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Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter and is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism and music featuring guitar solos and showmanship that were a major influence on subsequent rock music.[1]
Born into a middle-class African-American family in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry had an interest in music from an early age and gave his first public performance at Sumner High School. While still a high school student he was convicted of armed robbery and was sent to a reformatory, where he was held from 1944 to 1947. After his release, Berry settled into married life and worked at an automobile assembly plant. Berry claimed on The Tonight Show he was influenced primarily by 1940s swing artist Louis Jordan. "The main guy was Louis Jordan. I wanted to sing like Nat Cole, with lyrics like Louis Jordan with the swing of Bennie Goodman with Charlie Christian on guitar, playing Carl Hogan's riffs, with the soul of Muddy Waters."[2] By early 1953, influenced by the guitar riffs and showmanship techniques of the blues musician T-Bone Walker, Berry began performing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio.[3] His break came when he traveled to Chicago in May 1955 and met Muddy Waters, who suggested he contact Leonard Chess, of Chess Records. With Chess he recorded "Maybellene"—Berry's adaptation of the country song "Ida Red"—which sold over a million copies, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's rhythm and blues chart. By the end of the 1950s, Berry was an established star with several hit records and film appearances and a lucrative touring career. He had also established his own St. Louis nightclub, Berry's Club Bandstand. But in January 1962, he was sentenced to three years in prison for offenses under the Mann Act—he had transported a 14-year-old girl across state lines.[3][4][5]
After his release in 1963, Berry had more hits in the mid-1960s, including "No Particular Place to Go," "You Never Can Tell," and "Nadine." By the mid-1970s, he was more in demand as a live performer, playing his past hits with local backup bands of variable quality.[3] In 1979 he served 120 days in prison for tax evasion.
Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986; he was cited for having "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance."[6] Berry is included in several of Rolling Stone magazine's "greatest of all time" lists; he was ranked fifth on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[7] The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry's: "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene," and "Rock and Roll Music."[8] Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is the only rock-and-roll song included on the Voyager Golden Record
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Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry dies aged 90
Our Foreign Staff
The TelegraphMarch 18, 2017
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Chuck Berry - Rex
Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry has died at the age of 90, Missouri police said on Saturday.
"The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry," police said in a statement.
Berry celebrated his 90th birthday in October with the announcement that he was releasing his first album since 1979.
He dedicated his new music to his wife of 68 years, Themetta Berry.
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Chuck Berry performing Johnny B. Goode at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston in 2012 Credit: AP
"This record is dedicated to my beloved Toddy," said Berry. "My darlin', I'm growing old! I've worked on this record for a long time. Now I can hang up my shoes!"
Berry first started singing in his Baptist church, and worked as a factory janitor, hairdresser, photographer and carpenter while trying to make ends meet as a musician.
His hits in the 1950s – among them Johnny B. Goode, Roll over Beethoven and Maybellene – were wildly popular and he toured extensively alongside Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers.
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