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Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none was more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He was its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. Quite simply, without him there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting. The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat. There would be no obsessive wordplay by modern-day tunesmiths; in fact, the whole history (and artistic level) of rock & roll songwriting would have been much poorer without him. Like Brian Wilson said, he wrote "all of the great songs and came up with all the rock & roll beats." Those who do not claim him as a seminal influence or profess a liking for his music and showmanship show their ignorance of rock's development as well as his place as the music's first great creator. Elvis may have fueled rock & roll's imagery, but Chuck Berry was its heartbeat and original mindset.
He was born Charles Edward Anderson Berry to a large family in St. Louis. A bright pupil, Berry developed a love for poetry and hard blues early on, winning a high-school talent contest with a guitar-and-vocal rendition of Jay McShann's big-band number "Confessin' the Blues." With some local tutelage from the neighborhood barber, Berry progressed from a four-string tenor guitar up to an official six-string model and was soon working the local East St. Louis club scene, sitting in everywhere he could. He quickly found out that black audiences liked a wide variety of music and set himself to the task of being able to reproduce as much of it as possible. What he found they really liked -- besides the blues and Nat King Cole tunes -- was the sight and sound of a black man playing white hillbilly music, and Berry's showmanlike flair, coupled with his seemingly inexhaustible supply of fresh verses to old favorites, quickly made him a name on the circuit. In 1954, he ended up taking over pianist Johnny Johnson's small combo, and a residency at the Cosmopolitan Club soon made the Chuck Berry Trio the top attraction in the black community, with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm their only real competition. But Berry had bigger ideas; he yearned to make records, and a trip to Chicago netted a two-minute conversation with his idol Muddy Waters, who encouraged him to approach Chess Records. Upon listening to Berry's homemade demo tape, label president Leonard Chess professed a liking for a hillbilly tune on it named "Ida Red" and quickly scheduled a session for May 21, 1955. During the session the title was changed to "Maybellene" and rock & roll history was born. Although the record only made it to the mid-20s on the Billboard pop chart, its overall influence was massive and groundbreaking in its scope. Finally, here was a black rock & roll record with across-the-board appeal, embraced by white teenagers and Southern hillbilly musicians (a young Elvis Presley, still a full year from national stardom, quickly added it to his stage show), that for once couldn't be successfully covered by a pop singer like Snooky Lanson on Your Hit Parade. Part of the secret to its originality was Berry's blazing 24-bar guitar solo in the middle of it, the imaginative rhyme schemes in the lyrics, and the sheer thump of the record, all signaling that rock & roll had arrived and it was no fad. Helping to put the record over to a white teenage audience was the highly influential New York disc jockey Alan Freed, who had been given part of the writers' credit by Chess in return for his spins and plugs. But to his credit, Freed was also the first white DJ/promoter to consistently use Berry on his rock & roll stage show extravaganzas at the Brooklyn Fox and Paramount Theaters (playing to predominately white audiences); and when Hollywood came calling a year or so later, he also made sure that Berry appeared with him in Rock! Rock! Rock!, Go, Johnny, Go!, and Mister Rock'n'Roll. Within a year's time, Berry had gone from a local St. Louis blues picker making $15.00 a night to an overnight sensation commanding over a hundred times that, arriving at the dawn of a new strain of popular music called rock & roll. The hits started coming thick and fast over the next few years, every one of them about to become a classic of the genre: "Roll Over Beethoven," "Thirty Days," "Too Much Monkey Business," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "You Can't Catch Me," "School Day," "Carol," "Back in the U.S.A.," "Little Queenie," "Memphis, Tennessee," "Johnny B. Goode," and the tune that defined the moment perfectly, "Rock and Roll Music." Berry was not only in constant demand, touring the country on mixed package shows and appearing on television and in movies, but smart enough to know exactly what to do with the spoils of a suddenly