Chuck Berry 1926-2017
Chuck Berry, the rock musician, died yesterday aged 90. Ringo Starr was one of many fans worldwide to pay tribute to the man he described as ‘Mr Rock ‘n’ Roll’.
set one day in May 1955, when Chuck Berry recorded his debut single
his Polar Music Prize citation read.
“Chuck Berry was the rock’n’roll pioneer who turned the electric guitar into the main instrument of rock music. Every riff and solo played by rock guitarists over the last 60 years contains DNA that can be traced right back to Chuck Berry. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and a million other groups began to learn their craft by playing Chuck Berry songs.”
When Berry started out he was one of the few black artists to appeal to the new white audience, with a fresh twist on the sound of rhythm and blues. Chuck Berry, pictured on stage in France in 2004, announced last year that he would be releasing his first album since 1979