295 Chuck Berry (1926-2017) “Johnny B. Goode” 1958

“Berry…gained a reputation in the St. Louis music scene, and in 1952 he formed the Sir John Trio with pianist and band leader Johnnie Johnson and drummer Eddie Hardy. The connection with Johnson would be a lasting one, and the influence of the pianist’s boogie style would become evident in Berry’s guitar playing. Berry had a knack for pleasing the crowd, and the band eventually changed its name to The Chuck Berry Trio. The band’s repertoire included the blues, ballads, and a number of ‘black hillbilly’ songs that jokingly parodied the country music popular to the city’s white audiences” (Contemporary Musicians, 2002).

Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode”