GabyRolling Stone ranked the pioneering rock ’n’ roll guitarist and songwriter fifth on its list of the greatest artists of all time. Legendary peer John Lennon summed it up: “If you had to give rock ’n’ roll a name, it would be Chuck Berry.”
A Discordant Beginning
The future rock musician, songwriter, singer, and guitarist was born on October 18, 1926, in St. Louis into a large African-American family; his father was a Baptist church deacon. Music captivated him from childhood, and he gave his first concert in 1941 while still in school. But three years later he and some friends got into serious trouble: they robbed several stores in Kansas and stole a car, and the bad company led to a 10-year prison sentence (his mother — the school principal — had apparently overlooked her wayward son).
While behind bars, the young man did not give up his passion: he formed a musical quartet. He was released early, at age 21.
He married and had a daughter, then worked as a factory laborer and even as a cosmetologist. Eventually he bought his first house: a modest three-room brick home.
To Everything, There Is a Season
Starting in the early ’50s, Chuck began performing with various bands in local clubs, initially playing country blues. His debut single, “Maybellene,” topped the American charts and sold a million copies — a rare achievement at the time. Soon came the hits that defined his career: “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Rock And Roll Music,” and “Johnny B. Goode.” But their author would end up behind bars again.
In December 1959, Berry — who had a prior conviction — was arrested on charges involving a minor. He was accused of having sex with a club coat-check girl who was involved in prostitution and faced up to five years in prison. After appeals, his sentence was reduced to 18 months and a $5,000 fine; other sources say he served three years.
Before serving his sentence, the musician managed to record another hit, “Come On.” When he was released in 1963, he found his popularity had only grown. While he was incarcerated, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones helped bring wide attention to his work during the British Invasion. Berry still had new hits to record (including “Nadine”) and was able to earn well on tour.
The Price of Fame
His time in prison shook his faith in human decency, and afterward he ran his shows with strict precision: he refused to perform without payment in advance and would cut a song short if the scheduled time ran out. Rumors said he sometimes left the stage dramatically — checking his watch, falling silent mid-song, unplugging his guitar, and walking off.
Chuck Berry, 1958
In 1979, the musician faced his third criminal case — this time charged with tax evasion. The court sentenced him to four months in prison and one thousand hours of community service.
Then, in 1990, several women accused Berry — who owned a club — of secretly installing surveillance cameras in the women’s restroom. The case never went to trial: Berry reportedly settled by paying the plaintiffs $1.2 million. By that point, he was wealthy enough that few tried to take advantage of him.
The Author Will Forgive
At the peak of his career, Chuck Berry didn’t bother with a permanent band: he hired local instrumentalists at each tour stop. He would arrive at a club alone and, an hour before the concert, recruit local musicians to perform with him. For those players, sharing the stage with a legend was both a professional reward and an honor. Sheet music and rehearsals were unnecessary — who wouldn’t know his classics?
Chuck Berry at a concert, 2013 (Photo: DonClemente12F67)
At concerts, the prankster in a captain’s cap might mix up the lyrics to his own songs and, to the audience’s delight, brush it off with a joke: “The author will forgive!” After all, what difference does it make how or where he wrote them?
Over his long life, Chuck Berry wrote 51 songs, one of which was chosen three decades later by director Quentin Tarantino as the main theme for the Oscar-winning film Pulp Fiction (1994). The unforgettable dance by Uma Thurman and John Travolta in the movie uses Berry’s 1964 hit, “You Never Can Tell.”
