Chuck Berry

Biography

Chuck Berry discovers the music in the local church where it goes regularly with his six brothers and sisters. His/her parents form part of the local choral society indeed. It is provided education for with the Simmons Grade School then with the Summer Grade School . He learns the low one in the musical club Glee . In 1944, still young man, it spends 3 years in a reformatory for attempted burglary. At its exit, he works for the General Motors and decides to launch out in the music. He has even more troubles in December 1959, when he invites a young person apache 14 years that he met with Mexico City to work in his club of night (the “Berry' S Club Bandstand”) at Saint Louis. After the young girl was stopped for prostitution, it is the turn of Berry, marked for its part to have transported minor between two States to exploit it. Berry was condemned to 5 years of prison and had to pour a fine of 5.000 $. It is slackened in 1963. In spite of that, its influence remained deep, particularly in the English groups of the Années 1960. The Rolling Stones borrowed to him much in their style. During years, Chuck Berry turned with its only guitar Gibson, trustful in the fact that it could find a group which would play already its music. Among the artists who played this part, one finds Bruce Springsteen or Steve Miller. After having benefitted from vagueness oldies of the Years 1970, it has new problems with justice in 1979. Shown tax avoidance, he pleads guilty and is condemned to 4 months of imprisonment and 1000 work hours of general interest. At the end of the Years 1980, Berry opens a restaurant with Wentzville in the Missouri, “Southern Air” where it still had problems with justice to have placed cameras in the toilets of the women in 1990. Berry has also a field with Wentzville, the Berry Park . During years, Berry lodged concerts of rock'n'roll there. Since, it closed this field with the public in front of the character agitated of some of its guests. At the end of the Years 1970, Berry continued to play regularly the the United States and throughout the world. One Wednesday per month, he plays Blueberry Hill, a restaurant and bar located close to Saint Louis (Missouri). In the Years 1990, it was again under the fire of the projectors for a business of voyeurism with respect to some of its guests.

Music and influences

Whereas one still discusses title which was the first song of Rock-and-roll, the first recordings of Chuck Berry such its first success “Maybellene” (1955) combine already all the elements of the rock'n'roll, mixes Blues and of Country, simple texts which speak girls and cars, solos of Electric guitar without counting the associated stage business (whose dance Duckwalk, that he invented) which carries the adhesion of the public… It works out its style starting from simple and repetitive harmonies and of involving or funny texts, but quite as simple. It was influenced by the Country music, but more especially the blues, in particular Muddy Waters, singer and guitarist who presented Chuck Berry to Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Among the idols of Chuck Berry one counts also Nat King Cole, singer and pianist or Louis Jordan. Its more famous compositions were recorded by the discs Chess Records with the pianist Johnnie Johnson and the legendary producer Willie Dixon with the low , Fred Below with the percussions and of course its guitar. During its career, Chuck Berry also recorded ballades like “Havana Moon” and of the songs of Blues such as “Wee Wee Hours”. More than 30 of its titles rose in Signal 10 and its songs were taken again innumerable times by groups of blues, of country or rock'n'roll. Its first genuine tube leaves only in 1972 with My ding-a-ling . It is one of the first to being entered in Rock' roll Hall off Famed in 1986.

In 2007, Chuck Berry is always in round for some concerts in France, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Outstanding titles

Rock'n'roll

“Johnny B. Goode” telling the largely autobiographical history of a boy of the countryside which “played of the guitar as one sounds a bell” was selected like one of the greatest achievements of humanity carried by the probe Voyager I on the Voyager Golden delicious Record . The resumption of this title by Jerry Lee Lewis was also used in the film Retour towards the future and especially by both large French rockers: Johnny Hallyday and his/her large friend Eddy Mitchell with the beginning of the year sixty.
“Music Rock'n'roll” one of the first titles was played on scene by the Beatles (Hamburg)
“Promised Land” taken again by Elvis Presley (has to note an excellent version " cajun" by Johnnie Allan with accordion!!)
“Around and Around” was one of the first titles recorded by the Rolling Stones and was also taken again by The Animals
“Sweet Little Sixteen”, became a tube after the Beach Boys had modified the words of them to make some celebrates it “Surfin' the USA”.
“ Roll over Beethoven ” was taken again by the Beatles on the initiative of George Harrison
“Carol” was sung by the Rolling Stones and was taken again in French by Johnny Halliday
“School Days” of which the refrain “Hail! Hail! Rock'n'roll”, was selected like titrates for documentary Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones to pay homage to Chuck Berry.
“Let It Rock” taken again by Bob Seger
“Maybellene” speaks girls, cars, rivals and of jealousy. This song is based on the title of Country “Ida Red” sung originally by Bob Wills.
“Too Much Monkey Business”
“Brown-eyed Handsome Man” was taken again by Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly.
“Back in the USA”, which inspired the “Back in the USSR” of the Beatles and magistralement was magistralement taken again by Linda Ronstadt.
“Nadine”
“Memphis” was taken again by other artists (Lonnie Mack or Johnny Rivers) who built their careers while starting with this recovery. Danyel Gerald had made a French adaptation of it.
“My Ding-a-Ling”, its only title to have been number 1
“No Particular Places To Go” adapted in French by Eddy Mitchell " With Credit And In Stereo".
“You Never Can Such” was used for the film Pulp Fiction of Quentin Tarantino and was interpreted by Emmylou Harris.

Blues

Side of its titles of Blues, one a:

“Confessing the Blues”, the title headlight of the jazzband of Jay McShann.
“Merry Christmas, Baby”, sung originally by Charles Brown
“Things I Used to Do”, of the Guitar Slim

Material

here a list of the material generally employed by Chuck Berry:

Gibson the Paul Goldtop (with rope-maker trapezoid) 1951
Gibson Birdland ES 5 (three microphones) 1951

as from 1958, Chuck will use almost exclusively of Gibson ES-335:

Gibson ES-335 standard
Gibson ES-335 T sunburst 1958
Gibson ES-335 (with rope-maker trapezoid) 1960
Gibson ES-335 red CCT

(information collected on the magazine Again Blues! n°3)

The heritage of Chuck

Many groups took Chuck Berry for model:

the group AC/DC, which took again note with note almost the song No Money Down by re-electing it Whole Lotta Rosie . Moreover, Angus Young (the principal guitarist of the group) took again the Duckwalk of Chuck on scene.
Keith Richards the guitarist of the Rolling Stones is also one of its larger fans. Its idolatry was worth to him a Tee-shirt flaring and a punch in full figure on behalf of Chuck. It will not be rancorous and will be initiating and musical director of the film " Hail! Hail! Rock' roll" realized for the 60 years of Chuck.
the Beatles took as a starting point Chuck Berry also much by taking again several of its songs.
Eddy Mitchell adapted in French the majority of the outstanding titles of Chuck Berry.
the rock group Buckcherry, whose name is a obvious Contrepèterie of that of Chuck Berry.

External bond

Official site

Simple: Chuck Berry

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