Chuck Berry is Rock 'n Roll

                NPR’s Farai Chedeya posed the question to Andy McKaia, a producer for the Berry CD box set released in 2008, “Does Chuck Berry get enough credit for shaping rock ‘n’ roll?” McKaia’s response, “Probably not. Elvis is certainly the most popular artist from that time, but Chuck Berry follows closely behind” (NPR). At the mention of 1950s rock ‘n’ roll people do tend to think of Elvis Presley before any other artist. However, many notable figures in the music industry lean toward Chuck Berry as the figurehead of the genre. “There’s only one true king of rock ‘n’ roll. His name is Chuck Berry,” said Stevie Wonder (Berry.com). “If you tried to give rock ‘n’ roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’,” said John Lennon (Berry).

                Born in 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry grew up listening to his idol Nat “King” Cole and eventually emulated Cole’s vocals and smooth tonality (Berry.com) in combination with the hillbilly music on the radio (Britannica) and the rhythm and blues from his primarily black middle-class neighborhood to create his own musical rendition of what would become rock ‘n’ roll (NPR). A perfect example is Berry’s hit, Roll over Beethoven, “My heart's beatin' rhythm, and my soul keeps on singin' the blues… Reel and rock it … Roll over Beethoven and dig these rhythm and blues” (Berry.com). Andy McKaia said in response to the virility of Berry’s sound that it was “a unique melding… much different than what was going on the time, black-white, or any kind of music.” McKaia also referred to Berry as the “architect” of the rock ‘n’ roll format,  the guitar riffs and rhythms, that he was the first great lyricist and poet. His primary audience? The teenagers (NPR). The best examples of his teenage niche are songs like, Sweet Little Sixteen, No Particular Place to Go, and Johnny B. Goode.

                As the “lariat of rock ‘n’ roll”, Berry sent a ripple effect of his style, a footprint so to speak for upcoming artists, even some important and influential musicians such as the Beach Boys (NPR). The Official web page for the Beach Boys states that they adapted a blending of “rootsy Chuck Berry’s R&B” with The Four Freshman and “California’s mythos of an Endless Summer” in creating their form (Beach Boys). There are many similarities between the songs I Get Around by the Beach Boys to Berry’s No Particular Place to Go and Sweet Little Sixteen. All are fun, energetic, and upbeat, with similar guitar riffs, creating an overall summery feel on the road geared directly toward teenagers. In fact, Sweet Little Sixteen and I Get Around possess remarkably similar tonal qualities, cords, riffs, and rhythm. Beach Boys’ Fun, Fun, Fun and Berry’s Johnny B. Goode have nearly the same guitar lead-in (Youtube.com). Not a plagiarism, certainly, but a tribute. The online radio, Pandora will recommend songs by the Beach Boys for the Chuck Berry Station – and vice versa – since both have very similar musical DNA (Pandora.com).

                The Beach Boys aren’t the only groups who benefited from Berry’s style. According to Berry’s official website, many artists are quoted for the influence Berry played in their lives: Keith Richards – Rolling Stones, Joe Perry – Aerosmith, Anthony Kiedis – Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jerry Lee Lewis to name a few (Berry.com). It is no wonder that through his illustrious career, achievements, awards, and his incredible hits that NPR’s Chedeya regards him  as “Chuck Berry: The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

Works Cited

Beach Boys. “The Beach Boys’ Official Website” 2011. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.beachboys.com/>.

Berry, Chuck. Chuck Berry: The Autobiography. Faber and Faber. 2001. Found on Google Books 12 Nov. 2011 <http://books.google.com/books?id=XoM3HAAACAAJ&dq=chuck+berry&hl=en&ei=3AO_TuaEDKXeiALsrJyIDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA>.

Berry.com. “The Chuck Berry Official Website” 11 Nov. 2011 <http://www.chuckberry.com/index.php>.

Encyclopædia Britannica. “Chuck Berry.” 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/62729/Chuck-Berry>.

NPR News and Notes. Farai Chideya and Andy McKaia. Chuck Berry: The Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll. 28 Mar. 2008. Found as podcast on 11 Nov. 2011 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89184737>.

Pandora.com. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.pandora.com/>.

Youtube.com. “Beach Boys – Fun Fun Fun.”  3 Jan. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HgS_Wf5i38k”

Youtube.com. “Beach Boys – I Get Around.” 4 Oct. 2008. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HgS_Wf5i38k>.

Youtube.com. “Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode (Best Quality).” 26 Jun. 2011. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB-98y_yE9c>.

Youtube.com. “Chuck Berry – No Particular Place to Go (Vinyl).” 19 Apr. 2011. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK9T4sxwHUA>.

Youtube.com. “Chuck Berry – Sweet Little Sixteen.” 13 Dec. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UILMUCBecYw>.