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Posted on 03/18/2017 8:00:49 PM PDT by SamAdams76
He nearly outlived them all. Even Keith Richards. I thought it might just happen. Imagine Chuck Berry outliving Keith Richards. Alas, it was not to be. Keith Richards survived yet another rock icon.
Yes, Chuck Berry, rock pioneer who was already THIRTY YEARS old when Elvis Presley made the national scene went ahead and died earlier today. Many people under the age of 50 might not even remember him. But he was a great one.
George Thorogood made a whole career out of covering his songs. Chuck Berry's music was featured in the time travel movie "Back To The Future" which itself is over 30 years old. In the movie Pulp Fiction, John Travolta and that girl with the short hair who did those karate movies danced to a Chuck Berry song with a Marilyn Monroe and an Ed Sullivan look-alike. Even that was back in 1994 - now over two decades ago. And the song "You Never Can Tell" was a golden oldie even back then.
Hundreds and hundreds of rock artists died during the rock era but Chuck Berry was always hanging in there. Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, all long dead. Half the Beatles are dead. George Jones is dead as is Hank Williams. Patsy Cline, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, dead, dead, dead. And Chuck Berry lived on.
Jim Morrison of the Doors is now dead. Keith Moon, Brian Jones and Little Walter too. Laura Branigan, Juice Newton and John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. All dead.
So many rock artists dead that I can't even begin to name them all here. Those dudes that played in Lynyrd Synyrd - some of them died too. That one guy who played the guitar for that band that I can't remember, he's also dead. I just can't keep up with all the deaths in rock music. Soon, we will have nobody playing rock music anymore.
And that's a shame.
Chuck Berry released photos of nearly every women he ever slept with. Naked, of course. Mostly white women, of course.
“George Thorogood made a whole career out of covering his songs.”
As did Brian Wilson.
Really? How do you know that? Proof?
Is this the first post on this?
FR was slow on this if so.
Chuck Berry was better than Beatles, Stones, Zep, Who etc....
If Dylan got the Nobel Prize, he ought’ve to as well.
Well, maybe it was only “Sweet Little Sixteen”. My mind ain’t what it used to be.
Laura Branigan and Juice a Newton are dead? I had no idea.
Um, Sam- Juice ain’t dead. And for the record while we’re at it Webb Hubbell is still alive too.
CC
Roll over, Beethoven. Make room for a 20th Century icon.
Laura is, Juice isn’t.
CC
Looks like the news broke only about 5-6 hours ago, and it was on FR in minutes!
Keith Richard is not human; he’s an alien from a galaxy far, far away.
“May the fifth be with you.”
“Chuck Berry was better than Beatles, Stones, Zep, Who etc....If Dylan got the Nobel Prize, he ought’ve to as well.”
Well, I don’t know if he was better, but he was damn well as good. And he was first.
I don’t live far from Mr. Berry. My middle son is good friends with his nephew; while he wasn’t perfect, i can only name one who is. I, and my son enjoyed his music thoroughly. Hold fast, the family fireworks show will begin shortly.
(It has already.)
“Is this the first post on this?”
3rd.
As one who grew up in the 50s and came of age in the’60s, Chuck Berry was an icon. The Beatles covered a number of his hits in their early years.
My Facebook news feed is full of Chuck Berry RIP posts and I have only 149 friends - most of which are Japanese who aren’t sobbing . You’d think that Gog was truly proven dead . Yes he was a pioneer of R&R , but I still unfortunately remember the song MY DING A LING which CB put out . The early stuff was great but he hadn’t recorded anything good since the 50’s .
Hey, George Thorough and the Destroyers made “Move It On Over” (1978) and “Bad to the Bone”, among others. He was a hard-working rocker. I stood about 15 feet away from him at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va about 4-5 years ago. He was a rockin’ machine and damned good musician.
Interestingly, Thorough and the Destroyers do not show up in “The Billboard Book of top 40 Hits” 7th Edition, (1955-2000), 2000.
I believe that they were copied by the Georgia Satellites in their “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, 1986.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love Chuck Berry. Have seen him twice, once with Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis at Wolf Trap Park, Vienna, Va.
“Sweet Little 16” was one of the first 45’s I ever bought (first was Elvis’ “JailHouse Rock” and it still have it in good condition as well as the sleeve/jacket (in color).
Just as you “Don’t Mess With Texas”, you don’t mess with us our ‘rock and rollers’ who grew up in the 1950’s and have the 45’s to prove it (I have 1,000+).
Rock and Rock Will Never Die.. It’ll Go Down in History, long after Rap/CRAP and Skittle, Grunge/garage, and psychedelic music are forgotten (OK my wife loves Jimmie Hendrix and Bob Dylan but my ears don’t).
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