httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kt7sr5czeA
Along with James Dean and J.D. Salinger and a handful of others in the 1950s, Chuck Berry – who was 90 when he died Saturday at his suburban St. Louis home – helped define the modern teenager.
While Elvis Presley gave rock n’ roll its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the narrative for a generation no longer weighed down by hardship or war.
“Classic rock” begins with Chuck Berry, who had announced late last year that he would first new album since 1979, called “Chuck,” sometime this year.
Berry can hardly contain himself as the words hurry out and the downpour of guitar, drums and keyboards amplifies every call of “Go, Johnny Go!”. The song was inspired in part by Johnnie Johnson, the boogie-woogie piano man who collaborated on many Berry hits, but the story could have easily been Berry’s, Presley’s or countless others’.
Country, pop and rock artists have recorded Berry songs, including the Beatles, Emmylou Harris, Buck Owens and AC/DC. The Rolling Stones’ first single was a cover of Berry’s “Come On” and they went on to perform and record “Around and Around,” “Let it Rock” and others.
Berry and his duck walk were seen in several teen exploitation flicks of the ’50s. In the 1980s, Richards organized the well-received documentary “Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll,” featuring highlights from concerts at St. Louis’ Fox Theatre to celebrate Berry’s 60th birthday that included Eric Clapton, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, who recalled being told by his own mother that Berry, not he, was the true king of rock ‘n’ roll.