Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Chuck Berry, with "Maybellene" (1955) . .   Expand    Wikipedia

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18, 1926) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Chuck Berry, with "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), refined and developed the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, focusing on teen life and introducing guitar intros, lead breaks and guitar showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music. Born into a middle class family in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry was imprisoned for armed robbery in 1944, while still a high school student; this would be the first of three terms in prison that Berry would serve in his lifetime. Influenced by the guitar riffs and showmanship techniques of blues player T-Bone Walker, by early 1953 Berry was performing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio. His break came when he traveled to Chicago in May 1955, and met Muddy Waters, who suggested he contact Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Chess recorded Berry's adaptation of "Ida Red" - "Maybellene" - which sold over a million copies, reaching #1 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues chart. By the end of the 1950s, Berry was an established star with several hit records and film appearances to his name, as well as a lucrative touring career. He had also established his own St. Louis-based nightclub, called Berry's Club Bandstand. But in December 1959, Berry was sentenced to five years in prison for offenses under the Mann Act - he had transported a 14-year-old girl to work at his club, and the girl was later arrested for prostitution.

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