successful show business career. He started investing heavily in St. Louis area real estate and, ever one to push the envelope, opened up a racially mixed nightspot called The Club Bandstand in 1958 to the consternation of uptight locals. These were not the plans of your average R&B singers who contented themselves with a wardrobe of flashy suits, a new Cadillac, and the nicest house in the black section. Berry was smart, with plenty of business savvy, and was already making plans to open an amusement park in nearby Wentzville. When the St. Louis hierarchy found out that an underage hat-check girl Berry hired had also set up shop as a prostitute at a nearby hotel, trouble came down on Berry like a sledgehammer on a fly. Charged with transporting a minor over state lines (the Mann Act), Berry endured two trials and was sentenced to federal prison for two years as a result. He emerged from prison a moody, embittered man. But two very important things had happened in his absence. First, British teenagers had discovered his music and were making his old songs hits all over again. Second, and perhaps most important, America had discovered the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, both of whom based their music on Berry's style, with the Stones' early albums looking like a Berry song list. Rather than being resigned to the has-been circuit, Berry found himself in the midst of a worldwide beat boom with his music as the centerpiece. He came back with a clutch of hits ("Nadine," "No Particular Place to Go," "You Never Can Tell"), toured Britain in triumph, and appeared on the big screen with his British disciples in the groundbreaking T.A.M.I. Show in 1964. Berry had moved with the times and found a new audience in the bargain, and when the cries of "yeah-yeah-yeah" were replaced with peace signs, Berry altered his live act to include a passel of slow blues and quickly became a fixture on the festival and hippie ballroom circuit. After a disastrous stint with Mercury Records, he returned to Chess in the early '70s and scored his last hit with a live version of the salacious nursery rhyme "My Ding-A-Ling," yielding Berry his first official gold record. By decade's end, he was as in-demand as ever, working every oldies revival show, TV special, and festival that was thrown his way. But once again, troubles with the law reared their ugly head and 1979 saw Berry headed back to prison, this time for income tax evasion. Upon release this time, the creative days of Chuck Berry seemed to have come to an end. He appeared as himself in the Alan Freed biopic American Hot Wax, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but steadfastly refused to record any new material or even issue a live album. His live performances became increasingly erratic, with Berry working with terrible backup bands and turning in sloppy, out-of-tune performances that did much to tarnish his reputation with young and old fans alike. In 1987, he published his first book, Chuck Berry: The Autobiography, and the same year saw the film release of what will likely be his lasting legacy, the rockumentary Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll, which included live footage from a 60th-birthday concert with Keith Richards as musical director and the usual bevy of superstars coming out for guest turns. For the next three decades, Berry devoted himself to the oldies circuit, regularly appearing at the Blueberry Hill restaurant in his hometown of St. Louis and sometimes embarking on tours of the U.S. or Europe. In several interviews he promised the existence of a new record but nothing was made official until he announced the 2017 release of Chuck on his 90th birthday. Berry didn't live to see its release: he died at his home on March 18, 2017. For all of his off-stage exploits and seemingly ongoing troubles with the law, Chuck Berry remains the epitome of rock & roll, and his music will endure long after his private escapades have faded from memory. Because when it comes down to his music, perhaps John Lennon said it best, "If you were going to give rock & roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." -- Cub Koda, All Music Guide |
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01. School Days 02. Deep Feeling 03. Too Much Monkey Business 04. Wee Wee Hours 05. Roly Poly 06. No Money Down |
07. Brown Eyed Handsome Man 08. Berry Pickin' 09. Together (we'll always be) 10. Havana Moon 11. Downbound Train/Drifting Heart |
01. Sweet Little Sixteen 02. Blue Feeling 03. La Jaunda (Espanola) 04. Rockin' At The Philharmonic 05. Oh Baby Doll 06. Guitar Boogie |
07. Reelin' And Rockin' 08. In-Go 09. Rock & Roll Music 10. How You've Changed 11. Low Feeling 12. It Don't Take But A Few Minutes |
01. Almost Grown 02. Carol 03. Maybellene 04. Sweet Little Rock & Roller 05. Anthony Boy 06. Johnny B. Goode |
