Elvis Presley may have had a hit with Jailhouse Rock, but
it could have been Chuck Berry's theme song. Mr. Berry's
records are not all on vinyl. Various branches of law
enforcement have numerous files on one Charles Edward
Anderson Berry.
Born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri, Chuck
Berry's young life gave no indication that he would become
one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Instead, his
behavior seemed to point toward a future as a career
criminal.
Surprising was the fact that Berry could have gone so far
astray, having come from such a stable and respectable
home. His mother was a school teacher and his father was a
contractor and deacon of the Antioch Baptist Church. Chuck
was the 3rd of 6 children and grew up in a community
considered affluent by the standards of the time.
Berry showed signs of his talent at an early age singing
in his church choir by age 6. Later he developed an
interest in guitar and set about emulating heroes like
Muddy Waters (and later, Nat King Cole). But the road
became rocky fairly early in Chuck's life.
In 1944 Berry was arrested on armed robbery charges and
sentenced to 10 years in the Intermediate Reformatory for
Young Men at Algoa. Released after 3 years, Berry set
about getting his music career back on track.
After working several odd jobs Berry hooked-up with Sir
John's Trio (a St. Louis favorite) in 1953 and seemed to
be on his way. In 1955 he met Muddy Waters in Chicago.
Waters suggested he give Chess Records a try.
In under a year after taking his idol's advice, Berry
scored a top ten hit with 1955's Maybellene. Another hit
came in 1956 with Roll over Beethoven and he was on a
roll. A string of successes including Sweet Little
Sixteen, Johnny B. Goode and Almost Grown followed…and so
did the law.
In 1959 Berry was accused under the Mann Act of
transporting a minor across state lines for sexual
purposes. He was sentenced to 5 years and released in
1963. Then, true to form, he bounced back to record still
more hits like No Particular Place To Go and Promised
Land.
In 1972 he achieved his only #1 chart success with
My-Ding-a-Ling (a novelty tune recorded live in London)
and followed it up with the hit Reelin' and Rockin'. From
then on it was heavy touring and a steady gig as a rock
'n' roll legend…for awhile.
In 1979 Berry pled guilty to income tax evasion and was
sentenced to 4 months and 1,000 hours of community
service. Following the disagreement with the federal
government he once again balanced the scales of justice by
being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
1986.
In the early 1990's there was still more legal trouble.
Several women accused Berry of illegally videotaping them
in bathrooms at both his home and his restaurant. The
alleged misbehavior involved lengthy litigation but no
jail time and he continued to enjoy a steady stream of
bookings.
He still performs regularly today at age 79 and is
definitely worth seeing. If given the opportunity, every
music lover should catch Chuck Berry…before the law does.
