish family[2] in the village of Motal, then in eastern Poland and now part of Belarus.
In 1946, after leaving the Army, Phil joined Leonard in running a popular club, the Macomba Lounge.
The company then changed its name to Chess Records, and began concentrating on R&B music, signing and recording artists such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, "Sonny Boy Williamson" (Rice Miller), Robert Lockwood Jr., Etta James, Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf and Chuck Berry.
[6][7] Phil Chess was actively involved in producing many of their blues and rock and roll recordings.
In February 2013, Phil Chess attended the ceremony to receive one of The Recording Academy's Trustees Awards for non-performers presented to him and his brother.