12 Quotes & Sayings By Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry is one of the most famous musicians of all time. He was nicknamed "The Father of Rock 'n' Roll" by John Lennon. He is credited with the introduction of electric guitar to rock music in the 1950s. Berry is known for his trademark guitar solos and songs such as Johnny B Read more

Goode, Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen, Maybellene, School Days and Nadine. Born into poverty in St. Louis, Missouri, Berry sold newspapers and pumped gas to help his family after his father died when he was seven years old.

In 1950, at the age of 17, he joined the US Air Force but was forced to leave it due to a back injury sustained from a car accident prior to enlisting. After the accident he began playing guitar again and formed a small band named Johnny Be Goode. In 1955, he got his first big break on a show called The King Biscuit Flower Hour where he performed a rendition of Maybellene on a homemade guitar that he had built himself.

It was on this show that Berry met pianist Johnnie Johnson who became his manager, and later Berry's wife. In 1956 after being signed by Alan Freed as a solo artist for Paramount Records, Berry began recording hits such as Johnny B. Goode and Louie Louie.

He made some unsuccessful attempts at acting in films such as Don't Knock The Rock (1956) and The Girl Can't Help It (1956). His first hit with the lyrics written by him came in 1957 with Sweet Little Sixteen which reached #1 on the Billboard charts and stayed there for 11 weeks - and became one of the most recorded songs in history with over 2000 versions recorded by other artists. In 1958, Berry had another hit with School Days which reached #1 on Billboard's top singles chart – it stayed there for six weeks –a record for any song by an artist who did not reach #1 on the Billboard charts at least twice or more (The Beatles broke this record in 1964 with their song Yesterday).

In 1962, Berry had another hit with Maybellene which reached #3 on Billboard's top singles chart – it stayed there for six weeks –a record for any song by an artist who did not reach #1 on the Billboard charts at least twice or more (The Beatles broke this record in 1964 with their song Yesterday). In 1963 Berry had another hit with Roll Over Beethoven which reached #3 on Billboard's top singles

1
Respect isn't enough. You've got to have a proprietary interest. Chuck Berry
2
It amazes me when I hear people say, 'I want to go out and find out who I am.' I always knew who I was. I was going to be famous if it killed me. Chuck Berry
3
Music is science. Everything is science. Because science is truth. Chuck Berry
4
Science and religion are both the same thing. They're there; they're life. If it's not science, it's not a fact. Chuck Berry
5
It's amazing how much you can learn if your intentions are truly earnest. Chuck Berry
6
I'm thankful for each and every day. We never know when time is up. Chuck Berry
7
I'm thankful for performing as long as I am allowed. Chuck Berry
8
Of the five most important things in life, health is first, education or knowledge is second, and wealth is third. I forget the other two. Chuck Berry
9
That's all there was in our house: poetry and choir rehearsal and duets and so forth I listened to Dad and Mother discuss things about poetry and delivery and voice and diction - I don't think anyone could know how much it really means. Chuck Berry
10
My dad was the cause of me being in show business. He was not only in poetry but in acting a bit. He was Mordecai in the play 'A Dream of Queen Esther.' Chuck Berry
11
I love poetry. I love rhyming. Do you know, there are poets who don't rhyme? Shakespeare did not rhyme most of the time, and that's why I do not like him. Chuck Berry