Chuck Berry at the Democratic Convention

[Ennis Snavely]

I heard that Kerry got him to peform by promising to repeal the Mann Act.

[Captain Hate]

Maybe they put cameras in the toilets.

[Dr Dave]

If this is actually true, then the above two posts are excellent examples of why he should not have been invited. It's a shame that genius does not always come with proper deportment.

[Chris D]

I'm so glad I'm living in the USA. Everything you want, they got it right here in the USA.

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

If this is actually true, then the above two posts are excellent examples of why he should not have been invited. It's a shame that genius does not always come with proper deportment.

I consider it a blessing. I have no shot at proper deportment, yet I'm flirting with genius.

Or maybe just sexually assaulting it.

But enough about me, what do YOU think of my self-involvement?


Thank you.

[Richardo Caerleoni]

"It's a shame that genius does not always come with proper deportment."

Or with a decent band? Berry has made "cheap", even cheaper ! OK, some great records on Chess. in the 50s ... but since ?

[Root Doctor]

Originally Posted by Richardo Caerleoni

"It's a shame that genius does not always come with proper deportment."

Or with a decent band? Berry has made "cheap", even cheaper ! OK, some great records on Chess. in the 50s ... but since ?

1979's "Rock It," on Atco, is pretty good. Dave Edmunds covered one of its songs, "Oh What a Thrill."

[John L]

Chuck Kerry? Now that has a winning ring to it!


Duck walking to the White House, baby.

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

True story... Chuck Berry is coming to play. He often contracts with the local musicians' union to get some hired hands to back him up when he comes to a locale. Drummer, bass, keyboards, no big deal. Anyhoots, I get a call that Mr. Berry is also looking for a guitarist to round out his "band".. would I be interested?
Visions of doing nothing but loosey-goosey rhythm, a few chords here, a few there, aren't what usually floats my barge, but hey, this might be an interesting experience. Yeah sure, methinks, I'll be there. Long story short, Chuck is definitely a great guitarist, and not as "odd" as the reputation suggests. He was not a perfectionist, and he allowed some, but not much, room for us, especially the keyboardist,to do some solos. Years later I read about all the tawdry stuff, but at the time, there was nothing at all to foreshadow anything creepy.

If you really want creepy... Dionne Warwick. Don't get me started!

[Ennis Snavely]

Originally Posted by Lenny D.Guitarist

If you really want creepy... Dionne Warwick. Don't get me started!

Please, you already started...

[Darryl G. Thomas]

I also have to ask: What exactly did Chuck do? Take a woman across state lines and assault her in a bathroom somewhere?

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Richardo Caerleoni

"It's a shame that genius does not always come with proper deportment."

Or with a decent band? Berry has made "cheap", even cheaper ! OK, some great records on Chess. in the 50s ... but since ?

I had "Dear Dad" as a 45 in the late 60's on Chess; the band was pretty hot.

Then again I saw him in the early 70's with a local backup band that was heavily into Grand Funk Railroad. Not exactly a memorable evening.

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Darryl G. Thomas

I also have to ask: What exactly did Chuck do? Take a woman across state lines and assault her in a bathroom somewhere?

I don't know about the Mann Act violation; purportedly he owned a building, maybe a motel, that was found to have vidcam feeds in the toilets. I think he claimed it was to monitor when the tp was low but it was at a pretty unusual vantage point for that.

[moneyp]

The documentary covering his 50th birthday concert, "Hail, Hail, Rock & Roll" is fantastic entertainment, especially behind the curtains. His fighting with Keith Richards throughout is a constant source of entertainment.

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by mone peterson

The documentary covering his 50th birthday concert, "Hail, Hail, Rock & Roll" is fantastic entertainment, especially behind the curtains. His fighting with Keith Richards throughout is a constant source of entertainment.

To be a stickler for detail, it was his 60th birthday. His bickering with Keith about what chord to play in was classic: Portrait of the Artist as a Pain in the Ass.

