Saturday Night Attitude Dancing at the 2023 Birthday of Rock and Roll’s “Poet Laureate of Teenage America,” the Immortal Chuck Berry

by Robert Wilkinson

This music is so good, we're beginning our Saturday Night Attitude Dance early with the best of the best! As I've said in past tributes, anyone who's ever picked up a guitar and played any of the basic licks of rock and roll owes everything to Mister Chuck Berry. In fact, John Lennon once said, "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." Today on his 97th birthday we celebrate this pioneer of Rock and Roll with a lot of videos!

As usual, some of last year's links got pulled from you tube, so I went hunting again. Some of these are classic performances from the 50s, and it's clear the Master of his craft never slowed down at all, and right up to his death was still "rocking in St. Louie, way down to New Orleans...."

Born in St. Louis, Chuck Berry (October 18, 1926 - March 18, 2017) amalgamed the blues with country and western and turned the world upside down in 1955 with his first hit, "Maybelline." This was followed by some of the most famous songs in the history of rock and roll: "Roll Over Beethoven," "Johnny B. Goode," "Rock and Roll Music," "Oh Carol," "School Days," "Little Queenie," "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," "Nadine," and a slew of others covered by everyone who followed, including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, (links are to clips of these greats performing Chuck Berry songs), and many, many more. He created the poetry of rock and roll, as well as just about every classic lick that beginning guitarists learn to master, and starred in two of the early movies featuring rock and roll artists.

A very Happy Birthday to you, Mister Chuck Berry. You are the Master who helped birth rock and roll and gave us its classic tunes and gee-tar licks. I have no doubt that when you joined the Greatest Rock and Roll band in the Bardo, you truly knew rock and roll will never die. Your legacy will live forever!! And now, a trip through the fields that created Rock and Roll! You want classics? Time to dance!!

With some of these that follow, hit pause for a minute to let them buffer for awhile or they'll stop. The black and white shows are from the 1950s through mid-60s.

One of the greatest! A SMOKIN' performance of "Johnny B Goode" from 1958, complete with classic moves! Here’s another incredible version, “lip synched” but the moves are real! “Johnny B Goode”

Here’s his classic performance at the legendary 1964 TAMI show in Santa Monica of "Johnny B. Goode," and anotherfrom 1965 on Hullabaloo, complete with go-go dancers doing high steps! "Johnny B. Goode"

Here are two gems! The first is Chuck doing "Johnny B Goode" in 1995 with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, duck walk and all! The second is from The Mike Douglas Show in 1972 with John and Yoko joining Chuck in a bizarre performance of ”Memphis” and "Johnny B Goode."

We’ll close this section with a classic from “the lads” performing live at the BBC on Saturday Club in February 1964 just a week after their fateful Ed Sullivan appearance. Here’s the Fab Four live giving us "Johnny B Goode"

Some classic b/w performances of his hits from the 50s!

Here's a great performance on Belgian television in 1965! Chuck cranks out his 1955 breakout hit, said to be one of the first rock and roll songs!"Maybelline." From the same gig, "Roll Over Beethoven" and one of my favorites, "Promised Land" (Not the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name!)

From another of Alan Freed's "jukebox" movies Rock, Rock, Rock, this was Chuck Berry's coming out: "You Can't Catch Me."

"Oh Baby Doll" from 1957. Dig the footwork!!

From the Alan Freed "jukebox" movie Go Johnny Go, here's Chuck doing "Little Queenie"

Before we cut out from his early period, here's the studio version with the phrase that electrified America in 1957! "Rock and Roll Music."

From the Saturday Night Beech-Nut television show February 1958, here’s Chuck very live and cranking out “Sweet Little Sixteen”

From the Beech-nut show in July 1959, a live performance of “Almost Grown” and "Back In The USA.

Another performance from the 50s or early 60s of "Sweet Little Sixteen."

A 1965 performance on Shindig of "Back in the USA" (Note: the backup band, the "Shindogs," had Leon Russell or Glen D. Hardin on keyboards, Delaney Bramlett, James Burton, Jerry Cole, Russ Titelman, and occasionally Glen Campbell on guitars depending on who was in town, Larry Knechtel or Joey Cooper on bass, and Chuck Blackwell or Ritchie Frost on drums with Julius Wechter on percussion. Darlene Love and the Blossoms were the house backup singers. Wow! This was a supergroup and they didn't know it.)

Last year I had a 60s show with go go dancers on a scaffold as Chuck did “Nadine,” but it’s disappeared. So instead, from 1972 at the BBC Theater, Chuck cranking out “Nadine,” “Bye Bye Johnny,” and “Johnny B Goode.” (a bunch more clips from that show are downstream a little ways.)

From sometime in the 60s, "Memphis"

Chuck capped off the 60s with this legendary 45 minute set, live and up close! Chuck Berry at the Toronto Peace Festival - 1969 (Look at this set list!! “Rock 'n' Roll Music,” “School Days,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Carol,” “Promised Land,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Maybellene,” “Too Much Monkey Business,” “Reelin' and Rockin',” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Wee Wee Hours,” “Brenda Lee,” “Johnny B. Goode.”)

Two years ago I had a rare find! At the 1969 Toronto Peace Festival, a whole bunch of greats assembled and played some great music for about 15 minutes, which I posted on part 2 of the recent John Lennon tribute. It’s titled The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival and includes Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band with Eric Clapton.

From the German show Beat Club in 1972, “Johnny B Goode.” From that same session, a great live performance of his funny tune “C’est La Vie (You Never Can Tell).”

