Last chance to see a legend?
ONE of the pioneers of rock and roll has a Tyneside date later this month, and it could be the last chance to see him.
Chuck Berry is at the Tyne Theatre in Newcastle on Sunday, November 22, and given his age – he's 83 – it could be his final tour.
Born in St Louis, Missouri, in October 1926, Berry blended the smooth vocals of his idol, Nat King Cole, and the blues guitar of Muddy Waters into his own sound.
He had discovered the blues as a teenager, and began moonlighting as a guitarist for various bands as an extra source of income.
By early 1953 Berry was performing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio, who played at a popular club called The Cosmopolitan, in East St Louis.
Although the band played mostly blues and ballads, the most popular music among whites in the area was country – referred to at the time as hillbilly.
Berry wrote in his autobiography: "Curiosity provoked me to lay a lot of our country stuff on our predominantly black audience, and some of them began whispering 'who's that black hillbilly at the Cosmo?'
"After they laughed at me a few times they began requesting the hillbilly stuff and enjoyed dancing to it."
In May 1955 Berry went to Chicago, where he met Waters himself, who suggested contacting Leonard Chess of Chess Records.
Berry thought his blues material would be of most interest, but it was a song called Maybelline, an adaptation of old country number Ida Red, the label went for.
It proved a good choice, going on to sell more than a million copies, and Roll Over Beethoven was another hit in 1956.
Berry's growing reputation was enhanced by a US tour with Carl Perkins, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and other rising stars, and the hits just kept coming – songs like Rock And Roll Music, which are now regarded as standards.
At the height of his success, Berry, dubbed "the eternal teenager", was a 30-year-old black man singing to a mostly white, teenage audience.
In the 1960s he inspired groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, so it was ironic his first and only No1 pop chart hit in 1972 was novelty track My Ding-A-Ling.
He was the first inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, with the citation saying: "While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together."
A clip of his signature tune, Johnny B. Goode, was played in the Voyager I spacecraft, proving that he and his rock legacy are truly out of this world.
Chuck Berry and his St Louis Band are playing a full 14-date UK tour, with special guests at every show.
A few tickets for the Newcastle date, priced 46, are available from (0844) 493 9999, but one lucky reader can win a pair for free in today's great Gazette competition.
To stand a chance of winning, tell us the name of Chuck Berry's only UK No1 hit.
Send your answers to Chuck Berry Competition, c/o Gary Welford, The Shields Gazette, Chapter Row, South Shields NE33 1BL, by noon next Wednesday.
Or e-mail your answer, name, address and a daytime phone number to gazette.comps@northeast-press.co.uk, with the subject line 'chuck berry comp'.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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