http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...tor-dead-at-90
We all knew this was going to happen, given his age, but it hurts just the same as if it were unexpected. I'd seen him perform live, in venues large and small, over the many years and each time it was like seeing him for the first time; one performance that sticks out was a show at the Roxy here in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip back about 30 years ago or so, He had a back up band which, as usual for Chuck, was made up of local musicians, although in LA those local musicians were some top names in the business; IIRC, Mick Fleetwood was playing drums. The Roxy, a relatively small venue, was then known as a "music industry showcase", meaning it was
the place for acts to showcase, whether they were new up-and-comers or established acts. There was then a hierarchy within the club with the VIPs seated on a raised level at the rear of the club and the rest of us taking up the floor tables near the stage. I was lucky on two counts: (1) I had an extra ticket since someone had to cancel out on me and I had met a young French gal outside the club and she was very amenable to accompanying me to the show; and, (2) we got seated at a table dead center of and directly next to the stage. The VIPs in the back were assuming their normal postures and poses of privileged ennui. An opening act I don't remember came out and performed; those of us on the floor just watched politely, waiting for Chuck; the VIPs just seemed to get more disinterested...
Finally Chuck came out and began to play. From the first riffs and chords, the club just lit up. Chuck was in fine form and really seemed to be enjoying himself. A few of numbers in, I looked back at the VIP section and those bored, snobbish, people were up on their feet, singing and dancing around like they were teenagers at a sock hop. I'd been to many shows at the Roxy before and that was the first and, as far as I remember, the only time I ever saw the VIPs act like they did that night...
That was the power of Chuck Berry, making it alright to be joyful with his music and to feel young, no matter what your age. I had seen Chuck perform at venues were there were all ages and I'd seen 5-year-olds dancing around to Chuck's music alongside their parents and grandparents. He was universal in his appeal to those who listened to his music. The sheer breadth of the many, many musicians who cite him as an influence and the many, many varied styles they represent, from rock, to jazz, to blues, even to classical and more, speak to how great was his reach. It used to be said no guitarist could ever call themselves a real rock guitarist unless they had mastered the Chuck Berry riffs. He quite literally wrote the "law" when it came to rock guitar. There is a great truth to Bob Seger's lyrics in
Rock And Roll Never Forgets: "Well, all Chuck's children are out there playing his licks"...
For those of us who first heard Chuck on long ago Top 40 radio in the 50s and 60s, sometimes through radios hidden under our pillows at night; for those of us who picked up guitars and worked hard to get the notes, the timing and the feel of those riffs; for those of us who found a bit of joy and youth in the music and the lyrics:
Thank you, Chuck Berry, for giving us decades of your gifts and for the decades to come in which we will remember you. Rest in well-earned peace...
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