[Dr Dave]

I did not participate in this particular incident, but I played bass for a while in the band that did. Columbus, Ohio, 1972: Chuck comes to town to do a show. He hires the Dave Workman Band. He shows up at 6 pm for a rehearsal/sound check. It consists of the following: "We'll open with Sweet Little Sixteen in D. We'll close with Johnny B. Goode in Bb. Watch my feet for the stops. I'm going out to get dinner." He showed up at 9:30, played for 90 minutes, and split.

Chuck was arrested decades ago for transporting a minor across state lines to perform an immoral act. That's the "Mann Act" reference. Chuck had various other unfortunate sexual proclivities that put him in jail from time to time. If you're curious, rent "Hail, Hail Rock and Roll," the documentary of his 60th birthday party, organized by Keith Richards. Chuck revealed a lot--both good and bad--in the film.

Chuck more or less invented guitar-driven rock'n'roll. He is, unquestionably, a genius. He is also, unquestionably, not a very nice person. This is difficult for Americans to understand. But then, not enough Americans have read Henry James, so what are you going to do.

[Chris D]

Always loved Springsteen's memory of being a kid playing behind Chuck. Berry told them just before kicking off the set:
"Play for the money, boys!"

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

Chuck allowed some guitar solo exchanges on Johhny B Goode in the only real "jam" of his 1 1/2 hour set. Played it in A. He wasn't much for names, details, or small talk, but he was professional and more innovative that critics think. "Don't go getting too jazzy on me, boys. Don't like those 9th or 13th chords."

Dionne Warwick once headlined a show I attended in a Southern USA state. Her contractual demands of special dressing room perks were laughable...At the end of the concert, she was given a bouquet of flowers by a mentally and physically challenged girl who struggled to walk from the curtain to where Ms. W was situated on stage. After taking a dismissive look at the huge flower arrangement, the diva says "Oh, I can get this from my backyard anyday. Thanks anyway to whomever bought these." Never acknowledged the girl's presence. The audience and the musicians were initially speechless, and then a crescendo of boos greeted her. She left accompanied by the most godawful arrogant sneer this boy has ever seen. A subsequent media report revealed that Ms. Warwick or one of her entourage threw the bouqet in the garbage. That's what friends are for.

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

Don't get me started about Sly Stone either!

[Chris D]

There's nothing you can say about Sly that would surprise anyone.

Dionne Warwick is a shameless con artist who scammed AIDS fundraisers and, through he so-called Psychic Network, an untold number of people. What Warwick has done makes Martha Stewart's alleged misdeeds look like a little white lie.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

He is, unquestionably, a genius. He is also, unquestionably, not a very nice person. This is difficult for Americans to understand. But then, not enough Americans have read Henry James, so what are you going to do.

Oh heavens, that is so true. It is outside the experience of millions of people spread across an enormous continent and in employed in the most diverse undertakings ever seen by man to conceive of a person who could be good at a thing and at the very same time, shudder, bad. Why. you'd have to read some very difficult novels indeed to finesse your brain to the point where that insight was possible.

[Root Doctor]

Originally Posted by Chris A

Dionne Warwick is a shameless con artist who scammed AIDS fundraisers and, through he so-called Psychic Network, an untold number of people. What Warwick has done makes Martha Stewart's alleged misdeeds look like a little white lie.

Nevertheless, she made loads of great records in the '60s.

[Lenny D.Guitarist]

Originally Posted by Chris D

There's nothing you can say about Sly that would surprise anyone.

Don't bet on it....

[steve(thelil)]

I wanna hear about Sly.

Pretty Please.

[Sandi22]

I just saw someone is printing this up and decided to have a look at what's thought of Chuck.

I met him when I was a teenager and he saved the day for me.

