Chuck Berry

Others may have squabbled over the title of King of Rock and Roll, but it was Chuck Berry who wrote the book. Berry had an extraordinary gift for both riffs and melody, plus a fine line in clever, amusing lyrics. Accompanied on piano by Johnnie Johnson, Chuck Berry played his songs with an infectious energy undimmed by decades of familiarity.

A list of all Berry’s songs would fill a book, but here are a few titles you will have heard. In brackets are artists who have performed these songs along the way. "Roll over Beethoven" (The Beatles), "Johnny B. Goode" (Judas Priest, Marty McFly, Jimi Hendrix), "Come on" (Rolling Stones), "Back in the USA" (Linda Ronstadt), "Brown eyed handsome man" (Nina Simone), "Sweet little sixteen" (John Lennon)…

Chuck Berry: a genuine legend.