Chuck Berry, Father of Rock & Roll

Chuck Berry was a genius as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was also an awful human being. I guess that's not uncommon but it's hard to celebrate one thing without mentioning the other.
 

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Went to a concert in ‘64 or ‘65 at Baltimore's Lyric Theater in which Chuck was the closing act but the rest of the entertainers were soul or blues and even pop singer Dionne Warwick. Others I recall were Little Walter, Solomon Burke, Sir Walter Jackson, and Joe Tex.

Chuck got a lukewarm reception from the mostly black audience, and you could hear comments like “sell out.” I guess they were hardcore blues fans who didn’t like his brand of rock ‘n’ roll in the name of commercial success. Conversely, they raved on the other performers.

Ironically, Chuck was on fire that night. He scrapped his duckwalk and other choreography; he didn’t scream or talk the lyrics. Instead, he stood there and sounded like he does on his records, standing in one place, tapping his left foot, and playing that Gibson like he was ringing a bell.

Really impressive that night.
 
I think what needs to be remembered by those of us who were there when Check Berry hit the radio waves, was the cultural impact he had, rather than whether he was the greatest guitarist, the first to play that general style, etc. Sure, he, like ALL musicians, borrowed from what came before and went off in at least somewhat his own style.

However, for those of us old enough, remember the impact hearing him on the radio had. It was big and influential. Looking back at it from the distance of time, it would be arguable what greatness he may or may not have had. But remember when we first heard him, what was typically on white American radio at the time, and we remember him in that cultural context. Being able to do so is the way to put him in proper perspective.

Whether individually we were fans of his music and style or not, we can't deny his impact on the radio listening audience as a whole. He was very (not solely) instrumental in paving the way for what was to come in rock and roll of that time.

Tony
 
Anyone who thinks that Chuck's main focus wasn't commercialism need only to reference his release of the novelty trash "My Ding-A-Ling." He finally got a no. 1 Billboard pop hit.

Not saying there's anything wrong with commercialism, just sayin'.

I think he should've been embarrassed though when later albums and concert tours listed "Surfin' USA" as one he wrote. Yes I know that Brian Wilson admitted that the song's source was "Sweet Little Sixteen" and Chuck deserved a part credit for writing it, but still .... Frankly, I think that Chuck's "Promised Land" is a clearer rip-off of the old "Wabash Cannonball" although "Wabash" may have been in the public domain at the time Chuck wrote his song.

Recall reading in "Ramparts" magazine as well as "Chuck Berry -- The Autobiography" that early promoters ripped him off and he always demanded payment up front. He once told a promoter that if he was ever offered less than $1K for a performance he would say, "Congratulations sir, you have just retired the great Chuck Berry."
 
JimBob1952 said:
Chuck Berry was a genius as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was also an awful human being. I guess that's not uncommon but it's hard to celebrate one thing without mentioning the other.
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I honestly did not know that..I never researched his life but I knew I loved his songs!!!
 

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