2017 03 20 chuck berry ent banner 1

The legendary rock and roll musician passed away this weekend at the age of 90.

It’s the mid-50s and Chuck Berry is at the height of his success, pioneering a new sound; rock and roll. He had his own driving guitar style, fusing country western with rhythm and blues. With his Gibson guitar and energetic moves, he pushed down racial barriers playing to a mostly white teenage audience.
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Berry’s hits that include Johnny B Goode and Sweet Little Sixteen, -- songs every garage band and fledgling guitarist had to learn if they wanted to enter the rock 'n' roll fellowship - didn’t just thrilled teenagers, they influenced rock’s biggest acts, a few of them include The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys.

Berry grew up in St Louis and was shaking things up even as a kid. During his first public performance at his high school, he played the blues, considered inappropriate at the time.

Berry married and worked a series of jobs to support his family. A road trip to Chicago to see his idol, Muddy Waters, proved to be his big break. Record execs heard Berry turned an old hillbilly song called Ida Red into the hit, Maybellene, and things went smooth since then.
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In 1984, Berry took home the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He has a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he was one of the first people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Dubbed the “eternal teenager” Berry continued touring well into his 80’s. Never letting go of that rock and roll music he helped defined.


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The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Questlove, Lenny Kravitz, Keith Urban, Bruno Mars and more paid tribute to the musical legend on social media. See their messages below.

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