Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry, de son vrai nom Charles Edward Anderson Berry, (né à Saint Louis, Missouri le 18 octobre 1926) est un guitariste, chanteur et compositeur américain. Il fait partie des artistes les plus importants du rock and roll. Il a influencé de nombreux autres artistes, et son répertoire a été très souvent repris (dont ses titres les plus célèbres, Johnny B. Goode et Roll over Beethoven).

Biographie

Chuck Berry découvre la musique dans l'Eglise locale où il se rend régulièrement avec ses six frères et sœurs. Ses parents font en effet partie de la chorale locale. Il est scolarisé à la Simmons Grade School puis à la Summer Grade School. Il apprend la basse dans le club musical Glee.

En 1944, encore jeune homme, il passe 3 ans dans une maison de redressement pour tentative de cambriolage. À sa sortie, il travaille pour la General Motors et décide de se lancer dans la musique.

Il a encore plus d'ennuis en décembre 1959, lorsqu'il invite une jeune apache de 14 ans qu'il a rencontrée à Mexico pour travailler dans son club de nuit (le « Berry's Club Bandstand ») à Saint Louis. Après que la jeune fille ait été arrêtée pour prostitution, c'est le tour de Berry, accusé pour sa part d'avoir transporté une mineure entre deux États pour l'exploiter. Berry fut condamné à 5 ans de prison et dut verser une amende de 5.000 $. Il est relâché en 1963.

Malgré cela, son influence est restée profonde, particulièrement dans les groupes anglais des années 1960. Les Rolling Stones lui ont beaucoup emprunté dans leur style.

Pendant des années, Chuck Berry a tourné avec sa seule guitare Gibson, confiant dans le fait qu'il pourrait trouver un groupe qui jouerait déjà sa musique. Parmi les artistes qui ont joué ce rôle, on trouve Bruce Springsteen ou Steve Miller.

Après avoir profité de la vague oldies des années 1970, il a de nouveau problèmes avec la justice en 1979. Accusé d'évasion fiscale, il plaide coupable et est condamné à 4 mois d'emprisonnement et de 1000 heures de travaux d'intérêt général.

A la fin des années 1980, Berry ouvre un restaurant à Wentzville dans le Missouri, le « Southern Air ». Berry possède aussi un domaine à Wentzville, le Berry Park. Pendant des années, Berry y a hébergé des concerts de rock. Depuis, il a fermé ce domaine au public devant le caractère agité de certains de ses invités. À la fin des années 1970, Berry a continué à jouer régulièrement aux États-Unis et à travers le monde. Un mercredi par mois, il joue au Blueberry Hill, un restaurant et bar situé près de Saint Louis (Missouri).

Dans les années 1990, il a été à nouveau sous le feu des projecteurs pour un affaire de voyeurisme vis-à-vis de quelques unes de ses invitées.

Musique et influences

Alors qu'on débat encore du titre qui a été la première chanson de rock and roll, les premiers enregistrements de Chuck Berry tel son premier succès « Maybellene » (1955) combinent déjà tous les éléments du rock, mélange de blues et de country, des textes simples qui parlent de filles et de voitures, des solos de guitare électrique sans compter le jeu de scène associé (dont la danse duckwalk, qu'il inventa) qui emportent l'adhésion du public ...

Il élabore son style à partir d'harmonies simples et répétitives et de textes entrainants ou drôles, mais tout aussi simples. Il a été influencé par la musique country, mais aussi et surtout par le blues, notamment Muddy Waters, chanteur et guitariste qui a présenté Chuck Berry à Leonard Chess de Chess Records. Parmi les idoles de Chuck Berry on compte aussi Nat King Cole, chanteur et pianiste ou Louis Jordan.

Ses plus célèbres compositions ont été enregistrées par les disques Chess Records avec le pianiste Johnnie Johnson et le légendaire producteur Willie Dixon à la basse, Fred Below aux percussions et bien sûr sa guitare.

