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Chuck Berry: the 100 most inspirational musicians of all time
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Chuck Berry (born Charles Edward Anderson Berry, b. Oct. 18, 1926, St. Louis, Mo., U.S.) was one of the most popular and influential performers in rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll music in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s.
Raised in a working-class African American neighborhood on the north side of the highly segregated city of St. Louis, Berry grew up in a family proud of its African- American and Native American ancestry. He gained early exposure to music through his family’s participation in the choir of the Antioch Baptist Church, through the blues and country western music he heard on the radio, and through music classes, especially at Sumner High School. Berry was still attending high school when he was sent to serve three years for armed robbery at a Missouri prison for young offenders. After his release and return to St. Louis, he worked at an auto plant, studied hairdressing, and played music in small nightclubs.
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Chuck Berry traveled to Chicago in search of a recording contract; he signed with the Chess label, and in 1955 his first recording session produced “Maybellene”, which stayed on the pop charts for 11 weeks, cresting at number five. Berry followed this success with extensive tours and hit after hit, including “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957), and “Johnny B. Goode” (1958). His vivid descriptions of consumer culture and teenage life, the distinctive sounds he coaxed from his guitar, and the rhythmic and melodic virtuosity of his piano player (Johnny Johnson) made Berry’s songs staples in the repertoire of almost every rock-and-roll band.
At the peak of his popularity, federal authorities prosecuted Berry for violating the Mann Act, alleging that he transported an underage female across state lines “for immoral purposes.” After two trials tainted by racist overtones, Berry was convicted and remanded to prison. Upon his release he placed new hits on the pop charts, including “No Particular Place to Go” in 1964, at the height of the British Invasion, whose prime movers, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, were hugely influenced by Berry (as were the Beach Boys).
In 1972 Berry achieved his first number one hit, “My Ding-A-Ling.” Although he recorded more sporadically in the 1970s and ’80s, he continued to appear in concert, most often performing with backing bands comprising local musicians. Berry’s public visibility increased in 1987 with the publication of his book Chuck Berry: The Autobiography and the release of the documentary film Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, featuring footage from his 60th birthday concert and guest appearances by Keith Richards and Bruce Springsteen.
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Chuck Berry is undeniably one of the most influential figures in the history of rock music. In helping to create rock and roll from the crucible of rhythm and blues, he combined clever lyrics, distinctive guitar sounds, boogie-woogie rhythms, precise diction, an astounding stage show, and musical devices characteristic of country western music and the blues in his many best-selling single records and albums.
A distinctive if not technically dazzling guitarist, Berry used electronic effects to replicate the ringing sounds of bottleneck blues guitarists in his recordings. He drew upon a broad range of musical genres in his compositions, displaying an especially strong interest in Caribbean music on “Havana Moon” (1957) and “Man and the Donkey” (1963), among others. Influenced by a wide variety of artists—including guitar players Carl Hogan, Charlie Christian, and T-Bone Walker and vocalists Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, and Charles Brown—Berry played a major role in broadening the appeal of rhythm-and-blues music during the 1950s.
He fashioned his lyrics to appeal to the growing teenage market by presenting vivid and humorous descriptions of high-school life, teen dances, and consumer culture. Many popular-music performers have recorded Berry’s songs.
An appropriate tribute to Berry’s centrality to rock and roll came when his song “Johnny B. Goode” was among the pieces of music placed on a copper phonograph record attached to the side of the Voyager 1 satellite, hurtling through outer space, in order to give distant or future civilizations a chance to acquaint themselves with the culture of the planet Earth in the 20th century. In 1984, he was presented with a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
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Chuck Berry Greatest Hits – Chuck Berry Greatest Hits 2024 Collection – Top 10 Hits Playlist Of All Time
Track List:
[00:02:58] – 1.Ru̲̲n̲ Ru̲̲dol̲̲p̲h̲̲ R̲un [00:05:39] – 2.J̲̲o̲̲hn̲̲ny B. Good̲e̲̲ [00:08:36] – 3.Rock and Roll̲ Music [00:11:12] – 4.R̲̲oc̲̲k̲̲in’̲̲ Ro̲̲b̲i̲̲n [00:14:24] – 5.S̲̲w̲̲e̲et Litt̲l̲̲e̲̲ S̲i̲x̲t̲e̲̲e̲n̲ [00:17:51] – 6.J̲oh̲̲nn̲̲y̲ B̲ Go̲̲od̲e̲ / C̲hant̲i̲ll̲̲y L̲a̲̲c̲̲e̲̲ /̲ Goo̲d Golly̲̲ Mi̲̲s̲s̲̲ M̲̲ol̲̲l̲y / Roc̲̲ki̲n’̲ R̲̲o̲̲bin [00:25:54] – 7.Le̲̲t’̲s Twis̲̲t Aga̲i̲n̲̲ /̲ Th̲e̲ Twist̲ /̲ M̲̲o̲̲v̲̲e I̲t̲̲ / D̲̲yn̲̲am̲̲it̲̲e̲̲ /̲̲ Y̲̲o̲u Kee̲p̲ a̲̲ K̲̲noc̲k̲i̲̲ng / Lo̲n̲̲g T̲al̲l̲̲ S̲̲all̲y̲̲ /̲̲ Ki̲̲n̲g Creol̲e̲̲ /̲ G̲̲r̲eat̲ Ba̲̲ll̲̲s of Fi̲re̲ / W̲hole L̲ott̲̲a S̲h̲a̲̲k̲̲in’̲̲ Goin̲g On̲̲ /̲ Swe̲et̲̲ L̲̲i̲̲t̲̲t̲̲l̲̲e S̲̲i̲̲xte̲̲en [00:27:47] – 8.Y̲o̲̲u C̲̲a̲̲n̲̲’t̲̲ Ca̲tch̲̲ Me̲