Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Berry in Örebro, Sweden on July 18, 2007.
Background information
Birth name
Charles Edward Berry
Born
October 18, 1926
(1926-10-18)
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Genre(s)
Rock & roll
Occupation(s) Musician, Songwriter
Instrument(s) Guitar, Vocals
Years active
1955 - present
Label(s)
Chess, Mercury, Atco
Website
http://www.chuckberry.com/
Notable instrument(s)
Gibson ES-355
Gibson ES-125
Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry (born Octo-
ber 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an
American guitarist, singer and songwriter.
Chuck Berry is an influential figure and
one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame’s website, "While no individual can be
said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck
Berry comes the closest of any single figure
to being the one who put all the essential
pieces together."[1] Cub Koda wrote, "Of all
the early breakthrough rock & roll artists,
none is more important to the development of
the music than Chuck Berry. He is
its
greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its
instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitar-
ists, and one of its greatest performers."[2]
John Lennon was more succinct: "If you tried
to give rock and roll another name, you might
call it ’Chuck Berry’."[3]
Berry was among the first musicians to be
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
on its opening in 1986. He received Kennedy
Center Honors in 2000 in a "class" with
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, An-
gela Lansbury, and Clint Eastwood. In 2004,
Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry #5[4] on
their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All
Time.[5] He was also ranked 6th on Rolling
Stone’s Rolling Stone’s 100 greatest guitar-
ists of All Time.[6]
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included
three of Chuck Berry’s songs ("Johnny B.
Goode",
"Maybellene",
"Rock and Roll
Music"), of the 500 songs that shaped Rock
and Roll.[7]
Biography
Early life, and first arrest and
conviction (1926-1947)
Born in St. Louis, Missouri,[8] Berry was the
fourth child in a family of six. He grew up i