Respect the Architect: Chuck Berry

So let me say this before I finish packing for a flight to Cameroon tomorrow, because Africa’s not exactly known for its wifi: I went to see Chuck Berry last Sunday at Olympia. After Ike Turner died, I felt pressed to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to supporting the greats who are getting up in their years. (I’m grateful to have seen Miles Davis – twice – and James Brown in their lifetimes, regretful to have missed Nina Simone and Ray Charles, just to name two.)

Chuck came on at 7 and left the stage around 8; architect of rock n’ roll he may be, but he’s also an 81-year-old great-grandpa. He did his duck walk, actually impressed on “Wee Wee Hours” and played “Johnny B. Goode,” “Rock & Roll Music,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “My Ding-a-Ling,” “Sweet Little Sixteen” and the rest for what must’ve been the millionth time. But played; he’s an octogenarian but still a badass guitarist, f’real. Afropunks rightfully claim Chuck Berry and Little Richard as the inventors of rock all day every day, but when’s the last time an afropunk plunked down his 40 beans and sat through a Chuck Berry show? I counted three black folks in the entire audience, including me and my cousin-in-law Vincent. Hail hail rock n’ roll, furthermuckers!

A brief aside: I grew up on Happy Days gems like “Rock Around the Clock” and “Blueberry Hill” from the radio station in my folks’ Mercury Comet being stuck on New York City’s oldies station, 101 CBS-FM. So when I was a kid in the 70s, these songs felt as current to me as Donna Summer’s “Sunset People”; DJ Norm N Nite got as much burn as Frankie Crocker over on WBLS. So I actually, y’know, like Chuck Berry. Here’s my very own iPod’s American Graffiti playlist (sorry Mike, no Elvis):

1. “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets
2. “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
3. “Monster Mash” by The Cryptkickers
4. “Someday We’ll Be Together” by Diana Ross & The Supremes
5. “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Diana Ross & The Supremes
6. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by Diana Ross & The Supremes
7. “Baby Love” by Diana Ross & The Supremes
8. “The Wanderer” by Dion
9. “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran
10.“Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino
11.“I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos (whut?)
12.“Be Bop-a-Lula” by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
13.“Alley Oop” by The Hollywood Argyles
14.“Rocket 88” by Ike Turner
15.“Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis
16.“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis
17.“Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen
18.“Good Golly Miss Molly” by Little Richard
19.“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard
20.“Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard
21.“Dancing in the Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas (that background harmony!)
22.“Be My Baby” by The Ronettes (peace to Scorsese)
23.“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles
24.“Since I Don’t Have You” by The Skyliners

I can’t front though: the “Johnny B. Goode” break got more play on my Technics from the sample on LL Cool J’s “Go Cut Creator Go” when I was a teenager, no doubt. Above: the immortal Chuck Berry in the 1950s, on his way to yet another ménage à trois…