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 ...
His twin brother, Check Berry, died today too.
Damn!
His guitar playing was based on his awesome Boogie Woogie piano player, Johnnie Johnson’s, piano riffs. Interesting. But I’d rather listen to Johnnie. Chuck’s lyrics were abdo-lutely great Rock and Roll poetry.
RIP Chuck, you brought some good music to my ears over the years.
The greatest Rock ‘n Roller of all time. Bar none.
Keith Richards appears to be immortal.
Tied with Jerry Lee Lewis. Guitar rock and piano rock, the two styles from which all modern pop/rock music has evolved.
The fact most of his works started in E flat meant that the piano was his origin...Johnson. If it hadn’t been for Chuck, I’d never known about the Mann Act.
There can be only one...
Chuck Berry.....R.I.P.!!! You were responsible for “Rock & Roll, coming of age, across the entire world!!! I loved you in the 1950s and I love you until this very day, and, then forever!!! You were not a perfect human being....but, were God’s great gift to America as you understood the essence of teenage culture in the 1950s & way beyond. God bless your magnificent talent, soul and being. Thank you, so much, great American!!! Millions of folks across the world will miss you!!!
Just what I was going to say. Makes me wonder if he knew the end was coming and wanted to make a final album, but he had decades to do that and he never did. He was a great originator but what always ticked me off about him is he sat on his laurels and never really took his talent further. He busted his butt in the 1950s and early 60s writing a ton a classic RnR songs and then once he got that “crown” it was to hell with the music and writing, I am “Chuck Berry inc.” now. He was all about money. If you wanted him to play in your town, you had to provide a band that knew his songs inside and out, NO rehearsals with the band, Chuck merely flew into town with his guitar, does the gig now pay him. I heard he even use to charge for “duck walks”. That’s all great and everything but I really think he wasted a hell of a lot of his talent doing that. He was a phenomenal lyricist, and he just “chucked” it out the window. This guy was doing rap decades before rap was even a concept..........
One of my favorites has always been “You can’t catch me”, I ALWAYS think of that song when I’m driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, and I know I am not the only one.....
I bought a brand-new air-mobile
It custom-made, ‘twas a Flight De Ville
With a pow’ful motor and some hideaway wings
Push in on the button and you can hear her sing
Now you can’t catch me, baby you can’t catch me
‘Cause if you get too close, you know I’m gone like a cool breeze
New Jersey Turnpike in the wee wee hours
I was rollin’ slowly ‘cause of drizzlin’ showers
Here come a flat-top, he was movin’ up with me
Then come wavin’ by me in a little’ old souped-up jitney
I put my foot on my tank and I began to roll
Moanin’ siren, ‘twas the state patrol
So I let out my wings and then I blew my horn
Bye bye New Jersey, I’ve become airborne
Now you can’t catch me, baby you can’t catch me
‘Cause if you get too close, you know I’m gone like a cool breeze
Flyin’ with my baby last Saturday night
Not a gray cloud floatin’ in sight
Big full moon shinin’ up above
Cuddle up honey, be my love
Sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen
I’m gonna name you Maybellene
Flyin’ on the beam, set on flight control
Radio tuned to rock ‘n’ roll
Two, three hours passed us by
Five to two dropped to 5:05
Fuel consumption way too fast
Let’s get on home before we run out of gas
Now you can’t catch me, no baby you can’t catch me
‘Cause if you get too close, you know I’m gone like a cool breeze
This one you don’t have to belong to to read the whole story..
His sister was Lucy Williams, who played classical piano. The story is that he wrote Roll Over Beethoven in response to her complaints that she couldn’t practice her piano over his electric guitar practice. Chuck Berry wasn’t the first to play rock-and-roll guitar, but he was the first to popularize it, and by the end of the decade most rockers were guitarists rather than pianists. RIP.
One man can change the world of music, and the entire world with it!!! Chuck Berry...you da man!!! Rest-In-Peace...forever in the Kingdom of our Lord!!!
Keith is just too cool to die.
Awesome tune!!!
“Tied with Jerry Lee Lewis. Guitar rock and piano rock, the two styles from which all modern pop/rock music has evolved.”
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Berry and Lewis also knew how to really put on a show back in the day. It wasn’t just guitar and piano playin’!
90 years - Chuck had a good run.
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