Posted on 03/18/2017 4:55:17 PM PDT by lbtbell
Chuck Berry, who died Saturday at 90, was one of the architects of rock'n'roll as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. More than any artist of the '50s, his songs exploded with imagery that saw rock'n'roll not just as a fad but as the future -- a vision of freedom that transcended generation and race.
Berry's opening solo on "Johnny B. Goode" blared reveille for subsequent generations of rockers. Every rock guitarist since is in his debt. In addition, Berry wrote and sang at least two dozen rock'n'roll classics, including Maybellene, Roll Over Beethoven, and Back in the U.S.A., many of them recorded at Chicago's Chess Studios in the 1950s and '60s and later covered by countless artists, including the Beatles, Beach Boys and Rolling Stones.
"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'," John Lennon once said.
He was one of rock'n'roll's defining figures, and also one of its most notorious -- he was imprisoned three times over his life for various offenses.
St. Charles County (Missouri) police said officers responded to a medical emergency on Buckner Road about 12:40 p.m. Saturday. Inside the home, they "observed an unresponsive man and immediately administered lifesaving techniques." Berry was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. The department released a statement confirming the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
Great! People seem to think R and R started with Chuck and Elvis, but it started much earlier! Just listen to Johnnie, or Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Cripp;e Clarence, Pete Johnson. Those guys ROCKED OUT!
One of the very greatest R&Rers of all time. Megahit-maker, and notice, one if the FEW black guitarists ever in serious stardom.
Underrated as perhaps the best guitarist ever.
Never mind his sordid personal life!
Jump blues certainly rocks but it is not “Rock ‘n Roll”. All due respect to the other artists but Chuck was the guy who put it all together musically and stylistically. One of a kind. RIP.
Jerry Lee is still with us.
ROFL!
My cousins and I played that over and over from my basement jukebox back in the ‘70s! Of course, even we little kids figured it was another double entendree.
I’m not talking about Jump Blues. Great music, but doesn’t rock. I’m talking about Boogie Woogie, which rocks like crazy!
Fats is still alive??!!!?
“Berry’s opening solo on “Johnny B. Goode” blared reveille for subsequent generations of rockers.”
Astraight copy of Johnnie Johnson’s piano Boogie Woogie,
Sending that image to my son. Thanks for posting!
Monumental RIP
a cornerstone of his genre
And a damn good thing we both knew
But back in our salad days legal in Mississippi was very young
13 maybe
Stray Cat Blues stuff
Chuck did not suffer fools gladly
Killer is still alive too
First true rock and roll song was by Ike Turner in my opinion
Rocket 88 in 50/51
Curse in this post fembot world he’s been eviscerated
Course they all have a bad rep with girls
There was foundation music before that from country and western and delta blues and boogie woogie and gospel and mountain music
But Rocket 88 was mighty early
It’s a good song too
Recorded and produced by the legendary Sam Phillips of Sun Records in Memphis. Same guy who was on the console when Elvis started improvising in the studio on “That’s All Right Mama,” and rock-and-roll was officially born. The irony, of course, is that the session had gone poorly up until that point and Phillips was ready to send Elvis packing.
They all had wild personal lives
Berry liked young white tail
Elvis ditto and the freak was strong in him
Killer liked em young too and may very well have killed wives
Little Richard an early queen
Ike Turner fistfights and drunkenness with Tina
And so forth
He will live forever then. :)
Chuck was 90. Keith is 73. He just looks like 90. No way Keith Richards lives to be 90.
Yep, that elicited an amused snort from me, too.
Very cool. I just looked at your profile. I’ll follow up on your posted info. We have lots of music related folks here in Tokyo.
I saw Chuck in concert, too - early 1990s. Still doing the wide leg splits at age 65 (or thereabouts). No huge video screens, no pyrotechnics - he didn't need that stuff.
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