A História de Chuck Berry: Músicas, Polêmicas e Legado!

“If you had to give Rock 'n' Roll another name, you could call him Chuck Berry. ” -John Lennon. This simple, but impactful phrase by John Lennon makes it very clear the enormous importance of Chuck Berry, who is considered the father of Rock N' Roll, and for many is the true King of Rock.

Influencing everyone from Eric Clapton to Angus Young, but despite being a reference and changing the world of music, the father of rock, in addition to his long history, collected several controversies, even punching Keith Richards in the face simply for touching on your guitar. Today you will learn the story of the man who created Rock N' Roll. STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING On October 18, 1926, in St.

Louis (Missouri), Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born, the result of a large middle-class family, he was the third of five children. His parents believed in the American dream even though they lived in a time of racial segregation and studying was the basis of their children's education. This was crucial for Berry to become interested in two passions, music and poetry, leading the young boy to dedicate himself to his way of speaking with good diction and without the use of slang, which would help with his compositions.

Another dedication and I believe this is the most important in Chuck Berry's life was the guitar, where he simply learned to play by himself. This was the kickoff for his career, and in 1941 at the age of 15, he performed his first performance at his school and continued performing at school parties and dances. But his upbringing and early musical career did not stop Berry from committing the first of many controversial acts in his long life.

In 1944 the young singer and guitarist was arrested for robbing three stores and a car. Berry later justified himself by claiming that his car had broken down and his gun was a toy. After being convicted, he was taken to a reformatory near the capital of the state of Missouri.

Even though he was imprisoned, Berry still kept in touch with music by participating in a vocal quartet in his reformatory until he was released in 1947. The following year, far from trouble, Berry married Themetta Suggs, better known as "Toddy", and with She had her first daughter, Darlin Ingrid Berry, in 1950. and worked in several jobs to support her family, even taking a hairdressing course.

But even though she worked, Berry never gave up music and found it a great way to supplement her income. , performing in local bands in St. Louis clubs.

In 1953 he was with pianist Johnnie Johnson's trio, who would later be Berry's inspiration for composing "Johnny B. Goode", beginning a long-term collaboration with the pianist. But It was the following year that Berry's career began to take off, in 1954 he recorded the tracks "I Hope These Words Will Find You Well" and "Oh, Maria!

" with the group Joe Alexander & the Cubans. Their sound was a mixed bag of country, blues and jazz, something never seen before. Not to mention his ability on stage, which became a great highlight accompanied by the songs of one of his biggest inspirations, the musician Muddy Waters, who would later help Chuck Berry's career start.

SUCCESS AND PRISON In 1955, Berry traveled to Chicago in search of new opportunities, and there he met his idol, Muddy Waters, who suggested Berry meet the Chess brothers from Chess Records, the meeting was a success and Berry was hired. And in his first session, on May 21, 1955, he recorded the track "Maybellene. ” The single, which many consider one of the first rock tracks, was a true success.

But the person who received credit for the term rock n roll was DJ Alan Freed, who helped boost Chuck Berry's career by promoting his song "Maybellene," taking it to number five on the charts. However, Berry had to share credits and royalties with Freed. Despite this, Freed continued to support Berry in films and shows, but this situation ended up marking the first time that Berry felt he had been left behind in the business.

But this did not hinder his career from From 1955 to 1959, Chuck Berry was a true star, his songs like "Roll Over Beethoven ", "Carol" among others were recognized all over the world. His songs, which addressed themes such as consumerism and teenage life, showed that Berry was one of the pioneers in realizing the consumption potential of young Americans in the post-World War II period. And of course we cannot forget his live performances, where he performed the legendary “duck walk”.

With all this success, Berry began investing in real estate. Even with the country experiencing racial segregation, the artist opened a bar where blacks and whites could go without any further problems. But what could have been something revolutionary ended up being part of a stain on Chuck Berry's life.

However, in December 1959, Berry was arrested under the Mann Act, accused of having intimate relations with a 14-year-old waitress, whom he transported across state lines to work as a server at his club. According to Berry, she said she was 20 years old. He reported that he fired her for regularly missing work.

