A Legend Swirls In The Ether.

     Charles Edward Anderson was born in St. Louis Missouri on October 18, 1926. With his birth the era of Rock & Roll began. You may know him better as Chuck Berry. He is and always will be, the epitome of Rock & Roll. His songs were a mixture of titivation, youth, and consumerism. With his iconic stance and showmanship, you had the blue print for everyone that followed him. He influenced so many great bands, from the likes of The Beatles, who when they played their first show in America,  played "Roll Over Beethoven" as their first song, to the Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger's frontman skills definitely borrowed from Berry himself, to countless others.

     Chuck's life changed when he traveled to Chicago, and met Muddy Waters. Muddy told him about a gentleman by the name of Leonard Chess. He was a record executive that helped develop electric blues and rock & roll. Together they recorded "Maybellene". It was an adaptation of an old country song, and garnered Chuck Berry his first big hit. It sold over a million copies. He crossed over audiences with his mixture of Rock, R&B, and country music that appealed to white listeners.

     When you think of the 50's, I can almost guarantee that the song that runs through your head, is a Chuck Berry song, and I'm going to play that song right for you as Favorite Song of the Week. This particular song is the only Rock & Roll song on the Voyager Golden Records. If you don't know what that is, then I'm going to tell you. NASA sent a deep space probe up that has a record pressed in gold with many different sounds, images, languages, greetings, music and more. The music part of the records encompasses many different cultures, genres, and eras. This song represents rock & roll, and I can't think of a better song to do it with. This song was also featured in the movie Back to the Future, when Marty has to fill in for a guitarist with an injured hand. When you hear it, you will think the same as me. Here is Chuck Berry with "Johnny B. Goode"



     Now that is rock & roll. I was wrong about the title of this. It should me "A Legend Swirls In The Ether", because Chuck Berry doesn't swirl. Chuck Berry does his duck step leg kick across a stage and then plays his guitar with furious abandon. There may never be another like Chuck Berry. He not only had the stage persona of a rock god, but he helped create a genre of music that truly makes you feel something. He performed with an energy that many have tried to imitate, but few have mastered. Chuck was an original. Peace in and goodnight.