Rock ‘n Roll Icon Chuck Berry Dead At 90

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(NEWSER) – A sad day for fans of rock and roll: Chuck Berry has died at age 90, reports ABC News. Details are sketchy, but police in St. Charles County, Missouri, responded to a medical emergency at Berry’s home Saturday afternoon, but he was unresponsive and could not be revived.

Berry first hit the Top 10 in 1955 with “Maybellene,” and remained a rock fixture from then on. Coming later was the iconic “Johnny B. Goode,” (watch that one here) and a slew of classics such as “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “School Days,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Back in the USA,” and “Memphis, Tennessee.”

As Rolling Stone puts it, his “rollicking songs, springy guitar riffs and onstage duck walk defined (rock and roll) during its early years and for decades to come.”

The Washington Post notes that he was not only a “seminal figure” in rock’s early days, he was a rarity in that he wrote, sang, and played his own music. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen are just a few of those who considered him a major influence. In fact, John Lennon once famously said, “If you tried to give rock-and-roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.'”

The St. Louis native began his musical career at age 15 at a high school review, though his first hit didn’t come until his late 20s, notes AP, whose story recounts Berry’s multiple run-ins with the law. It also sums up his influence on music this way: “While Elvis Presley gave rock its libidinous, hip-shaking image, Berry was the auteur, setting the template for a new sound and way of life. Well before the rise of Bob Dylan, Berry wedded social commentary to the beat and rush of popular music.”

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jess
7 years ago

Loved Chuck Berry’s music, after I found it. When he died all I could think about was back to the Future and Pulp fiction. Hey, I’m young that’s how I found out my musical tastes no judging you judgy mcjudgertons. for reference here is what I am talking about.

Bill Formby
Reply to  jess
7 years ago

No judging here. It least you found it.

Bill Formby
7 years ago

There is no question that Chuck Berry was the the Godfather of rock and roll. I guess one could say he was one of my generation’s hero. For those who are simply familiar with just his music and not his and his music’s history I would recommend reading one of the short bio’s of Chuck Berry. He really was a bridge between country, blues, and rhythm ‘n blues aka soul music. He developed his own sound that was copied and emulated by countless artists after him. May you rest in peace Chuck. You had your human flaws, but you gave so much to so many.

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