(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Whoa...Chuck Berry died at 90. (Of course, I already thought he was dead.)

He was the King of Rock n'Roll. We wouldn't have had the Beatles, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and so many others...without him.

Comments

[dlgood]

Berry's most notable musical descendants were the Rolling Stones - Jagger and Richards literally connected over rare Chuck Berry records, and Chuck Berry's musical influence over Keith Richards' guitar playing (and bands that drew musical influence from the Stones) is hard to overstate.

[shadowkat]

I didn't know that about the Stones. I remember seeing a documentary on The Beatles -- where John and Paul referenced Berry as being a major influence on their sound, and how they riffed on Johnny Be Good. Also Jimi Henderix referenced him.

He brought a certain movement to the sound and rhythm -- prior to that it was more like the Temptations or the Four Tops, and less Rock and Roll. I can't remember the name of the documentary that I saw...it was in the 1980s.

[dlgood]

The English Rock bands were all heavily influenced by Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry - and then other Chicago and Delta Blues acts to varying degrees. It's just that no one wanted to sound more like Chuck Berry than Keith.

Chuck Berry isn't really related to Motown acts like the Four Tops... he marks the shift away from what 1940s and 1950s Chicago Blues sounded like, and more to what Rock & Roll in the 60s became.

[dlgood]

See also, this link to Keith Richards inducting Chuck Berry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4u4FSTxd3s

[shadowkat]

Hee...Mick Jagger did a FB tribute to Chuck Barry, showing a pic of him and Barry back in the 1960s. So, yep, you're right on that front.

The only other person who went out their way to do a tribute, was Carl Sagan, who sent a letter to Barry in the 1980s letting him know that Voyager was carrying his music to the stars.