Chuck Berry

• Genre: '50s Rock 'n' Roll
• Hometown: St. Louis

About

Chuck Berry is one of the true architects of rock 'n' roll music and a member of the Holy Trinity, with Little Richard seated to his left and Bo Diddley on his right. Berry's music is planted deep in the American psyche, enjoying iconographic status on a level with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. The trademark three-chord rhythm of songs such as "Johnny B. Goode" is the very basis of, and synonymous with, rock 'n' roll. As well as uncannily channeling the joys and frustrations of mid-1950s teenagers, Berry is a consummate blues player and has even dabbled in country music. Songs such as "Havana Moon" show an interest in the exotic rhythms of the islands. With his unmistakable, rollicking leads and duck-walking stage antics, you can't pick up a guitar without owing something to this great man.

- Mike McGuirk