In past years I had ”School Days, “ “Roll Over Beethoven,” and “Let It Rock." But this year they’re gone. Last year I also had the entire 1 hour 27 minute show on one clip but it’s gone.

I found several great individual clips from Chuck’s performance in 1972 at the Sound for Saturday BBC Theater in London! (The whole show is one of our encores!) We’ll begin with "Carol" crank it up with "Let It Rock," keep it hot with "Sweet Little Sixteen," and then move into "Memphis." We’ll close this set with a great performance of “Roll Over Beethoven”

Let’s groove to "Rock and Roll Music," have a good time with "Reelin and Rockin'," and finish this third with "Promised Land." (As I mentioned earlier, this is not Bruce Springsteen's "The Promised Land," though Bruce admits the title is an homage to Chuck Berry’s song. Chuck’s song has been covered by more groups than I can list here, including Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead, Johnny Rivers, Dave Edmunds, the Band, and James Taylor.)

Speaking of covers that re-introduced his music to America in a big way, I found two great live ones and the studio version! First, the Beatles in a live performance of "Rock N Roll Music" and this 1962 audio-only Beatles Live at the Star Club in Hamburg clip of "Talkin' About You" Here's the first as we first heard it in 1964! ""Rock and Roll Music."

We’ll finish these individual clips from the 1972 BBC show with “Too Much Monkey Business” and “Beer Drinking Women,” followed by "Nadine," “Bye Bye Johnny,” and “Johnny B Goode”

From The Midnight Special TV show in 1973, "Maybelline" and from the same show, "Reelin' and Rockin.'"

Back on The Midnight Special TV show in 1974, Chuck and Tom Jones having fun doing "School Days"

Live on the Sammy and Company television show in October 1975, Chuck cranks out one of my favorites, "The Promised Land"

We’ll take a brief sidetrack to 3 original studio versions of his music that aren’t that commonly known! From 1957, here’s "Rock and Roll Music," and from 1964, "Nadine." Last year we had a one minute clip of Robert Cray, Keith Richards, and Chuck on the 1987 concert tribute movie Hail Hail Rock and Roll rehearsing one of my favorite tunes, but this year it’s nowhere to be found. Still, I found the 1961 studio version that became an early hit for the Stones of a great rocker titled "Come On.”

Speaking of Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll, here’s an amazing performance from that movie of one of Chucks greatest songs, "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" performed by Chuck and Robert Cray with Keith Richards and an all star backing band! Here's Buddy Holly's version of "Brown Eyed handsome Man.."

From Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll, "School Days," and “Too Much Monkey Business” which we’ll follow with Linda Ronstadt and Chuck Berry performing “Back in the USA”

Also from Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll, a great piece with the Master “schoolin’” his student! Last year I had the clip from the movie, but this year it’s a video of the piece from the movie. Keith Richards and an ornery Chuck Berry rehearsing "Carol" and an upclose look at two legends. We close this part of the show with a fantastic performance of the great "Nadine."

Last year I had the closer, “Roll Over Beethoven,” but it’s disappeared. So instead, live at the Roxy in 1982, the Master cranking out "Roll Over Beethoven"

Last year I also had an audio-only 2 hour 50 minute compilation of Chuck’s music performed live across the decades titled “Chuck Berry – The French Broadcasts 1965-2004” but it too is gone.

Here’s a sliver of a great 1973 interview with Bruce Springsteen on meeting and playing with Chuck Berry early in his career.

Here’s the original Johnny Carson Tonight Show 4 minute interview with Chuck Berry in 1987! Johnny Carson Tonight Show Interview with Chuck Berry

From 2 years later, Chuck back on The Tonight Show promoting his autobiography and performing “Carol” and “Little Queenie.”

Also from 1989 and his tour down under in Oz, here's a live version of "Let It Rock," and "Sweet Little Sixteen"

We’ll close the musical part of this birthday tribute with a great half hour set on Belgium television in 1965! I gave you some of this at the beginning of the tribute. This was a great performance when he was at his peak! Chuck Berry Live on Belgian Television – 1965

For our first encore, while I gave you some individual clips earlier, here’s one hour and 20 of Chuck in London in 1972! Chuck Berry Live at the BBC Theater – 1972

For our second encore this year, I found a real gem! Chuck Berry – Live in Bordeaux 1965

For our third and last encore, if you just can’t get enough of Chuck, I found this gem. Chuck and some “friends,” (including Little Richard, Steven Stills and some other greats!) performed “Reelin’ and Rocking” and “Good Golly Miss Molly” at Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Ball in January 1993. Great performance which clips before the end of the jam. Chuck Berry and Little Richard at the Clinton Inaugural Ball – January 1993

A great 7 minute 45 interview (with Bruce, John Lennon, Keith Richards and more!) interspersed with performances. The Dutch TV interview with Chuck Berry

The 8 minute documentary titled >Chuck Berry, the poet laureate of teenage America is gone this year so instead I found you a 22 minute show titled Rock Legends: Chuck Berry

For a fitting end, here are 32 beautiful minutes of a tribute to this legend who created a new kind of music through his incredible storytelling set to a unique blend of rhythm and blues, country, and boogie woogie, and created ROCK AND ROLL! The 23rd Kennedy Center Honors Chuck Berry - 2000

You gave the world a great gift for all time, and millions of us will never be the same. Thanks for everything, Mister Chuck Berry. I have a feeling your name will be revered hundreds of years from now. "Roll Over Beethoven and tell Tchaikovsky the news...."

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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