CHUCK BERRY
OCTOBER 18,1926 – March 18, 2017
Father of Rock and Roll
Pioneered the music of rock and Roll and Redefined the music of R&B
SINGER, SONGWRITER, GUITARIST
Chuck Berry is the poet of rock and roll. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on October 18, 1926, in a middle-class home, He is a true original, Berry crafted many of rock and roll’s most incredible riffs and married them to lyrics that shaped rock and roll for generations. He has written numerous rock and roll classics covered by multitudes of artists and stood the test of time. In all important ways, he understood and respected the power of rock and roll as an guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is to rock and Roll as Lois Armstrong is to jazz said in an article by Dave Marsh. His trademark double-string guitar licks over a base of rhythm & blues.
He was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986, with the comment that he “laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance.”
Chuck Berry is included in several Rolling Stone magazine’s “Greatest of all time” lists, including being ranked fifth on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry’s songs: “Johnny B. Goode”, “Maybellene”, and “Rock and Roll Music”.Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” is the only rock-and-roll song included on the Voyager Golden Record. He continues to play live, performing monthly at the Blueberry Hill restaurant in St. Louis.
The rock critic Robert Christgau considers Berry “the greatest of the rock and rollers,” while John Lennon said, “if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.” Ted Nugent said, “If you don’t know every Chuck Berry lick, you can’t play rock guitar.” Journalist Chuck Klosterman argues that in 300 years Chuck Berry will still be remembered as the rock musician who most closely captured the essence of rock music.
.Chuck Berry performed still but on March 18, 2017, at age 90 he passed away due to Cardiac Arrest. Mr. Berry is survived by his wife, Themetta “Toddy” Suggs, daughters Melody Exes Berry-Eskridge, Ingrid Berry, and Aloha Berry, and son Charles Berry Jr.
Awards and Honors
- 2014 Polar Music Prize
- 2012 PEN Literary Award Winner
- 2002 BMI ICON award winner; other winners were Little Richard and Bo Diddley
- 1987 Receives a star on Hollywood Boulevard in California
- 1989 Honored with a star on Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1985 Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
- 1985 Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards
- 1982 Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association International Hall of Fame
References Rock Roll Hall of Fame, New York Times, and Mr. Chuck Berry Site.