Chuck Berry is one of the founders of rock and roll. He is the only one living today. He has performed for millions of people with his famous “Duck Walk.” He still has what Corliss & Bland describe as a slim, toned body, wavy hair drenched in Valvoline oil, and a sharply cut masculine chin and cheeks etched with pain and promise. Even today he only wants a Lincoln Town Car, his Fender Bassman amp, and his guitar. Chuck Berry has had for decades one of the shortest and most ironclad contracts in the music business (Jacobson 6). One would think his music would be heard among today’s teenagers and young adults. However, the current teenage generation and the generation before it idolizes bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, groups Chuck Berry directly influenced. Rolling Stones and The Beatles seem to be everywhere in 21st century culture. This is proof Chuck Berry has been not only instrumental but also highly underappreciated. To know Chuck Berry, one must know his early life, his influence, and the way he uses many different genres in his music. Mainstream music in the 21st century is known to blend many different genres. Chuck Berry has influenced such genres as rhythm and blues (R&B), country, and today’s pop music. He realized at a young age he had to play more than just “black” music as a black artist. He had to appeal to whites since most Americans in the 1950s were white. He had exposure to several different genres growing up in his St. Louis, MO hometown. He heard country from the whites, rhythm & blues (R&B) from mostly blacks, even Latin music. His family environment set him up well for future success while growing up in a middle class home in the middle of the Great Depression of the 1930s. His parents sun... ... middle of paper ... ...014. DeWitt, Howard A. Chuck Berry: Rock ‘N’ Roll Music. 2nd Ed. Ann Arbor: Pierian Press, 1985. Print. Gulla, Bob. Guitar Gods: The 25 Players Who Made Rock History. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print. Jacobson, Mark. “Chuck Berry, the Father of Rock, Turns 75.” Rolling Stone. December 6, 2001: 1-11. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 March 2014. Johnson, Kevin C. "Chuck Berry Hopes for 200 More Duck Room Concerts." St. Louis Post- Dispatch. 10 Jan. 2014. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. McLeese, Don. “The Spirit of a Rocker.” New York Times. 18 October 1987. Web. 11 April 2014. McPherson, Ian. “The Salt of the Earth: 1955-1960 R&B-Derived Rock & Roll.” Time Is On Our Side. 2000-2008. Web. 11 April 2014. Taylor, Timothy D. “His Name Was in Lights: Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny B. Goode.’” Popular Music. January 1992: 27-40. JSTOR. Web. 29 March 2014.
Although Motown no longer dominates the charts like it once did, Gordy's impact on the music trade can't be overstated. Motown's sound influenced everybody from the rock band and the Rolling Stones to newer chart-toppers like Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul. A real pioneer, Gordy assembled nothing but the rock 'n' roll era's most outstanding list of artists, musicians, songwriters and producers, and in pursuing his dream, he brought 2 races together through music.
These factors had huge impacts on his success due to the music of Motown playing a significant role in the racial integration of American society. Segregation and discrimination in America was a serious social issue that affected the lifestyle of African-Americans in the 1960’s and the civil rights movement was a social movement that had an aim of ending racial inequalities. As a result of the segregation between these two cultures, there was a lot of rising racial tension which consequently led to the culmination of race riots. The social issues at that time played a significant part in Gordy’s success in the production of Motown as he wanted to produce the “sound of young America” regardless of one’s colour or race and to take this sound to wider audiences including Baby Boomers. “Motown was about music for all people- white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers.
There is without a doubt that the 1950s saw the rise of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, known as Chuck Berry. His musical take on rhythm and blues was a large influence on many successful artists that rose the following decade, but most notably The Rolling Stones. This paper examines the earlier musical career of Chuck Berry and how The Rolling Stones modeled themselves upon him and then expanded themselves further.
