Chuck Berry

Lara Henney

One of the earliest rockers, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was pivotal for rock as we know it today.  Born in St. Louis, he grew up with a large family, a talent with the guitar, and a love for blues.  In high school he won a talent contest playing the song “Confessin’ the Blues” and he later went from playing a four string guitar to a six string guitar.  He tried to find work at clubs in St. Louis, anywhere he could.  And while the blues attracted a black audience he also liked the hillbilly sound.  So that coupled with his lyrical talent and flair he earned himself a place in the Cosmopolitan Club and became quite the attraction.  He then went on to try and make records in Chicago and with his song “Maybellene” he was broadcast across the country, giving birth to rock’n roll and influencing many artists to come.  Not only that but he was embraced not only by blacks but by whites across the country.  There came more hits like “Thirty Days,” “Too Much Monkey Business,” and “You Can’t Catch Me.”  He was in demand everywhere and appearing on TV and movies.  

He invested in real estate but was also discovered to have become involved with an underage girl that was also a prostitute he got into some major trouble.  He was sentenced two years in jail but while he was there the British Invasion happened, multiple British artists having Berry’s style and major influence.   Over the years he was out of jail he still went on strong, taking on a hippie like style in the 60’s and earning his first golden record.  Later on however he got into some more trouble with tax evasion, landing him in jail.  He was then done except for some sloppy performances and wrote an autobiography and released an rockumentary.  

Despite his lows Chuck Berry still has had a great amount of influence on rock'n roll through history. Chuck Berry’s distinctive style and flare is still seen in rock today.  He practically created the rock’n roll beat and the “Chuck Berry guitar intro”.  It was the great rock and roll figures Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley that established rock as a musical genre that would last for years to come. 

John Lennon- “If you were going to give rock’n roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’” 

Erlewine, Stephen T. "Chuck Berry." All Music Guide To Rock. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1997. 180-82. Print.
Gates, David. "The Roots Of Rock." Newsweek 129.22 (1997): 72. Military & Government Collection. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.