BLUES POWER: Efforts are gearing up to...

BLUES POWER: Efforts are gearing up to raise $600,000 to turn Chicago’s landmark Chess Records Building--the recording home of such rock pioneers as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry--into an active recording facility and blues education center.

The building was purchased earlier this year by the family of the late Willie Dixon--the chief songwriter and producer of the Chess blues era--with financial help from rocker John Mellencamp.

Dixon’s daughter, Shirli Dixon-Nelson, says that in addition to accepting donations, the Glendale-based, Dixon-founded Blues Heaven Foundation is planning to compile a benefit album of some of Chess’ top hits and stage a series of fund-raising dinners honoring living blues greats. The hope is to open the facility by the end of 1994.

“This is my father’s lifelong dream,” says Dixon-Nelson of the Chess renovation. “He wanted to make sure that the artists that are part of the history of the blues and the artists trying to make a career in the blues have a place to go for guidance.” . . .

In other Chess news, MCA is planning an album of Chess Records songs that were later done by the Rolling Stones. Among the tracks on “Stone Rock Blues” will be Wolf’s “Little Red Rooster” and Berry’s “Oh Carol.” Other Chess collections coming soon include packages of rare or unreleased songs by Waters and Wolf.