Chuck Berry was one of the most remarkable man to ever play rock and roll. In the mid-Fifties, he took a new image of rock n roll, from rhythm & blues, country & western, and gave it a new form and uniqueness. A true innovative, Chuck Berry created several of rock and roll’s greatest tunes and married them to lines that formed the rock and roll language for generations. He has written many rock and roll classics that have been covered by a lot of artists. In all crucial techniques, he understood the influence of rock and roll, how it worked, what it was about and who it was for.
While no other man can be said to have created rock and roll, Berry debatably did more than anyone else to put the pieces together. As rock journalist Dave Marsh wrote, “Chuck Berry is to rock and roll what Louis Armstrong is to jazz.” On “Maybellene” Berry’s first single, released in 1955 where he performed country &
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Released in August, "Maybellene" went to Number Five in Billboard which made Berry a relative rare case for that time: a black performer with a main hit on the principal white pop charts. “As asked why he crossed over with “Maybellene” and other hits while many other worthy artists were locked out, Berry replied: "I think it had a lot to do with my diction. The pop fan could understand what I was saying better than many other singers." His achievements also had much to do with his ability for turning a phrase. With his amusing and casually expressive use of language, Berry described what it meant to be a teenager in the exchanging world of the Fifties. Whether telling the boredom of classroom-bound students in "School Day" or the liberating appeal of "Rock and Roll Music", Berry intensely observed and recorded that world with clever comfort. In his words, "Everything I wrote about wasn't about me, but about the people
He came up with this idea while he was working at Ford's Mercury plant. He would often find himself bored, so he would hum melodies and make up songs to make the day more entertaining. He wrote a couple hits for
One band named ZZ Top even was so influenced by BB that they named their band after him. “His style inspired many to learn the instrument. ”(bbc.co.uk) He also influenced many other people with his music like Chuck Berry, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon. His music so inspirational that he got a museum dedicated to him that is located where he is from Indianola, MS.
Berry Gordy Jr. grew up in Detroit during a time when it was known for its rich music scene. Gordy Jr. grew up in a hard-working family, and he realized he did not want to work in a 9 to 5 job. He was inspired by the music that surrounded him and wanted to make his passion a business. With his entrepreneurial spirit, he created Motown Records, and thus a musical empire was born. Motown Records created history with their music and forever changed the music industry.
Ray Charles Ray Charles is a well known American musician. He played in country, pop, rock, blues, and jazz, but pioneered in soul music. He combined gospel and blues music together, theses are two completely different genres. One is the teaching or revelation of Christ, while blues is about feelings. Charles is so important because he accomplished all of this while being blind.
“Berry believed that if fans were coming to Motown’s music through buying records, they’d come out in crowds to experience the music performed in front of them.” However, when the tour motorcade pulled up to their southern venues, they were met with signs that excluded African Americans. In the north, tensions lightened and the Revue was well received at black clubs, called “the chitlin circuit.” Chiltlins refer to the intestines of a hog, which degraded the performers and club-goers.
Go-go music is a specific type of music that was first started in Washington D.C. go-go music was developed around the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. However, if you are from the DMV area we all know the God father of go-go music was Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. Go-go music is unique because it has a variety of different sounds. Old school hip-hop, funk, and blues are all factors that play into creating go-go music. A live music scene called Chocolate city in the early 1970s had competitive music.
Gordy once a kid who wrote songs for fun, to a man that helped evolve music. He changed music forever and the environment that surrounded the music industry. Through his music he helped bring people together and help people get through hard times. Without Gordy and his striving company, Motown, no one knows how music would be
James Jamerson, according to Bjorn and Gallert, was often considered the innovator of the Motown sound (202). He was one of the pioneers on the electric bass, which helped him change the sound of music that was being played. According to Dr. Licks, an American guitarist, “James had the ability to incorporate his jazz background into Berry Gordy’s R&B influenced pop format.” Jamerson wasn’t the only one who was able to use his musical background to advance his career.
“If it helped you get your music off the ground, I'm glad you done it.” Carl Perkins was a 20th century musician who sang rockabilly music. He wrote and sang many songs that other artists liked and recorded. Carl Perkins pioneered rockabilly music, wrote many songs that people could relate to, and was in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame making him one of the greatest rockabilly artists of the 20th century. Carl Perkins was inspired by the people around him as a kid.
Jimi Hendrix is one of the most important and influential African-American musicians to date. Not only was he an incredibly skilled and talented guitarist he was an extremely intelligent man with a discerning outlook on live. His innovative electric guitar playing skills enraptured audiences everywhere, being described as the most talented rock musicians of the sixties. Jimi also brought a new sound to the rock and roll genre, pioneering the use of working an instrument as an electric sound source. Born November 27, 1942 Jimi was the oldest of five other siblings.
As Bruce Springsteen once said, “Rock and Roll, man, it changed my life” (Frankl 22). Well said Mr. Springsteen. Music can indeed change a person’s life. Along his journey, Bruce went from zero to hero. Bruce Springsteen was a very rebellious man and was famous for his Rock and Roll music.
His music and style was in 1952 Chuck Berry joined a "Combo" formed by the pianist Johnnie Johnson and the drummer Ebby Ard, so Berry started playing professionally, worked with the genres with which he grew up as the Country, Blues, Boogie-Woogie, Swing , Big Band and pop, is how it started to stand out in music. He himself wrote his songs, where he was successful with the song "Maybellene". Chuck Berry innovated in the lyrical field
Jimi Hendrix is one of the most creative and influential artists of the 20th century and completely changed people's concepts of what was possible with the electric guitar. His rise in the music industry was fast with his innovative fusion of fuzz, feedback, and distortion becoming a whole new music form. While his uprise was fast unfortunately so was his career, His mainstream Career only lasted a very short 4 years yet he still influences our music to this day.
His audience was largely teenagers. He is arguably one of the men who helped in inventing rock and roll. In 1985, Berry received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Blues Foundation’s Blues Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1987 a documentary about the life and times of Berry was titled, Hail!
The 100 million records he has sold and his 30 Top 10 hits, Academy Award for Best Song and 22 Grammy Awards attest to his talent and skills. Induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll halls of fame was to be expected. Rolling Stone magazine named