Author: Ilana Menges
Title: Chuck Berry
Length: 06:10
| Running Time | Segment Time | Narration |
| 00:22.35 | 00:22.35 | (SOUNDBITE OF SONG “SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN) |
| 01:03.38 | 00:41.15 | One of America’s most well known rock ‘n’ roll artist was of African-American descent and arrived on the scene at a time when racial tensions between whites and blacks was high. His musical style combined blues with country-western music. His flair eventually morphed into rock and roll music, which was popular from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. His music inspired many teenagers and changed the way the public viewed rock and roll. This entertainer, whose talent for playing electric guitar was considered to be one of the best of his era, was not just a musician, he was an individual who changed the music industry and proved to others that he had the determination to break through the stereotypes and assumptions that existed throughout the music world. |
| 01:20.34 | 00:16.93 | (SOUNDBITE OF SONG “ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC”) |
| 01:52.32 | 00:33.46 | This musician was born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri. According to an article produced by Rolling Stones and written by Mikal Gilmore, he was exposed to music through his church where his family often participated in the choir, which provided him with a solid foundation for his music. He began his musical career at the age of 15 when he went on stage at a high school to perform a cover of Jay McShann’s song “Confessin’ the Blues.” That day he received a standing ovation, which he would never forget. |
| 01:59.59 | 00:07.27 | (SOUNDBITE OF CLAPPING AND CHEERING) |
| 02:39.21 | 00:40.95 | As Ed Ward spoke of in his book, The History of Rock & Roll, this artist traveled to Chicago in hopes of finding and securing a recording contract. While there, he met Muddy Waters, a fellow musician who directed him to contact the Chess brothers. Leonard and Phil Chess signed him for their Chess label. According to Ward from NPR Music, Muddy Waters saw him as the talented guitarist he was and together they produced “Maybellene” during his first recording session. It was a country-and-western-influenced song that he had originally titled “Ida Red.” The song was very popular and stayed on the pop charts for eleven weeks, cresting at number five. |
| 02:55.14 | 00:15.47 | (SOUNDBITE OF SONG: “MAYBELLENE”) |
| 03:12.65 | 00:29.45 | As stated in an article from the Seattle Times, this musician successfully continued his music career where he later went on to create and perform many other hit songs including “Johnny B. Good,” which was the seventh greatest rock song of all time. The song was so good that it enthused writer Gary Alexander to create a movie called “Go, Johnny, Go!” The movie was about a musician’s struggle on the way to fame. The artist made an appearance in the movie in 1959. |
| 03:23.53 | 00:29.58 | (SOUNDBITE OF SONG: “JOHNNY B. GOOD”) |
| 03:53.12 | 0:57.31 | Due to his color and heritage, this musician was part of a marginalized group. According to Merriam-Webster, marginalized means “to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.” Since he was African-American and became popular during a period in American history when racial tension was high, it is more than evident that he faced discrimination when he tried to break into the music industry. As mentioned in the article by Rolling Stones, an increasing number of white teenagers found his music appealing. I surmise, like most teens from previous generations, teens of the fifties and sixties were supporting him as a rebellion to their parents. In remembering the fifties and sixties, whites did not mingle with blacks. This caused a cultural shock that faced backlash from many parents and adults raised in the previous generation. He recorded a variety of songs toward different demographics as if to keep his options open in case his primary audience turned him away. |
| 04:50.34 | 00:22.55 | According to author David Aretha in the book Rock and Soul Musicians, this artist is known to have an influence on the media because he helped create a new style of music. He also changed the path for several musicians, such as Elvis Presley, who patterned his style of music after him. Because of these inspirations to others, he inherited the name, “the father of rock ‘n’ roll.” |
| 05:12.89 | 00:30.64 | While he is known as the father of rock and roll, he was only one of many who paved the road to this new style of music. As David Aretha says, “He did not invent the genre; no single man can make that claim.” However, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame says, He “comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together. It was his particular genius to graft country and western guitar licks onto a rhythm and blues chassis in his very first single, ‘Maybellene.’” |
| 05:44.52 | 00:23.42 | (SOUNDBITE OF SINGLE “MAYBELLENE”) |
| 06.46.10 | 00:38.15 | Charles Edward Anderson Berry, better known as Chuck Berry made a big influence on the media and forever changed the music industry. He went through many trials as a black male trying to break into the music industry, which was mostly white dominated with a new genre that was not yet well known or even liked. While racial tensions were high, this new style of music was the change that many teenagers and young adults were searching for to develop their own sense of identity and cross those racial barriers. Berry became a loved legend and a music influencer in the hearts of artists and musicians for many generations. |
| 07:06.19 | 00:20.09 | (SOUNDBITE OF SONG: “ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN”) |
Ilana Menges 