Au cours de sa carrière, Chuck Berry a aussi enregistré des ballades comme « Havana Moon » et des chansons de blues telles que « Wee Wee Hours ». Plus de 30 de ses titres se sont hissées dans le Top 10 et ses chansons ont été reprises d'innombrables fois par des groupes de blues, de country ou de rock and roll.

Son premier véritable tube ne sort qu'en 1972 avec My ding-a-ling. Il est un des premiers à être entré au Rock'n'roll Hall of Fame en 1986.

Titres marquants

Rock

« Johnny B. Goode » racontant l'histoire largement autobiographique d'un garçon de la campagne qui « jouait de la guitare comme on sonne une cloche » a été choisie comme l'une des plus grandes réalisations de l'humanité emportées par la sonde Voyager I sur le Voyager Golden Record. Ce titre a aussi été utilisé dans le film Retour vers le futur.

« Rock and Roll Music » a été l'un des premiers titres enregistrés par les Beatles

« Around and Around » a été l'un des premiers titres enregistrés par les Rolling Stones

« Sweet Little Sixteen », est devenu un tube après que les Beach Boys en eurent modifié les paroles pour en faire le célèbre « Surfin' USA ».

« Roll Over Beethoven »

« Carol »

« School Days » dont le refrain « Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll », a été choisi comme titre pour un documentaire de Keith Richards sur les Rolling Stones pour rendre hommage à Chuck Berry.

« Let It Rock »

« Maybellene » parle de filles, de voitures, de rivaux et de jalousie. Cette chanson est basée sur le titre de country « Ida Red » chanté à l'origine par Bob Wills.

« Too Much Monkey Business »

« Brown-eyed Handsome Man »

« Back in the USA », qui a inspiré le « Back in the USSR » des Beatles.

« Nadine »

« Memphis » a été reprise par d'autres artistes (Lonnie Mack ou Johnny Rivers) qui ont construit leurs carrières en commençant par cette reprise.

« My Ding-a-Ling », son seul titre à avoir été numéro 1


Blues

Du côté de ses titres de blues, on a :

« Confessing the Blues », le titre phare du jazzband de Jay McShann.
« Merry Christmas, Baby », chanté à l'origine par Charles Brown
« Things I Used to Do », des Guitar Slim

L'héritage de Chuck

De nombreux groupes ont pris Chuck Berry pour modèle :

le groupe AC/DC, qui a repris presque note à note la chanson No Money Down en la renommant Whole Lotta Rosie. De plus, Angus Young (le guitariste du groupe) a repris la duckwalk de Chuck sur scène.

Keith Richards le guitariste des Rolling Stones est également un de ses plus grands fans. Son idolâtrie lui a valu un T-shirt brûlé et un coup de poing en pleine figure de la part de Chuck. Il ne sera pas rancunier et sera initiateur et directeur musical du film hail hail! Rock'n'roll réalisé pour les 60 ans de Chuck.

les Beatles se sont aussi beaucoup inspirés de Chuck Berry en reprenant plusieurs de ses chansons.

Eddy Mitchell a adapté en français la plupart des titres marquants de Chuck Berry.

:tarning: salut Pearly,

c'est un

grand guitariste et qui vie encors.


A LUI

:bisou: A TOI A+++++ KEEP ON ROCKIN

sweet little 16

bravo chuck pour tes merveilleux morceaux

j'lé vu a beauvais y'a 3 ,4 ans il a encore la peche le chuck
pour son jeune age ca va encore il assure

CHUCK BERRY - LITTLE QUEENIE

Chuck Berry - You Can't Catch Me

Chanteur, guitariste et compositeur Rock 'n' Roll US né Charles Edward Anderson Berry, le 18 octobre 1926 à Saint Louis (Missouri). Chuck Berry forme un trio en 1952 et se produit dans les Clubs de la région de Saint-Louis. découvert en 1955 par Muddy Waters qui le présente à Leonard Chess qui le fait aussitôt enregistrer. Fin 66, Chuck délaisse Chess Records pour signer avec Mercury, pour revenir à nouveau chez Chess en 1970. Chuck Berry peut-être considéré comme le plus grand des artisans du Rock 'n' Roll, de la construction à la réalisation.


Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. Quite simply, without him, there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor a myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting. The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat. There would be no obsessive wordplay by modern-day tunesmiths; in fact, the whole history (and artistic level) of rock & roll songwriting would have been much poorer without him. Like Brian Wilson said, he wrote "all of the great songs and came up with all the rock'n'roll beats." Those who do not claim him as a seminal influence or profess a liking for his music and showmanship show their ignorance of rock's development as well as his place as the music's first great creator. Elvis may have fueled rock & roll's imagery, but Chuck Berry was its heartbeat and original mindset.
He was born Charles Edward Anderson Berry to a large family in St. Louis. A bright pupil, Berry developed a love for poetry and hard blues early on, winning a high school talent contest with a guitar-and-vocal rendition of Jay McShann's big band number, "Confessin' the Blues." With some local tutelage from the neighborhood barber, Berry progressed from a four-string tenor guitar up to an official six-string model and was soon working the local East St. Louis club scene, sitting in everywhere he could. He quickly found out that black audiences liked a wide variety of music and set himself to the task of being able to reproduce as much of it as possible. What he found they really liked — besides the blues and Nat King Cole tunes — was the sight and sound of a black man playing white hillbilly music, and Berry's showmanlike flair, coupled with his seemingly inexhaustible supply of fresh verses to old favorites, quickly made him a name on the circuit. In 1954, he ended up taking over pianist Johnny Johnson's small combo and a residency at the Cosmopolitan Club soon made the Chuck Berry Trio the top attraction in the black community, with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm their only real competition.
But Berry had bigger ideas; he yearned to make records, and a trip to Chicago netted a two-minute conversation with his idol Muddy Waters, who encouraged him to approach Chess Records. Upon listening to Berry's homemade demo tape, label president Leonard Chess professed a liking for a hillbilly tune on it named "Ida Red" and quickly scheduled a session for May 21, 1955. During the session the title was changed to "Maybellene" and rock & roll history was born. Although the record only made it to the mid-20s on the Billboard pop chart, its overall influence was massive and groundbreaking in its scope. Here was finally a black rock & roll record with across-the-board appeal, embraced by white teenagers and Southern hillbilly musicians (a young Elvis Presley, still a full year from national stardom, quickly added it to his stage show), that for once couldn't be successfully covered by a pop singer like Snooky Lanson on Your Hit Parade. Part of the secret to its originality was Berry's blazing 24-bar guitar solo in the middle of it, the imaginative rhyme schemes in the lyrics, and the sheer thump of the record, all signaling that rock & roll had arrived and it was no fad. Helping to put the record over to a white teenage audience was the highly influential New York disc jockey Alan Freed, who had been given part of the writers' credit by Chess in return for his spins and plugs. But to his credit, Freed was also the first white DJ/promoter to consistently use Berry on his rock & roll stage show extravaganzas at the Brooklyn Fox and Paramount theaters (playing to predominately white audiences); and when Hollywood came calling a year or so later, also made sure that Chuck appeared with him in Rock! Rock! Rock!, Go, Johnny, Go!, and Mister Rock'n'Roll. Within a years' time, Chuck had gone from a local St. Louis blues picker making 15 dollars a night to an overnight sensation commanding over a hundred times that, arriving at the dawn of a new strain of popular music called rock & roll.
The hits started coming thick and fast over the next few years, every one of them about to become a classic of the genre: "Roll Over Beethoven," "Thirty Days," "Too Much Monkey Business," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "You Can't Catch Me," "School Day," "Carol," "Back in the U.S.A.," "Little Queenie," "Memphis, Tennessee," "Johnny B. Goode," and the tune that defined the moment perfectly, "Rock and Roll Music." Berry was not only in constant demand, touring the country on mixed package shows and appearing on television and in movies, but smart enough to know exactly what to do with the spoils of a suddenly successful show business career. He started investing heavily in St. Louis area real estate and, ever one to push the envelope, opened up a racially mixed nightspot called the Club Bandstand in 1958 to the consternation of uptight locals. These were not the plans of your average R&B singers who contented themselves with a wardrobe of flashy suits, a new Cadillac, and the nicest house in the black section. Berry was smart with plenty of business savvy and was already making plans to open an amusement park in nearby Wentzville. When the St. Louis hierarchy found out that an underage hat-check girl Berry hired had also set up shop as a prostitute at a nearby hotel, trouble came down on Berry like a sledgehammer on a fly. Charged with transporting a minor over state lines (the Mann Act), Berry endured two trials and was sentenced to federal prison for two years as a result.
He emerged from prison a moody, embittered man. But two very important things had happened in his absence. First, British teenagers had discovered his music and were making his old songs hits all over again. Second, and perhaps most important, America had discovered the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, both of whom based their music on Berry's style, with the Stones' early albums looking like a Berry song list. Rather than being resigned to the has-been circuit, Berry found himself in the midst of a worldwide beat boom with his music as the centerpiece. He came back with a clutch of hits ("Nadine," "No Particular Place to Go," "You Never Can Tell"), toured Britain in triumph, and appeared on the big screen with his British disciples in the groundbreaking T.A.M.I. Show in 1964.
Berry had moved with the times and found a new audience in the bargain and when the cries of "yeah-yeah-yeah" were replaced with peace signs, Berry altered his live act to include a passel of slow blues and quickly became a fixture on the festival and hippie ballroom circuit. After a disastrous stint with Mercury Records, he returned to Chess in the early '70s and scored his last hit with a live version of the salacious nursery rhyme, "My Ding a Ling," yielding Berry his first official gold record. By decade's end, he was as in demand as ever, working every oldies revival show, TV special, and festival that was thrown his way. But once again, troubles with the law reared their ugly head and 1979 saw Berry headed back to prison, this time for income tax evasion. Upon release this time, the creative days of Chuck Berry seemed to have come to an end. He appeared as himself in the Alan Freed bio-pic, American Hot Wax, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but steadfastly refused to record any new material or even issue a live album. His live performances became increasingly erratic, with Berry working with terrible backup bands and turning in sloppy, out-of-tune performances that did much to tarnish his reputation with younger fans and oldtimers alike. In 1987, he published his first book, Chuck Berry: The Autobiography, and the same year saw the film release of what will likely be his lasting legacy, the rockumentary Hail! Hail! Rock'n'Roll, which included live footage from a 60th-birthday concert with Keith Richards as musical director and the usual bevy of superstars coming out for guest turns. But for all of his off-stage exploits and seemingly ongoing troubles with the law, Chuck Berry remains the epitome of rock & roll, and his music will endure long after his private escapades have faded from memory. Because when it comes down to his music, perhaps John Lennon said it best, "If you were going to give rock & roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'.

