Chuck Berry
Songwriter, guitarist, and performer Chuck Berry invented the essential elements of rock n’ roll, from the style of lyrics and relentless beat to the fusion of different sounds, guitar solos, and high-energy performances. Born in 1926, Berry grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and began playing the local clubs during the early 1950s. His big break came when he went to Chicago and spoke with one of his idols, Muddy Waters, who advised him to go to Chess Records to see if he could record his songs. After listening to a demo tape, Chess signed him and recorded his first hit, "Maybelline", in 1955. The song catapulted Berry from a small-time musician to one of the most popular performers of the time. Berry had succeeded in creating a sound that appealed to both blacks and whites. Alan Freed, a famed New York disc jockey was given joint credit for the song in exchange for substantial air play; today this is what Eliot Spitzer would call payola. For the next ten years, Berry released hit after hit: "Roll Over Beethoven", "Johnny B. Goode", "Rock and Roll Music". While Berry was initially shut out of royalties on some songs as well as profits from his tours, he decided to get rid of his handlers and managed his finances and career himself. Berry did not even maintain a regular backup band, opting instead for pickup bands in each performance location. In 1961 Berry was convicted of transporting a minor over state lines for illicit purposes - he claimed he was transporting the hat check girl to his nightclub, Club Bandstand, in St. Louis. After spending just under two years in prison, Berry emerged in the midst of the British Invasion, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones drawing their sound from his music. Berry jumped on the bandwagon and decided to tour the UK. In the later part of the 1960s he moved to Mercury Records, but after a string of failures he moved back to Chess where he recorded his who-would-have-thought-it hit, "My Ding-a-Ling" (1972). In 1979, he was convicted of tax evasion and spent several more months in prison. After this time he did not record new material but did tour extensively, though some of his performances were reportedly lackluster and sloppy. In the mid-1980s, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards assembled a 60th birthday party tribute to Berry which was released as the movie, Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll. Accolades continued throughout the 1980s and 90s with Chuck Berry’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
