Charles Edward Anderson Berry (1926 - 2017)

Born 18 Oct 1926 in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Themetta (Suggs) Berry — married 28 Oct 1948 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Died 18 Mar 2017 at age 90 in Wentzville, St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message]

Chuck Berry is a part of US Black history and has a Platinum Profile. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

Chuck Berry is Notable.

Chuck Berry is known as the Father of Rock and Roll for his innovative compositions blending high-energy country music, soulful rhythm and blues, and lyrics that spoke to the young at heart. His songs were covered by and inspired the music of Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, and countless other rock and roll musicians.^[1]

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1926 to Baptist deacon Henry William Berry and public school principal Martha Bell Banks.^[2][3] He was the fourth child of six.^[4]

He gave his first public performance in 1941. He was about 15 when he decided to sing at his high school's music show. At a time when blues music wasn't considered appropriate for the venue, accompanied by a friend on guitar, he belted a blues song. It brought down the house, and inspired him to learn to play guitar himself.^[5]

On October 28, 1948, he married Themetta "Toddy" Suggs.^[6] In 1950 Chuck and Themetta were living in St. Louis.^[7] They would eventually have three daughters and one son.^[8]

In the early 1950s he worked at various jobs, and picked up extra money playing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio, local musicians in St. Louis. In May of 1955, he met Muddy Waters in Chicago. Waters told him to contact Leonard Chess, of Chess Records, who gave Berry his big break. On May 21, 1955, Charles recorded an adaptation of the country song "Ida Red," under the title "Maybellene," with Johnnie Johnson on the piano, Jerome Green on the maracas, Jasper Thomas on the drums, and Willie Dixon on the bass. "Maybellene" sold over a million copies, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's "Rhythm and Blues" chart, and number five on its "Best Sellers in Stores" chart for September 10, 1955.^[1] Berry's innovative blending of country and blues music, his story-telling lyrics, and his electric showmanship would bring black and white audiences together as never before, as they witnessed the invention of rock and roll.

At the end of June 1956, his song "Roll Over Beethoven" reached number 29 on the Billboard "Top 100" chart and he toured the country as one of the "Top Acts of '56." In late 1957, Charles took part in D.J. Alan Freed's "Biggest Show of Stars for 1957." He toured the US with established stars the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, and others. He had over a dozen charted top-ten hits from 1957 to 1959, with songs such as "School Days," "Rock and Roll Music," "Sweet Little Sixteen," and "Johnny B Goode." He appeared in two early rock and roll movies: Rock Rock Rock (1956) and Go, Johnny, Go! (1959) in which he sang "You Can't Catch Me" and "Johnny B Goode" respectively. But just when his career was at its height, it all came to a screeching halt with his conviction in 1959 on a Mann Act charge. He spent 20 months in prison.^[1]

While he was in prison his music was taken up and kept alive by young bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who released cover versions of Berry's songs. The Beach Boys' 1963 hit "Surfin' U.S.A." used the melody of Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen." In 1964 and 1965, Berry released eight singles, including three that were commercially successful: "No Particular Place to Go," "You Never Can Tell," and "Nadine." Between 1966 and 1969, he released five albums for Mercury Records, including his first live album, Live at Fillmore Auditorium, in which he was backed by the Steve Miller Band.^[1]

He continued to perform up until his death in 2017. His first new studio album since Rock It in 1979 was released that year. Chuck included his children, Charles Berry, Jr and Ingrid, on guitar and harmonica, with songs "covering the spectrum from hard-driving rockers to soulful thought-provoking time capsules of a life's work." The album was dedicated to his wife of 68 years, Themetta Berry.^[1]

Chuck Berry was 90 years old when he died at his home in Wentzville, St. Charles County, Missouri on March 18, 2017.^[9]He was buried at Bellerive Heritage Gardens in Creve Coeur, Missouri.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Chuck Berry on Wikipedia
2. ↑ Birth: "Missouri, U.S., Birth Registers, 1847-1999"
   Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO, USA; Birth Index, 1920-1999
   Ancestry Record 1170 #13249021 (accessed 7 April 2023)
   Charles Edward Anderson Berry born on 18 Oct 1926 in Missouri, USA.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHJ2-B1R : accessed 15 August 2020), Charles Berry in household of Henry Berry, St Louis (Districts 1-250), St Louis (Independent City), Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 76, sheet 13B, line 63, family 224, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1238; FHL microfilm 2,340,973.

   • Henry Berry Head Male 34 Missouri
   • Martha Berry Wife Female 34 Mississippi
   • Thelma Berry Daughter Female 9 Missouri
   • Henry Berry Son Male 8 Missouri
   • Lucy B Berry Daughter Female 6 Missouri
   • Charles Berry Son Male 3 Missouri
   • Harry Johnson Roomer Male 33 Missouri

4. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7H4-JN5 : 23 December 2019), Charles Berry in household of H W Berry, Ward 21, St. Louis, St. Louis City, St. Louis City, Missouri, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 96-505, sheet 8B, line 67, family 166, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 2202.

   • H W Berry Head Male 44 Missouri
   • Martha Berry Wife Female 44 Mississippi
   • Henry Berry Son Male 18 Missouri
   • Lucy Berry Daughter Female 17 Missouri
   • Charles Berry Son Male 13 Missouri
   • Paul Berry Son Male 6 Missouri
   • Martha Berry Daughter Female 3 Missouri
   • Thomas Rooks Son-in-law Male 19 Georgia
   • Thelma Rooks Daughter Female 19 Missouri
   • Thomas Rooks Son Male 1 Missouri
   • Charles Rooks Son Male 0 Missouri

5. ↑ Chuck Berry website.
6. ↑ Gerald Lyn Early, Ain't but a Place: An Anthology of African American Writings About St. Louis, (Missouri History Museum, 1998) p. 166.

   Date: October 28, 1948

   Place: St. Louis, Missouri

7. ↑ 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
   United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: St Louis, St Louis, Missouri; Roll: 2044; Sheet Number: 16; Enumeration District: 96-1613
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #139917469 (accessed 7 April 2023)
   Charles Berry (23), married, Laborer, head of household in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA. Born in Missouri.
8. ↑ Biography: Chuck Berry
9. ↑ Obituary for Chuck Berry, by Chris Lorfida, "Chuck Berry, the Man Who 'Started It All,' Dead at 90." CBC News, March 18, 2017.
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 15 August 2020), memorial page for Chuck Berry (18 Oct 1926–18 Mar 2017), Find A Grave: Memorial #177489307, citing Bellerive Heritage Gardens, Creve Coeur, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave. Contains photo, biography.

See also:

• Dean Schabner, Michael Rothman, "Legendary Musician Chuck Berry Dead at 90" (ABC News, March 18, 2017).
• "Obituary: Chuck Berry." BBC News, 18 March 2017.
• Ralph Ella, Todd Leopold, and Tony Marco,"Chuck Berry, Rock 'n' Roll Pioneer, Dead at 90." CNN Entertainment, March 18, 2017.
• Wikidata: Item Q5921, en:Wikipedia