nick manho

chuck is 80 today.

i remember cooler kids than me in my school talking about him and buddy holly in what must have been 1960. i was too young to appreciate chuck's mid 50s string of classics. none of those songs were big hits in england, though i do have vague memories of hearing sweet little sixteen and memphis tennessee on radio luxembourg. the great chuck era for me was 1964. in one year he released, no particular place to go, nadine, you never can tell, and promised land.

there were also the covers coming out in that period: beatles, stones, buddy holly's version of brown eyed handsome man. the early to mid 60s was pretty much chuck's golden age. not for the songs, necessarily - the mid 50s probably saw more great songs - but he was finally getting the recognition. he was everywhere you looked or listened.

been listening now for 45 years. chuck is just about the only guy who makes me want to get up and dance.





thanks for the ride, man, it was great.

Chuck Berry, 1957, Chess Records: Rock and Roll Music