Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957) and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958). Writing lyrics about teen life and consumerism, and developing a music style that fused blues with country music, Berry led the transition from blues-oriented rhythm and blues to rock and roll.

Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986; he was cited for having "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance". Berry is included in several Rolling Stone "Greatest of All Time" lists. He was ranked fifth on the magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry's: "Maybellene", "Johnny B. Goode", and "Rock and Roll Music". "Johnny B. Goode" is the only rock-and-roll song included on the Voyager Golden Record.

Berry's showmanship has been influential on other rock music performers. His songwriting style was unique, focusing on youth culture and consumerism, and developing a musical style that fused blues with country music. Berry's guitar riffs and showmanship were a major influence on subsequent rock music.

Berry was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984.