The Passing of Music Icons 2017 - Chuck Berry - March 18, 2017 | Eastern North Carolina Now

Chuck Berry - March 18, 2017

   After a long and eventful life, the spark plug of Rock and Roll has passed at 90 years old. Perhaps his greatest contribution was his cross over from "Negro Music", which was rare in the 1950s, to main stream Rock and Roll. While most of the south was still in the throes of segregation, Chuck stole the musical heart of a whole generation of white teenagers and that might have been just as important as MKL marches and sit ins.
Photo by Michael Borkson
   His signature song Johnny B. Goode displayed the virtuoso of his guitar playing with its driving beat and its simple lyrics. The opening riff may be the most famous guitar riff in history. He was also an astute businessman. He realized early on that the music industry was a crooked and stacked deck against the singer and songwriters. As a result he often demanded to be paid in cash before his performances. Naturally that got him in trouble with the IRS later in his life.

   His high profile philandering also got him in trouble with the law. Like all rock and roll stars, he took full advantage of the willing groupies that are on the smorgasbord of back stage. He was convicted under the Mann act ans served a year and half in prison. There is not doubt that he would not be a role model, but then again, I don't know many Rock and Roll musicians who would fit that bill either.

   I need not add too much to his long list of accolades and his influence on most of the musicians and guitarist to follow. Needless to say, I tried to learn the intro to Johnny B. Goode, and never quite got the hang of it. It was long before YouTube and the best you could do was try to pick it up from the 45 RPM record. That used to be the test for a guitar man at every audition. If you could not play the opening bars, you were told to go home and practice more.

   The lyrics, while simple and repetitive, illustrate the story of many a vagabond musician. Interestingly, he changed the words so it would get more air play. The line "Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode" was originally "a colored boy."  However, Chuck knew that would never get play time on the AM radio. He made a conscious effort to write and sing songs geared to the white kids. Many never knew he was a black musician because he could sing country ballads with the best including Carl Perkins, whom he toured with while he was under contract to Chess Records.
The Duck Walk was a highlight of his shows and he kept performing it until his knees gave out.

Johnny B. Goode

Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans,
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood,
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well,
But he could play a guitar just like a ringing a bell.

[Chorus:]
Go Go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go
Johnny B. Goode

He used to carry his guitar in a gunny sack
Or sit beneath the tree by the railroad track.
Oh, the engineers would see him sitting in the shade,
Strumming with the rhythm that the drivers made.
The people passing by, they would stop and say,
"Oh, my, but that little country boy could play!"

[Chorus]

His mother told him, "Someday you will be a man,
And you will be the leader of a big old band.
Many people coming from miles around
To hear you play your music when the sun go down.
Maybe someday your name will be in lights
Saying 'Johnny B. Goode tonight'."

[Chorus]

   In 1987 a documentary was released which has been on Netflix and also available on Amazon. It details the life and times of Chuck Berry. It also features Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Ingrid Berry, Robert Cray.   Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll

   There will be many tributes to Chuck over the next few days. I have selected a cut from the above documentary. He was still rocking at the age of sixty-one and continued well into his eighties. There is hope for us all.
   I have intentionally selected live performances for these videos. When Chuck was touring, he did not have a back up band. He showed up collected his money, unpacked his guitar and went on stage. It was common knowledge in the business that if you were going to play back up for Chuck, you better be able to follow his lead. He would change keys in the middle of the song and never gave the back up band a play list. He played whatever the hell he felt like playing. By all accounts he could be cantankerous and ill tempered. Nevertheless, his songs mark a special time in my life. This next one makes me feel like I am back in school again.


    Normally people say RIP when someone dies but in this case I think I will just say:

ROCK ON