Legendary US singer and composer Chuck Berry, one of the pioneers of rock-and-roll, performs at a concert in Montevideo on April 15, 2013. Photo credit: PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP/Getty Images
Another musician has passed away. Legendary rocker Chuck Berry died on March 18, 2017. He was 90 years old.
The St. Charles County Police Department in Missouri confirmed the rocker’s death on its Facebook page. Mr. Berry died at his home near Wentzville, Mo., about 45 miles west of St. Louis. The department said it responded to a medical emergency and he was declared dead after lifesaving measures were unsuccessful.
Berry’s known for his awesome guitar licks, self-confidence, and memorable songs about cars, girls, and parties. Ask any musician today, his tracks and talent definitely helped pave the way to define rock ’n’ roll. Berry’s hits included “Johnny B. Goode” and “Maybellene” which are songs every garage band and fledgling guitarist had to learn if they wanted to enter the rock ‘n’ roll gang. His guitar riffs were full of a country twang sound, with a bit of the blues. He sang with such clear enunciation, too. He simply gave his listeners more than jukebox entertainment.
The music world made sure to show their respect to the legend shortly after news of his passing broke. The Rolling Stones posted on their website: “The Rolling Stones are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Chuck Berry. He was a true pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll and a massive influence on us. Chuck was not only a brilliant guitarist, singer, and performer but most importantly, he was a master craftsman as a songwriter. His songs will live forever. ” See what other musicians had to say about Berry and his impact on them, here.
Check out a list of Berry’s top five greatest albums, below.
5. Rock It (1979)
Rock It was released in 1979 by Atco Records. It was Berry’s only release with that label, and Atco was the third label for which Berry made studio recordings. He was previously with Chess Records and recorded two albums with them. That was interrupted by a brief stint with Mercury Records in the 1960s.
As of March 2017, Rock It is Berry’s most recent studio album. At the time of his 90th birthday in late 2016, it was announced that a forthcoming album, Chuck, was scheduled for release in 2017, which would make a gap of 38 years between them. Unfortunately, that release did not take place before his death. That album still doesn’t have a release date. That makes Rock It the last studio album released in Berry’s lifetime, and that’s why it definitely had to make our list.
Learn more about Rock It here.
Learn more about Chuck Berry here.
Rock It download: Amazon – iTunes – Google Play
4. Concerto In B Goode (1968)
How could any musician from the late 1960s and early 1970s go on without creating a psychedelic album? Berry made sure to go down that road, too when he went psych with Mercury Records. That result was his 1968 album Concerto In B Goode. While it was a bit different than what his fans were used to, the highlight of the album, of course, was the side-long 18-minute title track, which Berry went nuts on.
The title of the album comes from Berry’s semi-autobiographical song “Johnny B. Goode.”
Learn more about Concerto In B Goode here.
Learn more about Chuck Berry here.
Concerto In B Goode download: Amazon – iTunes – Google Play
3. St. Louis To Liverpool (1964)
St. Louis To Liverpool is a rock and roll album by Berry, released in 1964 by Chess Records. It peaked at number 124 on the Billboard album chart.
On October 18, 1963, Berry was released from prison after having spent 20 months incarcerated thanks to a conviction on a charge under the Mann Act. During his time in jail, rock groups found inspiration in his previous work. The Beach Boys had allegedly based their number three hit single “Surfin’ U.S.A.” on his “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and the Beatles included a cover of “Roll Over Beethoven” on their second American album.
Trying to be part of and make money off of the British Invasion, Berry and Chess Records created this album to appeal to young buyers. St. Louis to Liverpool includes four of the five charting singles he enjoyed in 1964, the final year he would have multiple records appearing on the Billboard Hot 100: “No Particular Place to Go”, “You Never Can Tell”, “Promised Land”, and “Little Marie.” It also includes the best holiday song Berry ever recorded, “Merry Christmas Baby.”
Learn more about St. Louis To Liverpool here.
Learn more about Chuck Berry here.
St. Louis To Liverpool download: Amazon – iTunes – Google Play
2. Chuck Berry Is On Top (1959)
Released in 1959, Berry’s third record is so packed with smash singles you might as well call it a greatest hits album. “Carol”, “Maybellene”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Little Queenie”, “Roll Over Beethoven” and more of Berry’s best songs are all on there.
Chuck Berry Is on Top was no doubt put together as a way to get all of Chuck’s hit singles from the ’50s in one place. It is constructed so fluidly by producers, easily making it one of the greatest masterpieces he blessed us all with.
We aren’t the only ones who agree about the amazingness of this album, either. In his review of the album for Allmusic.com, musician Cub Koda described it as “almost a mini-greatest-hits package in and of itself” and the most perfectly realized collection of Berry’s career.
Learn more about Chuck Berry Is On Top here.
Learn more about Chuck Berry here.
Chuck Berry Is On Top download: Amazon – iTunes – Google Play
1. “The Great Twenty-Eight” (1982)
Of course, an actual greatest hits album is going to top the list. How can it get any better than a collection of Berry’s best songs?
The Great Twenty-Eight is a greatest-hits collection released in 1982. In 2003, the album was ranked number 21 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, the second highest ranking compilation on the list, after Elvis Presley’s The Sun Sessions.
The album includes tracks from Berry’s first 11 years with Chess Records (1955–1965), leaving out his later recordings for the label, such as “My Ding-a-Ling”, which was his only number one hit.
Learn more about The Great Twenty-Eight here.
Learn more about Chuck Berry here.
The Great Twenty-Eight download: Amazon – iTunes – Google Play