http://www.chuckberry.com

Talents : Singer, Guitar, Songwriter
Style musical : Rock 'n' Roll

JOHNNY B. GOODE ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN

08/1955	SP CHESS 1604 (US)	.	Maybellene / Wee Wee Hours
11/1955	SP CHESS 1610 (US)	.	Thirty Days / Together
01/1956	SP CHESS 1615 (US)	.	No Money Down / Down Bound Train
05/1956	SP CHESS 1626 (US)	.	Roll Over Beethoven / Driftin' Heart
10/1956	SP CHESS 1635 (US)		Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Too Much Monkey Business
12/1956	SP CHESS 1645 (US)	.	You Can't Catch Me / Havana Moon
04/1957	SP CHESS 1653 (US)	.	School Days / Deep Feeling
05/1967	EP CHESS EP 5118 (US)		AFTER SCHOOL SESSIONS : School Days / Wee Wee Hours / Too Much Monkey Business / Brown Eyed Handsome Man
07/1957	SP CHESS 1664 (US)		Oh Baby Doll / La Juanda
10/1957	SP CHESS 1671 (US)	.	Rock And Roll Music / Blue Feeling
1957	EP CHESS EP 5121 (US)		ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC
1957	EP CHESS EP 5124 (US)		SWEET LITTLE 16
02/1958	SP CHESS 1683 (US)	.	Sweet Little Sixteen / Reelin' And Rockin'
04/1958	SP CHESS 1691 (US)	.	Johnny B. Goode / Around And Around
07/1958	SP CHESS 1697 (US)	.	Beautiful Delilah / Vacation Time
08/1958	SP CHESS 1700 (US)	.	Carol / Hey Pedro
11/1958	SP CHESS 1709 (US)	.	Sweet Little Rock And Roller / Jo Jo Gunne
12/1958	SP CHESS 1714 (US)	.	Run Randolph Run / Merry Christmas Baby
1958	EP LONDON REU 10004 (F)		Rock And Roll Music / Roll Over Beethoven / Blue Feeling / Drifting Heart

