"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry.'"
- John Lennon -
Rock and Roll legend Chuck Berry died yesterday in his home in Missouri. His story telling lyrics, catchy blues riffs, and distinctive guitar solos led the way for future generations of rock. The beat of his songs sound like a chugging train moving down the tracks and when the solo comes along, the train might as well be heading off the tracks. When listening to Berry, similarities can be heard between songs. The opening riffs to "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven" are alike with the latter being a little higher in tune. In addition, the opening guitar to "Little Queenie" and the Christmas tune "Run Rudolph Run" are identical. This is not taking anything away from the genius of Berry. In fact, hearing these similarities is pleasing to the ear and give the listener comfort in hearing a recognizable repeated riff. If it works, why change your sound? (Just ask AC/DC). As a pioneer of rock, his sound has influenced the best of the best. Doesn't matter the decade or the type of rock, bands from The Animals to The Rolling Stones have covered Berry. View the list of covers on Berry's website here. It wasn't just his music but his showmanship as well. His 'duck walk' is still one of the most iconic moves in rock (later taken by AC/DC's Angus Young). Not to mention him pointing the head of his guitar into the crowd (reminiscent of Steve Harris from Iron Maiden) and doing the split with the guitar between his legs.
Berry celebrated his 90th birthday back in October by announcing his new album Chuck, his first album in 38 years, which is set to come out in 2017.
Read social media messages from the rock community honoring Berry.
Read Berry's reviews of other rock acts from a 1980 interview.
No comments:
Post a Comment