Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who was one of the pioneers of the rock music genre. In songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957), and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), Berry extracted and developed the main elements of rock and roll from rhythm and blues music, with lyrics focusing on teenage life and consumerism. His guitar solos and stage style became major influences on later rock music. Berry was born into a middle-class family in St. Louis, Missouri. He was interested in music since childhood and sang publicly for the first time in his high school. From 1944 to 1947, while still in high school, he served time in prison for armed robbery. By early 1953, Berry was performing with the Johnny Johnson Trio. In May 1955, Berry's music career achieved a breakthrough. He traveled to Chicago, met Muddy Waters, and followed the latter's advice to sign with Chase Records. His first song recorded under Chase, "Maybellene," reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart and sold over 1 million copies. By the late 1950s, Berry was already well-established, with a number of hit singles, several screen appearances, and lucrative tours. But in January 1962, he was sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling a 14-year-old girl across the state line. After Berry was released from prison in 1963, he had several hit songs in the mid-1960s, including "No Particular Place to Go", "You Never Can Tell" and "Nadine". By the mid-1970s, he was performing more of his classics live as an entertainer to satisfy the nostalgic needs of audiences, working with local backing bands of varying skill levels. In 1979, he served 120 days in jail for tax evasion. In 1986, Berry became one of the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was evaluated as "laying the foundation not only for rock music but also for rock attitude."