The music industry during the 1940s was filled with many talented artists who impacted the music industry and the history of rock n’ roll forever. But one of the very well known and talented artists was Buddy Holly. Buddy Holly was the first to pioneer new music genres and progressive music. Charles Hardin Holley (1936-1959) was an American musician and artist whose creative career began in 1956. The family name is correctly spelled “Holley” but his first recording contract from Decca Records in 1956 spelled his last name “Holly” and he kept it that way for the rest of his career (Griggs 1). Holly took a very influential position in the music industry and built an audience for his Rock and Roll music very quickly due to his unique voice and advanced knowledge of music. Buddy Holly is a prime example of a musical pioneer who blended resources from various music genres including a variety of popular genres such as rhythm and blues (RNB), oriental, and African (Schinder and Schwartz 85).
Rock n’ roll gave people the voice they did not have in the early years. As the genre of music became more wide spread, people actually began to speak out. Altschuler touches on the exploration of how the rock n' roll culture roughly integrated with replaced and conflicted with preceding cultural values. Many of these values were very touch topics. Besides black civil rights, sexuality were one of the most sensitive t...
Chuck Berry was a very dominant part of history and rock & roll. Berry, a St. Louis native adopted country, blues and R&B inspirations to create a singular guitar technique. Berry paired these skills with astounding charisma, extraordinary stage moves and an expressive voice that was projected more to *white youth and anyone young at heart, guaranteeing his status as one of rock & roll's first great hit makers. Berry was a big player in “The first wave” of rock & roll artists. Historians say Elvis Presley cracked open the door for rock & roll, BUT Chuck Berry kicked it wide open with his signature duck walk over it for good measure. In Berry's hands, the tune featured lyrics confronting an unfortunate battle with an enthusiastic wish that his
Goldstein, Patrick. “Parents Warn: Take The Sex and Shock Out Of Rock And Roll.” Los Angeles
The development of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the late 1940s and early 1950s by young African Americans coincided with a sensitive time in America. Civil rights movements were under way around the country as African Americans struggles to gain equal treatment and the same access to resources as their white neighbors. As courts began to vote in favor of integration, tensions between whites and blacks escalated. As the catchy rhythm of Rock ‘n’ Roll began to cross racial boundaries many whites began to feel threatened by the music, claiming its role in promoting integration. This became especially problematic as their youth became especially drawn to ...
The rise of rock and roll into the limelight is to a large extent attributed to the teenagers of the 1950’s. Early rock music listened to by teenagers during the 1950’s was formed by blending together Rhythm and blues with country music. This kind of ...
Chuck Berry is known as one of the most influential artists of the rhythm and blues, rock and roll error of music from the 50’s through the 70’s. He is famous for a vast amount of hit records including the hit songs Maybellene My-Ding-A-Ling and Johnny B. Goode. Many music historians considered Berry’s song Maybellne the first true rock and roll song. While undergoing his musical career Berry faced numerous devastating obstacles that could have tragically ended his career. All of Berry’s songs were derived from his adept lyrics and peculiar sounds. Chuck Berry influenced a lot of artists with his amazing talent. A few would include The Beetles, John Doe, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. With all of his success Berry became a very essential figure in the history of Rock and Roll.
Berry served in the United States Army for several years. Upon his return, Gordy decided to open up a record store back in his hometown of Detroit. The record store was short lived as it failed just a few months later. Berry fell deeper in love with music during the operation of the store and began writing songs. He would give these songs to local artists building his...
Damsker, Matt. Rock Voices: The Best Lyrics of an Era. New York: St. Martin's, 1980, Pages 42 – 45.
Cahoon, B. (2004, January 1). Rhythm and Blues Music: Overview. . Retrieved May 28, 2014, from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/rhythm-and-blues-music-overview.
Powell, A. (2007). The Music of African Americans and its Impact on the American Culture in the 1960’s and the 1970’s. Miller African Centered Academy, 1. Retrieved from http://www.chatham.edu/pti/curriculum/units/2007/Powell.pdf