Chuck Berry
| Birth Name | Charles Edward Anderson Berry |
|---|---|
| Born | October 18, 1926 |
| Died | March 18, 2017 (aged 90) |
| Genres | Rock and roll |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Associated acts | Johnnie Johnson, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Water |
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. Nicknamed the “Father of Rock and Roll”, Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as “Maybellene” (1955), “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957) and “Johnny B. Goode” (1958).
Video Playlist
1/3 videos
1
Johnny B Goode (1959)
2
Sweet Little Sixteen (1958)
3
Roll Over Beethoven
Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship, Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.
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.
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. 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.
Guitarists Through The Decades
Top 3 Chuck Berry Recordings
How To Play Guitar Like Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry: The Autobiography
The first black rock-and-roll star to reach a mass audience discloses details of his intimate life and tells the story of his imprisonment at the peak of his career for violation of the Mann Act
In Session with Chuck Berry
Enables guitarists to emulate the playing style of their favourite rock idols. This album contains six Chuck Berry hits arranged for Guitar tab with standard notation vocals and lyrics. Once you’ve mastered the notes you can play along with the backing tracks for the full effect.
