50s - Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

"If you were going to give Rock 'n' Roll another name, you might as well call it Chuck Berry" - this was the famous quote by John Lennon paying tribute to the legendary Rock 'n' Roll pioneer, Chuck Berry.

Although it is impossible to pinpoint the first Rock 'n' Roll record, you can bet that Chuck Berry was definitely the first successful guitar-playing Rock 'n' Roll singer/songwriter.

In May 1955, Berry recorded "Maybellene", an adaption of a country and western song "Ida Red". " Maybellene" went on to sell over a million copies, reached #1 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues chart and earned him the Best New R&B Artiste award from Billboard that year.
Berry was one of the era's outstanding entertainers, starring in many Rock 'n' Roll shows, performing his distinctive "duck walk" in low budget movies.

This prolific and profitable period continued with several hits like, "Roll Over Beethoven", "School Days", "Rock and Roll Music", "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Johnny B. Goode". All these great songs had been recorded by countless artistes, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stone, since.

Berry's record sale were on the decline when he was arrested in late 1959 for taking a 14-year old girl across the Mexican border. He was freed in late 1963 to find his music back in fashion.

He continued to have some chart success with hits like "No Particular Place To Go" in 1964 and "My Ding-A-Ling", his biggest seller in 1972.

Despite his drug, tax evasion problems and sex scandals, history will remember him as one of the most innovative, influential, important and exciting artistes in Rock 'n' Roll.