And the was how the history of Chuck Berry all started...Ok not really. But this clip from the ever so famous movie trilogy Back to the Future shows how famous songs like Johnny B. Goode were popular among teens during the 1950's. It had driving lyrics, guitar sounds that had never been heard before, and a beat that teens could not still to. Not many people knew that Rock n Roll music was influenced by the Blues. Chuck Berry was one the great Blues artists that paved the way for the creation of Rock n Roll.
Chuck Berry grew up with a wide variety of music and learned how to be sensitive to his listeners. His influence to deliver a down-home blues sound and to sing harder with a driving voice was Muddy Waters. He also put more emphasis on his diction is some areas of his songs and these characteristics in his music were the key reasons why he could reach out to both whites and blacks. He created songs with lyrics that teens could relate to like School Days. He was also known for playing a wild guitar that was never heard before like in the song Johnny B. Goode. Any teenage boy that dreamed of being in a band could relate to that song. Something that really made his music different was that he played guitar solos in his songs as well. Even though he is black, he was liked by whites as well as blacks. However, he was not praised by everyone. He was put in jail for carrying a minor female over the Texas-Missouri state line in 1962. When he was released in 64 he continued to write music and tour the states. Around that time the British Invasion was beginning to take over the US. Bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were influenced by Chuck Berry and other Blues artists.
The Blues were a stepping stone for Rock n Roll that many people overlook. Because of that, the Blues was given more exposure in the US than ever before. Guitarist Kieth Richards from The Rolling Stones said that he wanted to play guitar like Chuck Berry. He even said once that " The Rolling Stones were a white London imitation of South Side Chicago Blues". The band history started when Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards met on a train. Jagger had albums by Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and more which Richards recognized right away. This was the beginning of their musical relationship in 1960. The Rolling Stones was not the only band praising Chuck Berry as their influence. Chuck Berry was also the influence for The Beatles and other lesser known bands. Michael Bane, a journalist during the 60's, stated that, "The Beatles offered a way out of the racial dilemma that had gripped rock and roll since its beginnings..." Because these British bands were giving the Blues so much respect, kids began to pay more attention to what the Blues did to Rock n Roll.
Every much like the Blues, Rock n Roll was able to reach out to whites and blacks. Rock n Roll was something that whites and blacks could relate to together. It broke down barriers of racial tensions between black and white teenagers. If it was not for artists like Chuck Berry and other Blues players, we would not have Rock n Roll. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and other great bands would never have started. Blacks and whites would not have music they can both relate too. Without the Blues, the world would be a very different place.
Rumble is an instrumental song that was created in 1958. It is the only instrumental to have been banned on the radio. The song was though to influence violence in teens or cause them to do other bad things. It was not until the 90s when the song started to be used in movies like Pulp Fiction,Independence Day, and Desperado. But why was this now popular song not so popular in the 50s?
The creation of Rumble is not similar to the creation of other songs. Link Wray was playing a show at Fredericksburg Arena. He started to play two chords and a slow beat by the drums. The song was requested four times that night. Link Wray and his band went into the recording studio the next day. Wray could not recreate the sound he got the night before, so he took a pencil and slashed the amp. The sound that he created would be famously known as distortion. They decided to call the song "Oddball" because of the strange sounds that the amp created.They brought the recording to Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records. At first, he was not interested in the song at all. But his stepdaughter loved the song and suggested that the song be called "Rumble" because it reminded her of West Side Story. The name Rumble is related to gang fights in the story, which is why the song began to run into problems. The title was a stumbling block for disk jockeys because of what the name meant. Many disk jockeys did away with song and those that did play it did not mention the name of the song. Because of this, the song did not become as popular as it should have.
It was not until the song began to be used in movies in the 90s. When the song started to get attention, Link began to go on tour again. Link Wray was also the influence for other famous bands to come after him like the Who and the Kinks. If it was not for Link Wary and his song "Rumble" distortion would have never been invented. Without distortion, other genres of music would have never been born, like punk. So thank you Mr. Wray for creating the crazy sounds that we all love today.
