Chuck Berry

Genres:	Blues • Comedy • Easy Listening • Holiday & Seasonal • Musicals & The Arts • Pop / Rock • R&B / Soul • Special Interest • Television
Descriptive "tags":	rock and roll • classic rock • blues • rock n roll • rock • rockabilly • oldies • 50s
Decades Active:	1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s
Links online:	BBC Music • Discography • IMDb • MusicMoz • Official Homepage • Wikipedia • Wikipedia

Biography

Charles Edward Anderson Berry, 18 October 1926, San Jose, California, USA (although Berry states that he was born in St. Louis, Missouri). A seminal figure in the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll, Chuck Berry’s influence as songwriter and guitarist is incalculable. His cogent songs captured adolescent life, yet the artist was 30 years old when he commenced recording. Introduced to music as a child, Berry learned guitar while in his teens, but this period was blighted by a three-year spell in Algoa Reformatory following a conviction for armed robbery. On his release Berry undertook several blue-collar jobs while pursuing part-time spots in St. Louis bar bands. Inspired by Carl Hogan, guitarist in Louis Jordan’s Timpani Five, and Charlie Christian, he continued to hone his craft and in 1951 purchased a tape recorder to capture ideas for compositions. The following year Berry joined Johnnie Johnson (piano) and Ebby Hardy (drums) in the house band at the...

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