Chuck Berry Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Chuck Berry
Berry in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Charles Edward Berry
Born	(1926-10-18)October 18, 1926 St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Died	March 18, 2017(2017-03-18) (aged 90)
Genres	Rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Years active	1951 – 2017

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is known as one of the most important musicians who helped create rock and roll music.

Growing Up
Music Career
Passing Away
His Lasting Legacy
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up

Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the youngest of six children. He grew up in a neighborhood called the Ville, where many middle-class families lived. His father, Henry William Berry, worked in construction and was a church leader. His mother, Martha Bell, was a school principal.

Because of his family background, Chuck Berry could follow his interest in music from a young age. He first performed in public in 1941. This was while he was still a student at Sumner High School.

Music Career

In the early 1950s, Chuck Berry started playing with local bands. He performed in clubs around St. Louis to earn extra money. He had been playing blues music since he was a teenager. He learned guitar tricks and stage moves from blues musician T-Bone Walker. He also took guitar lessons from his friend Ira Harris. These lessons helped him develop his unique guitar style.

In May 1955, Berry went to Chicago. There, he met famous blues musician Muddy Waters. Waters told him about a record company that might release his music. Soon after, Berry released his first song.

Becoming Famous

In 1957, Chuck Berry went on tour across the United States. He performed with popular musicians like the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. Over the next few years, he became very popular. Many of his songs became big hits on the radio.

Some of his most famous songs include:

"Maybellene" (1955)
"Roll Over Beethoven" (1956)
"Rock and Roll Music" (1957)
"Johnny B. Goode" (1958)

These songs helped define the sound of early rock and roll.

His Influence on Music

Chuck Berry had a huge impact on many rock and pop musicians who came after him. Famous bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys were inspired by his music. Even artists like Bob Dylan looked up to him.

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys especially loved Berry's songs. They often played and recorded their own versions of his music.

In 1986, a movie called Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll was made about him. It showed a special concert held for Berry's 60th birthday. This concert was put together by Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones.

Awards and Honors

Chuck Berry was one of the first musicians to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This happened when it first opened in 1986. He was praised for creating the sound and attitude of rock and roll.

Rolling Stone magazine has included Berry on several "greatest of all time" lists. He was ranked fifth on their 2004 and 2011 lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry's songs: "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene," and "Rock and Roll Music." His song "Johnny B. Goode" is also the only rock-and-roll song sent into space on the Voyager Golden Record. This record is meant to show alien life forms what Earth's music is like.

Later Years

On his 90th birthday, Chuck Berry announced a new album. It was called Chuck and was released in 2017. This was his first new studio album since 1979. His children, Charles Berry Jr. and Ingrid, played on the album. The songs ranged from fast rock to thoughtful stories about his life. He dedicated the album to his wife of 68 years, Toddy.

Passing Away

On March 18, 2017, Chuck Berry passed away at his home in St. Charles County, Missouri. He was 90 years old. His funeral was held on April 9, 2017, in his hometown of St. Louis. It was a rock 'n' roll style event. Family, friends, and fans could say goodbye at The Pageant, a music club where he often performed.

His Lasting Legacy

Many people say that while no one person invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry came the closest. He was a genius at mixing different music styles. For example, in his first song, "Maybellene," he combined country and western guitar sounds with rhythm and blues music.

On July 29, 2011, a special eight-foot statue of Chuck Berry was unveiled in St. Louis. It stands in the Delmar Loop, near a famous restaurant called Blue Berry Hill. Berry himself said, "It's glorious—I do appreciate it to the highest, no doubt about it. That sort of honor is seldom given out. But I don't deserve it."

Many famous musicians have praised Chuck Berry.

Music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest of the rock and rollers."
John Lennon said, "if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."
Ted Nugent stated, "If you don't know every Chuck Berry lick, you can't play rock guitar."
Bob Dylan called Berry "the Shakespeare of rock 'n' roll."
Bruce Springsteen tweeted, "Chuck Berry was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived."