017
Redolent of the dreadful 2016, Death has claimed its first victim for 2017 - rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, Chuck Berry, at the age of 90 in St. Charles County, Missouri.
Although Presley is credited as America’s first pop heartthrob and archetypal rock ‘n roll frontman,
Berry was the mastermind architect that laid out the blueprints to the gritty, acerbic sound that would be utilized by various generations of bands and solo acts that were to come.
Born in St Louis, Missouri, to a segregated, middle-class family, Charles Edward Anderson Berry spent most of his formative years soaking up the local gospel, blues, country, and rhythm and blues that made up most of his surrounding environment.
Combining the typical ‘Hank-Williams’ twang of country and the fast-paced 12-bar
…show more content…
Upon his release, he settled into married life and spent a brief stint as a factory worker in automobile assembly plants.
Receiving a degree in cosmetology, he moved on to being a beautician 2 years later and jammed with various local acts to supplement his meagre income.
Inspired by Texan guitarist T-Bone Walker, Chuck Berry managed to master the 2-string bend technique that would later be emulated by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless other bands.
This hybrid fusion of hillbilly country and edgy rock ‘n’ roll quickly became a hit with white and black audiences alike and would soon reach the ears of established blues guitarist, Muddy Waters, in 1955.
Upon being referred to Chess Records by Waters, Berry, with the guidance of Leonard Chess, recorded his first hit single, Maybelline, which would reach No. 5 on the Billboard Pop chart and No. 1 on the R&B charts. Besides the infectious beat and chugging rhythm, the narrative lyrics encapsulated the trends of raucous adolescents – hot rods, big drums, and the naivety of young
Elvis Presley was signed to Sun Records in 1954. This was monumental for Phillips’s stand on racial boundaries in music. Elvis drew national attention to Sun Records which, in part, sparked slight popularity for other Sun artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, and Roscoe Gordon (Sun Records 1). This point in time is known as the origin of Rock and Roll. Contrary to what Rock and Roll is now, it was only popular within a certain demographic of people for a long time
and got a job as a waiter. Soon after this period of time he got a
Blues, along with the artists that produced it, was noteworthy in the motivation of the Beatles. The Beatles had a great deal of respect for Chuck Berry and what he did for music. The Beatles credited Berry for being an important piece for creating rock and roll. Chuck Berry also prejudiced the Beatles with the lyrical content within his songs. It is easy to see that blues had an impact on rock and roll because a rock and roll band considered one of the best that ever lived, integrated it into their
Looking back at the history of Blues music, one can see the influence of the African-American community, tradition, and culture very apparent in it. The Blues music genre came into being from the songs
When early rock and roll began the major American record companies did not take the british invasion seriously. The Beatles first album had to be released through small independent music companies. The success of British bands began to get to large to ignore, it changed the styles of some American musicians as well. In 1965 Bob Dylan performed at a concert in which he used electrical instruments, this alienated many folk music purists in the process of changing music forever (Unterberger pg.165). The American band the byrds combined folk and rock which created a number one hit on the billboard music charts. A Band called Buffalo Springfield blended aspects of Rock, Country and western music to create country rock in 1966.
The blues is home to many world famous artists such as Riley B. King, also known as B.B King, and McKinley Morganfield, also known as Muddy Waters. These artists were two very good examples of what the blues is meant to incorporate and their legacy has and will live long passed their deaths. B.B King is an American blue musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist, born on September 16th, 1925 in Beclair, Mississippi. He is considered to be one of the most influential blues musicians of all times, giving him the nicknames “The King of the Blues” as
Berry Gordy was a visionary, entrepreneur and a teacher to become one of the, if not the most talented music producers of all time. Gordy paved the way for all African American producers and musicians to make history by being the first African American owned record label to reach national acclaim. Gordy fist recording studio was made from a converted garage with the control room from the kitchen in his home. His first artist was signed in 1959 with the Miracles, and first Billboard’s song was “That’s What I Want” which reach #2. Within that year Gordy sign the girl group the Marvelettes and reach No1 on the pop list. Then three years later he signed two more group the Supremets and Temptations that gave him five more No. 1 hits. By the late 1960’s Motown had five records on the Billboard charts.
Compare and Contrast Outline Elvis Presley – - Born in Tupelo, MI - Was criticized that he “imitated black artists” and that’s how he rose to fame - Appealed to young, white America - Blues influence - Country and R&B - Was basically doing the same this as Chuck Berry but since he was white it was okay Chuck Berry – - Born in St. Louis, MO - Father of two - Formed a vocal quartet while in prison in 1944 - After release, performed in bars and parties for both whites and blacks - First paid nightclub performance was in 1952 - Racial oppression was a major obstacle for Berry - “Little Queenie” – pretend musicians in the video - Country mixed with R&B - Created rock guitar licks and riffs Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry’s influence on rock and
I truly believe after working on this paper that Chuck Berry was one of the most popular and influential performers of all time in the genres of rhythm-and-blues as well as rock 'n ' roll. All this had taken place during the 1950s on through the 1970s. He 's
This American guitarist, singer, and songwriter is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music and his songs are electrifying and his videos great to view. Chuck Berry whose full name is Charles Edward Anderson came out with such great hits in the 50s as “Maybellene”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Rock and Roll Music”, and “Johnny B. Goode”. He performed in such a way which left a lasting impression and greatly influenced rock music.
A short year after that he hit number one on the R&B charts with his song, “I Got a Woman.” This song revolutionized the music and entertainment industry by mixing a gospel sound with R&B, later known as soul. There were many religious skeptics who were not fond of mixing gospel music sound with lyrics that are sinful, but far more fans enjoyed the music and soul of the sound. This revolution later led to his nickname, “Father of Soul.” Ray is one of very few musicians who impacted the industry, and that can infuse and excel in blending any genre of music with another, perfecting it and put on a show.
By 1955 he was signed to chess records. His music style was a mix of country and blues. Chuck wrote, preformed, and produced all his songs. In 1959 he released the album Berry is on Top. The cover of Berry is on Top is a picture of an ice cream sundae with strawberries on top.
This became to be known as the famous R&B. It is said that R&B “mixed the rural sound of the blues with the electrified edge and raucous rhythms of the city streets” (Yudkin 262). Key singers and musicians of this type of music were Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. Their singing and playing were characterized by speedy songs with an insatiable beat, and screaming lyrics. The other early influence on rock and roll was country music, in which R&B was mixed with western/country vibes. Famous country music singers/musicians of that time were Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and the early sound of Elvis
From what I have learned in Music 170, I already knew that the Rolling Stones used a lot of electric instruments in their music. As I listened to the whole album, I heard a lot the basic
On Tuesday, August 26th, Chuck Berry was awarded the Polar Music Prize in a ceremony at Stockholm Concert Hall, as well as a short video clip from Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, honoring the rock guitar legend. Unfortunately Berry wasn’t present to receive the award himself, but luckily Welsh rock guitarist Dave Edmunds was there to accept the award on his behalf. Ironically, Keith Richards wasn’t physically present at the ceremony either, but he sent a video in his stead, paying homage to Chuck Berry and how much he has influenced Richards personally. In the short, forty-five second clip, Richards sings Berry’s praises.