I had gone to the Hermosa Biltmore Hotel Ballroom to see a big Rhythm & Blues happpening, and had gone alone for some odd reason, and threw on my mothers black cashmere or Melton 3/4 length coat, as she was wearing my warmest jacket, and the wind was coming off the ocean and was hitting with a pretty brisk chill, so I wanted some thing fairly warm, and so wearing her somewhat dressy coat, I took off for the concert. The funny thing was, I had on my regular beach type clothing the button down shirt with a cut off sweatshirt over it, Jamaica shorts and deck shoes. Here I was wearing this beautiful black coat with a large 4 inch round pin of graduated rhinestones, a really pretty coat and pin, but so out of whack with the beach type clothing I was wearing under it. It's odd that I didn't take the time to take off the pin, or even change into something different when I relized I'd have to wear her coat, but just went like that anyway, knowing that no one would see what I had on under it. I got to the hotel, went into the office, where Mike told us to leave our things when there, took off my coat put it on the rack, and went to see the bands, entertainers, singers, single musicians etc., hooking up with friends I was supposed to meet there.

Mike Casino had put on the concert which lasted for about a week or more, and everyone who was anyone in Rhythm and Blues was there one time or another, Roy Oberson, The Clovers, Fats Domino and I can't recall who else. Mike had told all of us that he didn't want any of us to pay, it was free to all of us, which was always a perk when Mike put on a concert, until the Judy Garland comeback that is. One of the groups in this concert at the Biltmore, as I'd mentioned were the Clovers. A favorite with most of us kids, and so it was fun seeing them sing. Knowing Mike, he was a friend of all of us kids at the beach and our age, so he told us besides the fact that none of us had to pay, we also had the run of the place, so I had put my coat in the office where all the band members congregated and left their own things. After I had seen all I wanted to see, when I was ready to leave, I walked in to get my coat where I'd left it and it had been moved, I could see that, and when I walked over to get it off the rack and was putting it on, one of the men in the Clovers came up and grabbed it and was trying to get it away from me, pulling on the coat, and pushing on me, grabbing my arm in a tight grip. It was just crazy. We were having a hot and almost violent confrontation, then in walked Chuck Berry him saying, "What do you think you're doing" or some such thing to the fellow, and I was telling the guy to get his hands off of me and back off. He was so angry with me, and so determined to get my coat that he never looked around to see who was telling him the same things that I was, and then he said to Chuck, still not looking at him, "She's stealing this coat". I told him it was my mothers coat, and he had better not touch me, to get his hands off of me which he was ignoring, then Chuck told him, "Did you hear me sucker? Did you hear her? Get your hands off of her, I'm not telling you again", and more threats, and when the guy in the Clovers turned and saw who it was, he went weak in the knees even though he dwarfed Chuck. Chuck always carried a gun, Mike told me later and he was known to have used it, so he really did scare that guy, and it was funny to see. I still laugh when I think about it. He then said "She's a thief, look how she's dressed, that coat can't belong to her, it's too nice a coat." Chuck told him, "No, you're the thief, I saw you looking at that coat earlier and you'd better back off, you'd better listen to the girl, or you're going to regret it!" So he backed off, and couldn't get out of there quick enough. Chuck had scared the daylights out of him, and I loved it. I just couldn't figure it, as the other fellow was so big and so were his band mates who were in the room by then. Then Chuck told me he knew he had plans on that coat and when he saw me walk in and the Clover fellow follow me, he came off the bandstand to check it all out. It was getting wild in the room which was acting as the office/combination cloak room, and without Mike there it was not too good a scene. A lot of heavy shoving and grabbing going on. After this was all over, Chuck had me check out the coat to see if there were any tears, etc., there weren't. He walked me outside and asked me if I had driven, I told him, No, I'd walked, he told me he was going to call me a cab, I told him no need, I only lived a few blocks away, he said it was dark and dangerous, I just told him that it wasn't in our town, evryone always walked with no problems whatsoever, he offered to walk me home, offered to help me in anyway, and I told him it wouldn't be necessarry and he told me it must be nice to live in such a nice safe place. He walked me part of the way and then stood on the stairs untill he felt all was OK. He wished it were like that where he came from he'd told me. He was a perfect gentleman and he did save me from having a lot of trouble. He stood out front and watched and waved to me when I was getting out of sight, he stayed there to make sure I was going to be ok. It was really appreciated and you know, he isn't at all bad in my way of seeing him. I had a great experience with him.

He was super nice to me and to this day, I still appreciate how it was with him, and would like to be able to thank him one day.