Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer,guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll",he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955),"Roll Over Beethoven" (1956),"Rock and Roll Music" (1957),and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958). Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism,and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship,Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music.
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago,specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records,founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music,gospel music,early rock and roll,and jazz and comedy recordings,released on the Chess and its subsidiary labels Checker and Argo/Cadet. The Chess catalogue is owned by Universal Music Group and managed by Geffen Records and Universal Music Enterprises.
"Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musician Chuck Berry,written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as a single in 1958,it peaked at number two on the Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre-Hot 100 chart. The song remains a staple of rock music.
"My Ding-a-Ling" is a novelty song written and recorded by Dave Bartholomew. It was covered by Chuck Berry in 1972 and became his only number-one Billboard Hot 100 single in the United States. Later that year,a longer version was included on the album The London Chuck Berry Sessions. Guitarist Onnie McIntyre and drummer Robbie McIntosh,who later formed the Average White Band,played on the single,along with Nic Potter of Van der Graaf Generator on bass.
After School Session is the debut studio album by rock and roll artist Chuck Berry,released in May 1957 by Chess Records. With the exception of two tracks,"Roly Poly" and "Berry Pickin'",all selections had been previously released on 45 rpm singles. It is the second long-playing album released by the Chess label.
Anthology is a two-disc compilation album by American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry released on July 27,2000,by Chess Records. It duplicates in its entirety the previous anthology The Great Twenty-Eight ranked at No. 21 on the Rolling Stone 500 greatest all time albums list,as well as the entirety of the later Definitive Collection issued in 2006 as part of the Universal series. The album was later reissued and packaged in 2005 as part of the Universal Records Gold series,and simply retitled Gold. It charted at No. 110 in the UK Albums Chart.
"School Days" is a rock-and-roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry and released by Chess Records as a single in March 1957 and on the LP After School Session two months later. It is one of his best-known songs and is often considered a rock-and-roll anthem.
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf released in 1971 on Chess Records,and on Rolling Stones Records in Britain. It was one of the first super session blues albums,setting a blues master among famous musicians from the second generation of rock and roll,in this case Eric Clapton,Steve Winwood,Charlie Watts,and Bill Wyman. It peaked at #79 on the Billboard 200.
Hard Again is a studio album by American blues singer Muddy Waters. Released on January 10,1977,it was the first of his albums produced by Johnny Winter. Hard Again was Waters's first album on Blue Sky Records after leaving Chess Records and was well received by critics.
"Wang Dang Doodle" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon. Music critic Mike Rowe calls it a party song in an urban style with its massive,rolling,exciting beat. It was first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1960 and released by Chess Records in 1961. In 1965,Dixon and Leonard Chess persuaded Koko Taylor to record it for Checker Records,a Chess subsidiary. Taylor's rendition quickly became a hit,reaching number thirteen on the Billboard R&B chart and number 58 on the pop chart. "Wang Dang Doodle" became a blues standard and has been recorded by various artists. Taylor's version was added to the United States National Recording Registry in 2023.
I Am the Blues is the sixth studio Chicago blues album released in 1970 by the well-known bluesman Willie Dixon. It is also the title of Dixon's autobiography,edited by Don Snowden.
Frederick Below Jr. was an American blues drummer who worked with Little Walter and Chess Records in the 1950s. According to Tony Russell,Below was a creator of much of the rhythmic structure of Chicago blues,especially its backbeat. He was the drummer on Chuck Berry's song "Johnny B. Goode". He also recorded with J. B. Lenoir.
Chuck Berry's Golden Decade is a compilation of music by Chuck Berry,released in three volumes in 1967,1973,and 1974. Covering the decade from 1955 to 1964,each volume consists of a two-LP set of 24 songs recorded by Berry. The first volume reached number 72 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart. The second volume peaked at number 110. The third volume,which included only two hit singles among its tracks,did not chart.
"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is a rock and roll song written and recorded by Chuck Berry,originally released by Chess Records in September 1956 as the B-side of "Too Much Monkey Business." It was also included on Berry's 1957 debut album,After School Session. The song title was also used as the title of a biography of Berry.
American rock and roll musician Chuck Berry's discography includes 20 studio albums,12 live albums,31 compilation albums,50 singles,8 EPs,and 2 soundtrack albums.
The Chess Box is a compact disc box set compilation by Chuck Berry. It is one in a series of box sets issued by MCA/Chess in the late 1980s. The Chuck Berry set is the most prominent of these,having won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album in 1989. Berry's Chess Box was reissued on vinyl in 1990.
Fathers and Sons is the seventh studio album by the American blues musician Muddy Waters,released as a double LP by Chess Records in August 1969.
The Session...Recorded in London with Great Artists is a double album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1973. It was recorded in London and features Lewis teaming up with British musicians,including Peter Frampton and Albert Lee.
The London Muddy Waters Sessions is a studio album by Muddy Waters,released in 1972 on Chess Records. A follow-up to 1971's The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, the concept was to combine American bluesmen with British and Irish blues/rock stars. The album was an attempt to capitalise on the increasing popularity of traditional blues music and blues artists in Britain.
Chuck is the eponymous twentieth and final studio album by American rock and roll singer and guitarist Chuck Berry,released in June 2017. Berry died between the announcement of its recording on his 90th birthday in October 2016 and its release. It posthumously became his first UK Top 10 chart entry since 1977,debuting at No. 9. This is the first Berry studio album to be released in almost four decades. It was positively received by critics who considered it a return to form and a poignant last statement.
