# Chuck Berry has Died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506 "2017-03-18T22:26:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/1 "2017-03-18T22:26:09Z")
> **[Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry dies aged 90](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39318602)** > > Tributes pour in for the legendary guitarist and songwriter after he dies in Missouri aged 90. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/2 "2017-03-18T22:44:32Z")
You’re right. ☹ > **[Chuck Berry, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer, Dies at 90 (Published 2017)](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/arts/chuck-berry-dead.html)** > > Mr. Berry was rock’s master theorist and conceptual genius, a songwriter who understood what the kids wanted before they knew themselves. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/3 "2017-03-18T22:57:46Z")
I think all those years of playing with his Ding-A-Ling may explain his longevity. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/4 "2017-03-18T23:02:30Z")
Aw, shit. A true rock ‘n’ roll pioneer has passed on. Roll over, Beethoven, and tell Tchaikovsky the news. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/5 "2017-03-18T23:03:25Z")
Chuck Berry invented rock ‘n’ roll. Period. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/6 "2017-03-18T23:12:58Z")
RIP, Chuck. An interesting character for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/7 "2017-03-18T23:15:51Z")
Just yesterday my husband was talking about how, at about 90, Chuck left his hospital bed to perform. RIP. Chuck. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/8 "2017-03-18T23:18:29Z")
Gone like a cool breeze. ---
**Author:** ![stosh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/9 "2017-03-19T00:00:18Z")
Wow, I knew this one was coming, but that don’t make it any easier. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/10 "2017-03-19T00:53:00Z")
This editing sucks. So anyway, yeah, Chuck Berry has died. Sent from my adequate mobile device using Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/11 "2017-03-19T00:57:09Z")
[Duck walk over here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=821908) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/12 "2017-03-19T00:58:29Z")
Wow, this is big. This man, more than any other, created the sound that has dominated popular culture for about 65 years. I look forward to Keith Richards’ statement (Keith, a terrific writer – see his book “Life” – worshipped Chuck, and the were friends even if Chuck drove Keith crazy). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/13 "2017-03-19T01:08:25Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > [Duck walk over here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=821908) Thanks Pat. Sent from my adequate mobile device using Tapatalk. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/14 "2017-03-19T01:10:36Z")
Pool wrote: "I think all those years of playing with his Ding-A-Ling may explain his longevity. " Hey, it worked for Ernest Borgnine. Seriously, I once heard that he always toured alone because if he needed to pick up sidemen it was just a matter of calling the local musicians union and saying: "Send me some body who can play Chuck Berry material." Which was pretty much everybody. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/15 "2017-03-19T01:33:15Z")
Wow. Could he have been more rock n’ roll? Such elemental songs and playing. Such a weird complex life. I couldn’t play if it weren’t for Chuck. No one could. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/16 "2017-03-19T01:42:23Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Chuck Berry invented rock ‘n’ roll. Period. Well, Sun records, Elvis, rockabilly, Bill Haley, Rocket 88, Hank Williams, mumble, mumble, but damn, you’re so right! ETA: accidentally, I was listening to my favorite album of all times, “Sticky Fingers”, when I heard the news. Eerily fitting somehow, his best pupils… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/17 "2017-03-19T01:48:33Z")
Damn! The true king of rock’n’roll just died. He really was an original. He composed the wittiest and most literate rock’n’roll lyrics since the genre was born. Nobody wrote like Chuck before and nobody has written like him since. In the UK in the early 60s the record company (Parlophone I believe) always marketed him with another idol of mine Bo Diddley, issuing EPs with a couple of tracks each from the pair, _Chuck’n’Bo_. It was a match made in heaven, the earthy, hypnotic and insistent beat of Bo with the driving, rhythmic and intelligent rock from Chuck. Bo went a few years ago, now Chuck has joined him. They were true rock royalty. We shall not look upon their like again. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/18 "2017-03-19T01:58:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Chuck Berry invented rock ‘n’ roll. Period. But Muddy Waters invented electricity. I’ve told this story before on here but it fits. In college me and my roommates heard that Chuck Berry was playing in DC. None of us were big fans but how can you dislike his songs? They are rock and roll. We thought that he couldn’t possibly play for too much longer so we should go see him while we could. We didn’t know he would be playing another 30 years. His concert was just like you have probably heard. Some local bar blues band opened for him. Then we waited. The announcement came over that his plane was late. We waited. And waited. Finally the opening band came back on stage. Then Chuck Berry walked on with his guitar case. He strapped on the guitar and said to the audience “What do you want to hear?” When he heard a song title he launched into the song without looking at the band just assuming they were going to know what to do. What can I say? He was Chuck Berry. He sounded great. He played like Chuck Berry. He was in his 60s but he still did all his moves. There was no thought to a set list. He played as songs were called out. Johnny B Goode was 3rd. He pulled people out of the audience to dance on stage. He played a bunch of his songs but they are short. After about 45 minutes he waved to the audience and walked off. The house lights came on and over the PA came the announcement “Chuck Berry has left the building.” I had no expectations other than getting the opportunity to see him live and that’s exactly what happened. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/19 "2017-03-19T01:59:35Z")
Johnny B. Goode was included on the gold record “Sounds of Earth” that was sent with the Voyager space probes. His music may literally outlive us all. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506/20 "2017-03-19T01:59:59Z")
My family ate in his restaurant once in the late 80s. I wonder if he captured video of my mom and sister in law in the bathroom. I do love Chuck, and I love that he always lived in the St. Louis area and still showed up to play the Duck Room. He’s a rock genius and cultural icon. And a creep. Still. He could play the guitar like ringing a bell. Thanks for all those great songs, Chuck. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chuck-berry-has-died/782506.md?page=2)