He Used to Play His Guitar Like Ringin' a Bell

Charles Edward Anderson Berry died last week. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in nearby St. Charles, Missouri at age 90. "Chuck" Berry was an original, a trendsetter, a legend who did more to establish 'Rock & Roll' music than any other single artist. He was the first inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

I began listening to Berry's music in 1955. His guitar playing was distinguished with the most recognizable cords and his lyric writing could challenge most poets. I was a 16- year old teen, who like most teens of the day enjoyed music. In the early 1950's, I listened to artists like, Patti Paige, Doris Day, Joni James, Vaughn Monroe, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra just to mention a few. Many of these singers 'cut their teeth' in the Big Band Era. However, there was another sound heard on the peripheral of this traditional pop music. It was music accentuated with the sound of guitars and saxophones and characterized with an uptempo beat...it was Rock & Roll.

The year 1955 saw the release of a popular teen movie entitled, 'Blackboard Jungle.' The movie's theme song was 'Rock Around The Clock' sung by Bill Haley & The Comets. With all due respect to Haley and his Rock Around The Clock classic it was soon obvious to most teens (into Rock music) that many Black singers were recording great songs, which white singers had Billboard Top 40 Hits due to the latter s' access to popular D J Radio Shows across the country. At that time it had not become vogue for those radio stations to play music by Black artists.

I recall once when my father asked me why I was always listening to the black radio stations instead of the more popular and familiar white stations. I told him that I wanted to hear songs like 'Ain't That Ashame' written and first recorded by Fats Domino before Pat Boone had a National best seller hit.

It was that year, 1955, that I first heard 'Chuck' Berry sing. The song was 'Maybellene.' There would be so many to follow. I saw 'Chuck' Berry 'in person twice. The second time he was performing at the 'Duck Room' in St. Louis when Berry was in his seventies. The first time I saw Berry was by happen-chance. I was driving across the Eads Bridge back into East St. Louis (late 1950's) when the auto going the opposite direction at the pay booth was a 'pink' color Cadillac with the name 'Chuck' Berry written in black across the side of the car...the driver was 'Mr. Rock & Roll.'

Rest In Peace, Johnny B. Good.