Chuck Berry

Berry, Chuck (Charles Edward Anderson Berry; 1926– ), U.S. rock and roll singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An influential pioneer of rock and roll music, Berry gained notoriety with white audiences and shaped blues rock and roll into his own big-beat and melodic patterned style that later influenced the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. His lyrics, loaded with ironies, spoke about the importance of rock and roll and the value of youth. Born in St. Louis, Mo., Berry played the guitar as a teenager and had his first big hit, “Maybellene,” in 1955. Other hits followed: “Johnny B. Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “My Ding-A-Ling,” and “Rock and Roll Music.”