Chuck Berry

"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry." — John Lennon "There's only one true king of rock 'n' roll. His name is Chuck Berry." — Stevie Wonder “I stole every lick of mine from Chuck Berry.”-- Keith Richards It’s a happy 81st birthday to Chuck Berry. He may not have invented rock and roll but he was certainly its poet laureate. Plus he created a music blueprint he rarely strayed from and in it defined what our music’s about: a ... MORE

Republican candidate John McCain may have used his song in the U.S. presidential campaign, but veteran rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry has no doubt whom he wants to see in the White House next year. "America has finally come to this point where you can pick a man of color and that not be a drawback," the legendary 81-year-old guitarist said of Barack Obama, who clinched the Democratic presidential nomination last week and would become the country's first black president if h... MORE

Yes, I'll stand by my assertion that Chuck Berry Is Rock's Poet Laureate and I offer this little number as further evidence. You Never Can Tell again finds C. B. at his playful best, toying with the language(s)in such an easy, relaxed yet masterfull way. You won't find any stilted 'Paul Simonisms' in Chuck's works.

I was lucky enough to see Rock Legend Chuck Berry for the second time last night at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. The show was listed as Super Group featuring Chuck berry. The backing band was to consist of Kirke, Leavell, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan), saxman Tim Reis (Rolling Stones), drummer Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), bassist John Conte, singer Kate Taylor, guitarists Barry Goudreau (Boston), and Ricky Byrd (Blackhearts), and full horn and vocal ... MORE

Rock's one true Poet Laureate at his best.This amazing song alone would have fixed Chuck Berry's place in both the Rock n Roll canon and the Great American Songbook.And he paints us a clear picture of a time gone by, before the country was criss-crossed by superhighways and bombarded by the angry screech of the mass media,This was a time of back roads and small towns. A time when magical big cities beckoned, impossibly far away. A time when a cross country trip was an adve... MORE

Chuck Berry, confessin' The Blues, with good friend and phenomenal pianist Johnny Johnson shining bright.

Today is my day off and being in a Chuck Berry state of mind,I thought I'd post an old favorite " Too Much Monkey Business", instead of the obvious choice..."No Particular Place To Go".

*Elmer Fudd

1. Jim Backus & Friend, "Delicious." Many believe the "friend" was Phyllis Diller. I actually didn't know it was in question, but when hunting down a video link, I found that some disagree. In any event, here it is, two drunks having a good time, one of whom sounds like Mr. Magoo. 2. Jackie Wilson, "Lonely Teardrops." Wilson was one of the great live performers of his day, at least on the evidence of the television appearances, which is all I saw as a kid. The video link,... MORE

who wanted to hear some old chuck berry blues. welcome to the wee wee hours, snowsparks, this one is from 1955.

I'm sick of people calling Elvis Presley the king of rock an roll. NO WAY IN HELL.The true KING is CHUCK BERRY. Always was, always will be.Elvis's Sun singles are not bad, but how far removed from a minstrel show WAS his schtick? I mean really, all he did was ape any number of performers on the chitlin circuit! HE BROUGHT NOTHING ORIGINAL TO THE MUSIC. Most of the songs he recorded were chosen for him. His whole thing was bad imitation. He undoubtedly recorded some... MORE

I've always loved this song. Probably because I used to watch Back to the Future a ton when I was a kid. This is the best video of it I could find. Happens to have Julian Lennon (John's son) in it. Enjoy.

Haha. Thanks Chuck. Just got back from Holland and I'll tell you what, I really am too pooped to pop. Two weeks of intense marijauna usage and pizza consumption is enough to poop out the most persistent of troopers. A few things I'll be adding to my music collection soon: The Flying Burrito BrothersGram ParsonsTownes Van ZandtNick DrakeDaniel JohnstonWesley WillisHarry Partch Also, I'll tell you what I'm really diggin' right now. The National's Boxer and Handso... MORE

This is mine - Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell - although there are others I love.

Yes, it's another installment of heart-warming musical moments with Colm. I'll be brief though. We decided it had been too long since we had thrown on a record and rocked out. Colm (to those not in the know, my best friend's 4 year old) made a point of asking for "real rock". Boy, I best not be trying to slip some of that watered-down crap past him. I wasn't really sure why he was referring to "real rock", but instead said ok and pulled out about a dozen records I th... MORE