Chuck
Berry was the real King of Rock & Roll. It took Elvis to make
the music safe for white suburban kids, but no one captured the spirit of
the music better than Chuck - and no one could ever match that nasty
guitar sound.
Little Richard claimed to be the king, but he was
really the Clown Prince. Fats Domino was the Duke.
In later years, Chuck would tour without a band,
hiring local musicians. He is reported to have said, "If you can't
play a Chuck Berry song, you got no business touching a guitar!" 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.
Chuck Berry's top ten hits:* "Bye Bye Love" (2),
"Wake Up Little Susie" (3), "All I Have to Do Is
Dream" (1), "Bird Dog" (1), "Devoted to You"
(10), "Problems" (2), "(‘Til) I Kissed You" (4),
"Let it Be Me" (7), "Cathy’s Clown" (1), "When
Will I Be Loved" (8), "So Sad to Watch Good Love Go Bad"
(7), "Walk Right Back" (7), "Ebony Eyes" (8),
"Crying in the Rain" (6), "That’s Old Fashioned"
(9).
--Dick Estel, August 2006
*Billboard pop singles chart, as reported in the book Top 40
Hits, copyright 1992 by Joel Whitburn.
