Chuck is the king. I've been pondering writing my first fan letter ever to him, thanking him for what he's done. He's the only 50's rocker I'd consider for a musical Mt. Rushmore.
Oops, forgot Little Richard is also still above ground. The movie Keith Richards did on Chuck (Hail, Hail Rock 'n' Roll) is a must see. To hear Chuck's style perfected (he can be credited with creating it, but is not it's best practitioner!), give a listen to Dave Edmunds.
I was listening to Johnnie Johnson's "Johnnie B Bad" this weekend. He was Chuck's keyboard player for many years and supposedly co-wrote "Roll Over Beethoven" and several other classics with Berry. Chuck wrote "Johnny B Goode" in his honor. This solo album is good fun with Keith Richards and Eric Clapton playing guitar in his band.
Chuck and Johnnie played clubs and bars together for a while before all those classic Chuck Berry songs were recorded. There are those who believe some of Chuck's songs actually originated with Johnnie, as they were written in "horn keys", not the keys songs written on guitar are in. Those keys ARE ones songs written on piano are done in, however. Don't blame the messenger!
Chuck put on a great show I attended about 36 years ago in Delta,BC for a new car dealership.It was well known that the show wouldn't start before he was paid--in cash. Wise man.
Many, many yeas back, I saw Chuck Berry play in a friend's backyard for his birthday party. My friend told me that Chuck had two young local guys he used as a rhythm section for private shows in the NYC metro area. They got paid by the hour. Chuck got a nice payday - also in cash, also paid up front. Chuck didn't really play a show, he ran a business.
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