R.I.P. Chuck Berry

[Michael_ Gee]

BBC reporting Berry found dead in his home by police at age 90. There would be no rock and roll without him. An American genius, if a real piece of work as a person.

 

[Webster]

Roll over Beethoven and tell St. Peter the news.

 

[HanSenSE]

Johnny B. Gone.

 

[Della9250]

His cousin Marvin was unavailable for comment

 

[Jake_Taylor]

In Heaven, you don't even need hidden cameras to spy on ladies in the restroom.

 

[Huggy]

Impossible to imagine what rock and roll would be like today - if it existed at all - without his songs and his guitar which created the first memorable riffs of the rock era. Keith Richards might still be sweeping up at a chip shop in Dartford.

RIP to a member of rock and roll's Mount Rushmore

(Saw Chuck once as a part of an oldies festival once and he was ****ing lousy, I walked out after he played "Sweet Little Sixteen" twice in the first five songs.)

 

[MileHigh]

Absolute legend. There is no rock 'n' roll without him. RIP.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Between Back To The Future and Pulp Fiction, his music was also key to two of the most iconic movie scenes of a generation.

 

[Neutral Corner]

To my mind there were five guys who really put Rock 'n Roll on the charts to stay. They were Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis.

RIP to a man who wrote so many songs that we know by heart. In his prime he was as good as it got.

 

[Corky Ramirez up on 94th St.]

Chuck Berry concert

Give this a listen if you can. I have a subscription, but hopefully you will be able to hear it too. Interestingly, backing him on this concert was Steve Miller not long after his band formed.

 

[Huggy]

Rolling Stone described him once as the Louis Armstrong of rock and roll, the guy who defined the basic mode of expression on the genre's primary instrument. Often imitated as a guitarist, but never duplicated (although Keef came the closest).

 

[Steak Snabler]

 

[Starman]

That movie is pretty awesome. By the end you could tell Keith was about ready to batter old Chuck around the head and shoulders with his Fender. About two-thirds of the movie, Chuck just acts like a prick because he knows he can get away with it, but when he actually turned on the juice, he was still ... Chuck Berry.

It's also great to see Keith Richards fill the role of the organized, responsible professional.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Legend. Gifted song writer. Unbelievable prick.

Lyrics to Memphis, to me, are among the most beautiful ever written.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

This story was told by the late Carl Beene, a radio reporter from western Mass. who became the Fenway Park PA announcer after Sherm Feller died. Carl was a rock and roll drummer in his youth. He and his band got a call. Chuck Berry was going to play in Springfield, Ma. For various financial and legal reasons, Chuck was touring without a backup band. Would he and his gang do the gig? Sure!! Concert is in long gone now Springfield minor league park. Big crowd. Backup all there early. Chuck not on time. Chuck an hour late. Band sweating bullets. From out in the distance, a Caddy appears and is somehow directed to the infield where the stage. Chuck gets out, opens trunk, pulls out guitar, says, "you ready to go?" Carl, even more nervous, says, "yes sir Mr. Berry, but what are we going to play?"
Berry: "Play? We're going to play Chuck Berry songs. You know Chuck Berry songs, right?"
Band gives terrified nods.
Berry: "Well, now you're going to play it with the mother****ing n-word who wrote em. When I go like this (pulls guitar up) you start. When I go like this (pulls guitar down) you stop. Stop wasting time, let's go."
Concert went off without a hitch, Berry got in Caddy and left Springfield in a cloud of infield dust.

 

[swingline]

Long distance information
Give me Memphis, Tennessee
Help me find the party
Tryin' to get in touch with me

She did not leave her number
But I know who placed the call
My uncle took the message
And he wrote it on the wall

Just beautiful lyrics -- and the spiritual son to Hank William's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."

 

[Huggy]

Long distance information
Give me Memphis, Tennessee
Help me find the party
Tryin' to get in touch with me

She did not leave her number
But I know who placed the call
My uncle took the message
And he wrote it on the wall

Just beautiful lyrics -- and the spiritual son to Hank William's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry."

George Thorogood did a great job combining "Memphis, Tennessee" with its sequel "Little Marie"

 

[Huggy]

Another of my fave Chuck Berry covers, Elvis, his own bad self,. tearing through "Promised Land"

 

[Webster]

This story was told by the late Carl Beene, a radio reporter from western Mass. who became the Fenway Park PA announcer after Sherm Feller died. Carl was a rock and roll drummer in his youth. He and his band got a call. Chuck Berry was going to play in Springfield, Ma. For various financial and legal reasons, Chuck was touring without a backup band. Would he and his gang do the gig? Sure!! Concert is in long gone now Springfield minor league park. Big crowd. Backup all there early. Chuck not on time. Chuck an hour late. Band sweating bullets. From out in the distance, a Caddy appears and is somehow directed to the infield where the stage. Chuck gets out, opens trunk, pulls out guitar, says, "you ready to go?" Carl, even more nervous, says, "yes sir Mr. Berry, but what are we going to play?"
Berry: "Play? We're going to play Chuck Berry songs. You know Chuck Berry songs, right?"
Band gives terrified nods.
Berry: "Well, now you're going to play it with the mother****ing n-word who wrote em. When I go like this (pulls guitar up) you start. When I go like this (pulls guitar down) you stop. Stop wasting time, let's go."
Concert went off without a hitch, Berry got in Caddy and left Springfield in a cloud of infield dust.

A member of Bruce's band told a similar story in the Hail Hail movie.

And speaking of Bruce, my favorite cover

 

[Webster]

And my favorite Simon and Garfunkel cover