10/1996	CD WMO QUALITON 90313 (US)		ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN - Roll Over Beethoven / Brown-Eyed Handsome Man / School Day / Sweet Little Sixteen / Johnny B. Goode / Around & Around / Carol / Oh Yeah / Memphis / Let It Rock / Nadine (Is It You?) / No Particular Place To Go / You Never Can Tell / Little Marie / Promised Land / Dear Dad
10/1996	CD SEE FOR MILES 320 (UK)		EP COLLECTION - Reelin' And Rockin' / Johnny B. Goode / Nadine / Don't You Lie To Me / Around And Around / No Particular Place To Go / Childhood Sweetheart / My Little Love Light / Maybellene / I'm Talking About You / Roll Over Beethoven / Sweet Little Sixteen / You Can't Catch Me / Memphis / I Got A Booking / You Never Can Tell / Things I Used To Do / Jamaica Farewell Song / Thirty Days / Oh Baby Doll / School Days / Bye Bye Johnny / Back In The U.S.A. / Rock & Roll Music
02/1997	CD MCA 20974 (US)		GUITAR LEGENDS - Carol / Thirty Days / Roll Over Beethoven / Almost Grown / My Ding-A-Ling / + Bo DIDDLEY
03/1997	CD CHESS 9371 (US)		HIS BEST, VOLOME 1 - Maybellene / Thirty Days / You Can't Catch Me / Downbound Train / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Roll Over Beethoven / Too Much Monkey Business / Havana Moon / School Days / Rock & Roll Music / Oh Baby Doll / Reelin' And Rockin' / Sweet Little Sixteen / Johnny B. Goode / Around And Around / Beautiful Delilah / Carol / Anthony Boy / Jo Jo Gunne / Memphis
05/1997	CD CHESS 9381 (US)		HIS BEST, VOLUME 2 - Sweet Little Rock & Roller / Little Queenie / Almost Grown / Back In The U.S.A. / Let It Rock / Too Pooped To Pop / Bye Bye Johnny / Jaguar And Thunderbird / Confessin' The Blues / Down The Road A Piece / I'm Talking About You / Come On / Nadine / You Never Can Tell / Promised Land / No Particular Place To Go / I Want To Be Your Driver / Tulane / My Ding-A-Ling [single edit][live] / Reelin' and Rockin' [live]
03/1998	CD COLUMBIA RIVER 1154 (US)		LIVE : ROOTS OF ROCK 'N' ROLL - Roll Over Beethoven / School Days / Sweet Little Sixteen / Nadine / Let It Rock / Promised Land / Memphis / Johnny B. Goode / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Too Much Monkey Business
199?	CD PROMISED LAND HRT 93003 (NL)		CHUCK BERRY MEETS MATCHBOX - Liverpool Drive / Carol / Little Queenie / School Day / Sweet Little Sixteen / Memphis / Let it Rock / Everyday I Have The Blues / Wee Wee Hours / Bio / Promised Land / You Never Can Tell / My Ding-A-Ling / Johnny B. Goode / Reelin' And Rockin' / House Lights
03/1999	CD MCA 11944 (US)		20TH CENTURY MASTERS - THE BEST OF CHUCK BERRY - Maybellene / Roll Over Beethoven / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / School Days / Rock & Roll Music / Sweet Little Sixteen / Johnny B. Goode / Carol / You Never Can Tell / My Ding-A-Ling [single edit][live] / No Particular Place To Go
01/2000	CD COLUMBIA ? (US)		LIVE ! - School Days / Sweet Little Sixteen [live] / Roll Over Beethoven / Every Day I Have The Blues / Bio / Medley : Maybellene - Mountain Dew / Let It Rock / Medley : Carol - Little Queenie / Key To The Highway / Got My Mojo Working / Reelin' And Rockin' / Johnny B. Goode
