Pioneer

Chuck Berry

The Cool

didn’t really grow up with Rock and Roll Music as a child. It just wasn’t a part of my musical education and I think a part of the reason was the perception that Rock and Roll had nothing to offer. It didn’t in any way reflect my experiences. I could never see myself reflected in the artists. I gravitated inevitably to Rap, hip-hop, Reggae and R&B. 

Serendipity led to my discovery of Chuck Berry and research led me to a study of the true history of rock and roll. It’s the uncomfortable truth for a lot of people about Rock and roll. It initially grew out of the black experience as an offshoot of Blues and Jazz. Men like Chuck Berry were integral to the development of the nascent musical form. In time, their work would be co-opted and they would be near-forgotten, but the genre would never have reached the heights it did without their contribution.

Chuck Berry was a guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of early rock and roll and introduced and refined a lot of the more common elements that set it apart from other forms, all the while garnering huge success and a number of chart toppers. He would eventually be inducted into the Hall of fame. His legacy is indelible and undeniable.

He’s still alive, and still rocking as hard as ever.

Greatest Quote (about him)

"If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."