Chuck Berry | Artist
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American rock'n'roll singer, guitarist and songwriter born 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri. Berry was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music and a major influence on the rock bands of the '60s and '70s. Berry gave his first public performance at 15 while still a student in High School. A few years later he was arrested for armed robbery and sent to a Reformatory until the age of 21. Whilst locked up he formed a vocal quartet which frequently performed in public. Once released, Berry took factory jobs to survive but gigged with local bands at night. In 1955 Berry traveled to Chicago where he met Muddy Waters, who suggested he contact Chess Records. On May 21, 1955, Berry recorded an adaptation of the song "Ida Red" under the title "Maybellene" which sold over a million copies, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Berry's sound came out at the right time when Afro-American music was spilling over into the mainstream pop. His career started to take off with the release of more hits songs like "Roll Over Beethoven", "School Days", "Sweet Little Sixteen", "Memphis Tennessee" and "Little Queenie". But in December 1959 he was once again arrested after allegations that he had had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old waitress whom he had transported across state lines to work as a hatcheck girl at his club. When Berry was released from prison in 1963, his return to recording and performing was made easier because British invasion bands, notably the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, had sparked interest in his music by releasing cover versions of his songs. Berry performed and recorded right up until his death in 2017, releasing 20 albums and 79 singles. When he died Rolling Stone magazine called him "the father of rock & roll who gave the music its sound and its attitude". Berry was also an idol to no less than Elvis Presley and Keith Richards. Presley once conceded that Chuck Berry was the true "king of rock'n'roll", while rhythm guitar supremo Richards quoted that "Berry set the template for rock guitar". Outstanding albums include After School Session (1957), One Dozen Berrys (1958), Berry is on Top (1959), St. Louis to Liverpool (1964), The London Chuck Berry Sessions (1972), Tokyo Session (1981) and the movie soundtrack Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll (1987). A pioneer of rock and roll, Berry was a significant influence on the development of both the music and the attitude associated with the rock music lifestyle. With his sound and lyrics which appealed to the teenage market, Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive.
Artist Website: wikipedia/Chuck_Berry
Featured Albums: Chuck Berry
Related Artists: Bo Diddley, Keith Richards
Collections: Music Visionaries
