RIP Chuck Berry

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
The TRUE king of Rock n' Roll.
Without a doubt. His "up yours" attack against mainstream music - epitomized by Roll Over Beethoven - pretty much defined the new genre. He was introduced to Leonard Chess of Chess Records by none other than Muddy Waters. A literal handoff from the blues to the birth of Rock n' Roll.
 

profbuxton

Joined Feb 21, 2014
421
RIP, I don't think so. Wherever he's gone the place sure won't be peaceful. It'll be rockin". If I knew where he went I might be inclined to join him for a jam session!
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
Before Chuck Berry, a typical band set used the guitar mainly as a rhythm instrument, back there with the bass and drums chunkin' away at fat chords. Chuck Berry brought the guitar to the forefront as an essential part of the main act - singer and guitar - with the other instruments backing them. As a student of guitar, I can attest that even though the licks are relatively simple to play, getting them exact and getting the sound ain't trivial. And he did it first...

RIP big guy.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
And he did it first...
His contributions speak for themselves, but even Chuck Berry was influenced heavily by those that went before him such as Muddy Waters and Louis Jordan. All I'm saying is, Berry didn't just pull it all out of thin air. Like other great artists he absorbed things around him and added his unique slant on it all.
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
His contributions speak for themselves, but even Chuck Berry was influenced heavily by those that went before him such as Muddy Waters and Louis Jordan. All I'm saying is, Berry didn't just pull it all out of thin air. Like other great artists he absorbed things around him and added his unique slant on it all.
Agree completely. A lot of people never heard Muddy and the like until someone like Berry busted out. Elvis and the Beatles likewise took a lot of their stuff from R&B.
 
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cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,219
Agree completely. A lot of people never heard Muddy and the like until someone like Berry busted out. Elvis and the Beatles likewise took a lot of their stuff from R&B.
IMHO, you can easily connect Elvis to the R&B influence... but the Beatles were an entirely different movement... although I have to admit that their beginnings were deeply influenced by said current
 
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