Soon after, Janice was arrested for prostitution; and claimed to have had sexual relations with Berry. After a two-week trial in March 1960, Berry was found guilty, fined $5,000 and sentenced to five years in prison. The jury was struck by a racist tone, and Berry appealed the decision, and a second trial was held in May and June 1961, and resulted in another three-year sentence, and after yet another unsuccessful appeal, Berry served one year and in prison, from February 1962 to October 1963.

This experience transformed Berry, who when he left there was completely different, the musician had become distant, cold and bitter. FREEDOM, TOURS AND OTHER CONDITIONS After leaving prison in 1963, what could have been a difficult career restart due to his bad reputation was made easier by the British invasion, mainly by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. They were not intimidated by the musician's arrest and released versions of Chuck Berry's songs, which facilitated his return to recording and performing.

This return brought good songs like "No Particular Place to Go", "You Never Can Tell" and "Nadine". But even though he released good songs, Berry decided to leave the studio aside and began to focus more on live performances, and with that came more controversy, as the guitarist no longer wanted to have a permanent band, just local musicians hired without any rehearsals before the performances. , obviously this didn't work out very well and many shows seemed amateurish.

One of these musicians in the early 1970s was Bruce Springsteen, who was at the beginning of his career and decided to ask what they were going to play and Berry simply replied: “Chuck Berry songs”. One of the conditions for Berry to present himself was payment in advance and in kind, as he thought it was better for his accounting due to having suffered several scams. Despite his peculiar presentations, the 70s made Berry a lot of money, this caught the attention of the United States Federal Revenue, and in 1979, Berry was accused of tax evasion.

The musician pleaded guilty and spent another four months behind bars and performed a thousand hours of community service. CONTROVERSY AND MORE CONTROVERSY From the 80s onwards, Berry only stood out for appearing in police news and gossip articles. Initially accused of assaulting a woman in New York, causing multiple injuries to her face, including loose teeth and stitches in her mouth, Berry admitted guilt and was released on bail.

He was later accused of installing a camera in the bathroom of one of his restaurants in Missouri to film women. Berry claimed that the camera was intended to catch an employee who was stealing from the establishment. Although they were never able to prove his guilt, he opted for a class action settlement.

According to reports in one of his biographies, Berry paid out more than a million dollars in lawsuits filed by almost 60 women related to assault, abuse or intimate videos, not counting legal fees. Additionally, Berry also faced prosecution for possession of marijuana. But one of the most notable occurred in 2000 with his former companion from the beginning of his career, pianist Johnnie Johnson, who demanded credit for having helped compose more than 50 songs, including "Roll Over Beethoven".

However, the case was closed, as the judge considered that too much time had already passed to request the supposed rights. HIS LEGACY OVERCOME CONTROVERSY In the following decades, Berry had a wealth of wealth and was already considered a music legend and was part of the first class to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The years passed and age de Berry was advancing and even so, Chuck Berry didn't give up and continued to lead a life of shows.

The singer performed in Brazil for the first time in 1993. In the 2000s, precisely in 2008 at almost 82 years old, he performed a series of shows across different continents, including another visit to Brazil. But the signs of aging had arrived, and during a show in Chicago at New Year's Eve 2011, after an hour of performance, the singer passed out on the keyboard and had to leave the stage with the help of three people.

But Chuck Berry didn't give up and, in 2013, at the age of 87, he went on another tour with another visit to Brazil. However, as absolutely nothing in life lasts forever, Chuck Berry said goodbye to the stage on October 15, 2015, three days before his 88th birthday. He announced his retirement during a tribute at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Despite having retired from the stage, Berry felt the need to end his musical career with one last chapter. In October 2016, upon turning 90, he surprised by announcing his first album since "Rockit", released in 1979. Named "Chuck", the album featured the participation of his children, being an emotional tribute to his wife Toddy.

Chuck Berry passed away three months before the album's release from natural causes on March 18, 2017, at the age of 90, at his home in Missouri, United States. Despite the controversies that marked his life, words are insufficient to express the magnitude of the importance and legacy that Chuck Berry left to the world, being an essential and pioneering figure in the development of what we know today as Rock 'n' Roll. Now, if you're interested in a curious story about the King of Rock, just watch this video about the day Elvis Presley became an FBI agent.