Chuck Berry:
On March 18th, 2017 the world lost a giant. Chuck
Berry. Born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri, Chuck Berry would lay
an indelible stamp on music. Growing up, he would spend time in prison, before
producing his original music in the 1950’s which would eventually become known
as “Rock & Roll”.
In 1944, at the age of 17, Berry would be arrested for
having robbed a bakery, clothing store and barbershop all in the same day. He
and two of his friends, who were considered accomplices, were given the maximum
sentence… 10 years in jail. Berry served three years before his release for
good behavior on October 18, 1947.
He returned to St Louis, and worked for his
Father’s construction company and as a janitor at an auto plant. He also worked
part time as a photographer.
In 1948 He married Themetta Suggs. They would eventually
have four children.
In 1951, he began playing guitar and joined up with a local
band started by a former classmate, playing all the black night clubs in the St
Louis where he quickly gained a reputation as a showman. From there, Berry
started taking road trips into Chicago, the Midwest capital of black music,
looking for a record deal. It was during this time, that he met the legendary
Muddy Waters, who referred him to Chess records. Shortly thereafter, Berry
penned “Maybellene”. He showed to the executives at Chess and was immediately
signed, within months the song was #1 onR&B charts and #5 on the “pop”
charts.
In 1961, Chuck Berry’s meteoric rise to stardom would be
interrupted when he was convicted of transporting a woman across state lines
for immoral purposes. He spent another 20 months in jail. When released in
1963, he picked up right where he left off with a string of hits that lasted
well into the 70’s. He would perform regularly well into the 90’s. In 1986 he
was the first inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Chuck Berry’s influence on music went way past his “hits”.
John Lennon was once quoted as saying “If you tried to give Rock & Roll
another name, you might call it Chuck Berry”. While Paul McCartney said the
Beatles were “Hugely” influenced by Chuck Berry. Keith Richards said, when
inducting Chuck Berry into the Hall of Fame that he stole every one of his
licks from Chuck. While having markedly different guitar styles, Jimi Hendrix
said Chuck Berry was his favorite guitarist. The list is endless….From the Beach
Boys, to Ace Frehley of Kiss, From Pete Townsend to Bruce Springsteen… Legions
more as well. Let’s face it… Music would be radically different were it not for
this one man.
Chuck also had that dark side too though. In 1989 he was
sued for videotaping dozens of women in the bathroom of a restaurant he owned.
I included that last bit, simply because it was true. No one
man is infallible. Even a man who has done great things has his downfalls. You
do too. As do I. But you didn’t write Johnny B Goode, I did not either. Neither
of us influenced music on a grand scale. So there you have it. Chuck Berry, R.I.P.
Rock & Roll owes you it’s gratitude…eternally.
If you found this blog post informative, entertaining or
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