06/2000	2 CD CHESS 112304 (US)		THE ANTHOLOGY : CD 1 : Maybellene / Wee Wee Hours / Thirty Days / You Can't Catch Me / Downbound Train / No Money Down / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Roll Over Beethoven / Too Much Monkey Business / Havana Moon / School Days / Rock & Roll Music / Oh Baby Doll / Sweet Little Sixteen / Guitar Boogie / Reelin' And Rockin' / Johnny B. Goode / Around And Around / Beautiful Delilah / House Of Blue Lights / Carol / Jo Jo Gunne / Memphis / Sweet Little Rock & Roller / Little Queenie / Almost Grown CD 2 : Back In The U.S.A. / Do You Love Me / Betty Jean / Childhood Sweetheart / Let It Rock / Too Pooped To Pop / I Got To Find My Baby / Don't You Lie To Me / Bye Bye Johnny / Jaguar And Thunderbird / Down The Road A Piece / Confessin' The Blues / I'm Talking About You / Come On / Nadine / You Never Can Tell / Promised Land / No Particular Place To Go / Dear Dad / I Want To Be Your Driver / Tulane / My Ding-A-Ling [single edit][live] / Reelin' And Rockin' [live] / Bio
2000	CD OFFICIAL 4012-FS (US)		CHUCK BERRY IN LONDON
08/2000	CD LEGACY ? (US)		JOHNNY B. GOODE - Johnny B. Goode / Hail, Hail Rock & Roll / Sweet Little Sixteen [live] / My Ding-A-Ling / Reelin' And Rockin' / Maybellene / Nadine / Memphis / Too Much Monkey Business
10/2001	CD COLUMBIA RIVER ? (US)		JOHNNY B. GOODE - Let It Rock / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Promised Land / Johnny B. Goode / Roll Over Beethoven / Rock & Roll Music / Nadine / Memphis / Sweet Little Sixteen / School Days
08/2003	CD MCA B0000530-02 (US)		BLUES - House Of Blue Lights / Wee Wee Hours / Deep Feeling [instrumental] / I Just Want To Make Love To You / How You've Changed / Down The Road A Piece / Worried Life Blues / Confessin' The Blues / Still Got The Blues / Driftin' Blues / Run Around / Route 66 / Sweet Sixteen / All Aboard / Things I Used To Do / St. Louis Blues
04/2004	CD EMI GOLD ? (UK)		20 GREAT TRACKS - Maybellene / Roll Over Beethoven / Reelin & Rockin / Rock & Roll Music / Sweet Little Sixteen / Johnny B. Goode / No Particular Place To Go / Memphis Tennessee / Wee Wee Hours / You Never Can Tell / Go Go Go (live) / Downbound Train / No Money Down / Havana Moon / House Of Blue Lights / Crying Steel / I'm Just A Lucky So & So / Promised Land / My Mustang Ford / Drifting Heart
06/2006	CD CHESS 000441702 (US)		THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION - Maybellene / Thirty Days / You Can't Catch Me / Too Much Monkey Business / Roll Over Beethoven / Brown Eyed Handsome Man / Havana Moon / School Day / Rock And Roll Music / Oh Baby Doll / Reelin' And Rockin' / Sweet Little Sixteen / Johnny B. Goode / Around And Around / Beautiful Delilah / Carol / Memphis, Tennessee / Sweet Little Rock & Roller / Little Queenie / Almost Grown / Back In The U.S.A. / Let It Rock / I'm Talking About You / Come On / Nadine (Is It You?) / You Never Can Tell / Promised Land / No Particular Place to Go / I Want To Be Your Driver / My Ding-A-Ling [live]

Source : http://www.rocky-52.net/loisirs_a.htm

Chuck Berry Roll over Beethoven 1965 (somewhere in France)