Charles Edward Anderson Berry, or Chuck Berry, died over the weekend at the age of 90. We thought we’d spend one more day illuminating the contributions made by Chuck over the course of his 70-year career.
How good of a songwriter was Chuck Berry? He wrote “No Particular Place to Go,” “You Never Can Tell,” “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven” “Rock and Roll Music” (1957) and “Johnny B. Goode.”
Chuck brought swagger to the stage, a real showmanship and style that dwarfed the typical performer who simply stood on stage with a mindless stare. He also placed a great deal of emphasis on the story the song told, atypical at that time (the late 50s) and finally, perhaps his greatest contribution to music, Chuck was international in his human appeal. Everybody loved Chuck Berry, regardless of which side of the track you came from, or what school you went to.
In spite of all his hit records, “My Ding-a-Ling,” from the 70s was his only number one tune. Did you know that the Beach Boys song “Surfing U.S.A” has partial writing credit to Chuck? It seems that the Beach Boys kind of accidentally ‘lifted’ a few bars from Chucks “Sweet Little Sixteen,” so to avoid a lawsuit, the Beach Boys added Chuck to the writing credits.
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