07. Little Queenie 08. Roll Over Beethoven 09. Around And Around 10. Hey Pedro 11. Blues For Hawaiians |
01. Bye Bye Johnny 02. Worried Life Blues 03. Down The Road A Piece 04. Confessin' The Blues 05. Too Pooped To Pop 06. Mad Lad |
07. I Got To Find My Baby 08. Betty Jean 09. Childhood Sweetheart 10. Broken Arrow 11. Driftin' Blues 12. Let It Rock |
01. I'm Talking About You 02. Diploma For Two 03. Thirteen Question Method 04. Away From You 05. Don't You Lie To Me 06. The Way It Was Before |
07. Little Star 08. Route 66 09. Sweet Sixteen 10. Run Around 11. Stop And Listen 12. Rip It Up |
01. Maybellene 02. Roll Over Beethoven 03. Oh Baby Doll 04. Around And Around 05. Come On 06. Let It Rock 07. Reelin' And Rockin' |
08. School Days 09. Almost Grown 10. Sweet Little Sixteen 11. Thirty Days 12. Johnny B. Goode 13. Rock & Roll Music 14. Back In The U. S. A. |
01. Introduction 02. Go Go Go 03. Memphis 04. Maybellene 05. Surfing Street 06. Rocking On The Railroad 07. Brown Eyed Handsome Man |
08. Still Got The Blues 09. Sweet Little Sixteen 10. Jaguar And Thunderbird 11. I Just Want To Make Love To You 12. All Aboard 13. Trick Or Treat 14. The Man And The Donkey |
01. Little Marie 02. Our Little Rendezvous 03. No Particular Place To Go 04. You Two 05. Promised Land 06. You Never Can Tell 07. Go Bobby Soxer 08. The Things I Used To Do |
09. Liverpool Drive 10. Night Beat 11. Merry Christmas, Baby 12. Brenda Lee 13. Fraulein 14. The Little Girl From Central 15. O'Rangutang |
01. My Little Love Light 02. She Once Was Mine 03. After It's Over 04. I Got A Booking 05. Night Beat 06. His Daughter Caroline 07. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis |
08. St. Louis Blues 09. Jamaica Farewell Song 10. Dear Dad 11. Butterscotch 12. The Song Of My Love 13. Why Should We End This Way 14. I Want To Be Your Driver |
01. It Wasn't Me 02. Run Joe 03. Every Day We Rock & Roll 04. One For My Baby(and one more for the road) 05. Welcome Back Pretty Baby 06. It's My Own Business |
07. Right Off Rampart Street 08. Vaya Con Dios 09. Merrily We Rock And Roll 10. My Mustang Ford 11. Ain't That Just Like A Woman 12. Wee Hour Blues |
01. Back To Memphis 02. I Do Really Love You 03. Ramblin' Rose 04. Sweet Little Rock And Roller 05. My Heart Will Always Belong To You 06. Oh Baby Doll |
07. Check Me Out 08. It Hurts Me Too 09. Bring Another Drink 10. So Long 11. Goodnight Well It's Time To Go 12. Flying Home |
01. C. C. Rider 02. Driftin' Blues 03. Every Day I Have The Blues 04. Feelin' It 05. Flying Home 06. (I'm your) Hoochie Coochie Man |
07. It Hurts Me Too 08. Fillmore Blues 09. Wee Baby Blues 10. Johnny B. Goode |
01. C. C. Rider 02. Driftin' Blues 03. Every Day I Have The Blues 04. Feelin' It 05. Flying Home 06. (I'm your) Hoochie Coochie Man 07. It Hurts Me Too 08. Fillmore Blues 09. Wee Baby Blues 10. Johnny B. Goode 11. Ma Dear, Ma Dear |
12. Soul Rockin' 13. Check Me Out 14. Little Fox 15. Back To Memphis 16. My Tambourine 17. Misery 18. It's Too Dark In There 19. I Do Really Love You 20. I Can't Believe 21. My Heart Will Always Belong To You 22. So Long |
01. Good Looking Woman 02. My woman 03. It's Too Dark In There |
04. Put Her Down 05. Concerto In B Goode |
01. Tulane 02. Have Mercy Judge 03. Instrumental 04. Christmas 05. Gun |
06. I'm A Rocker 07. Flyin' Home 08. Fish & Chips 09. Some People |
01. Oh Louisiana 02. Let's Do Our Thing Together 03. Your Lick 04. Festival 05. Bound To Lose |
06. Bordeaux In My Pirough 07. San Francisco Dues 08. Viva Rock & Roll 09. My Dream (poem) 10. Lonely School Days |
01. Let's Boogie 02. Mean Old World 03. I Will Not Let You Go 04. London Berry Blues |
05. I Love You 06. Reelin' And Rockin' 07. My Ding-A-Ling 08. Johnny B. Goode |
01. Aimlessly Drifting 02. Bio 03. Got It And Gone 04. Hello Little Girl, Goodbye |
05. Rain Eyes 06. Talkin' About My Buddy 07. Woodpecker |
01. Swanee River 02. I'm Just A Name 03. I Just Want To Make Love To You 04. Too Late 05. South Of The Border 06. Hi Heel Sneakers 07. You Are My Sunshine |
08. My Babe 09. Baby What You Want Me To Do 10. A Deuce 11. Shake, Rattle And Roll 12. Sue Answer 13. Don't You Lie To Me |
01. Move It 02. Oh What A Thrill 03. I Need You Baby 04. If I Were 05. House Lights |
06. I Never Thought 07. Havana Moon 08. Wuden't Me 09. California 10. Pass Away |
01. School Days 02. Roll Over Beethoven 03. Wee Wee Hours 04. My Ding-A-Ling 05. Memphis |
06. Sweet Little Sixteen 07. Rock & Roll Music 08. Medley: Carol/Little Queenie 09. Bio 10. Johnny B. Goode |
01. Maybellene 02. Around And Around 03. Sweet Little Sixteen 04. Brown Eyed Handsome Man 05. Memphis 06. Too Much Monkey Business |
07. Back In The U. S. A. 08. Wee Wee Hours 09. Johnny B. Goode 10. Little Queenie 11. Rock & Roll Music 12. Roll Over Beethoven 13. I'm Through With Love |