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Chuck Berry

brundaddy

By brundaddy
in The Gibson Lounge

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RichCI

RichCI

Posted
Posted

Probably because he's played a bunch of different models of Gibson guitars over the years although he seems to mostly be identified with the 355.

RichCI

RichCI

Posted
Posted

I don't know if that's absolutely true, but he didn't have a regular band. When he toured, he brought his guitar and that was it. It was up to the promoter to provide an amp and a band that knows Chuck Berry songs. One such band that backed him up a long time ago was Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band before they hit it big.

L5Larry

L5Larry

Posted
Posted
i read somewhere that chuck berry never played with the same band twice

is that true?

 

That was pretty much true, especially in his middle-age days. Chuck was born and still lives in St. Louis (as was/do I), and I have met a talked to him on various occasions. I can even put my name up there with the "Boss" as one of the many who has played with him ONCE, I did a park festival gig with him here in St. Louis.

 

Chuck's 82 now and has slowed down considerably. He has his own "regular" band here in St. Louis, run by his son Butch (Chuck Jr.) who plays bass, but even that band is kind of a revoling door (Chuck's not the easiet guy to work with, or even get along with for that matter). Butch has become Chuck's personal manager, assistant, valet, roadie etc. Everything "Chuck" goes through Butch these days, and who wouldn't do that for their poor old father. Chuck's still doing some touring overseas and in the States, and when he's home he plays a regular once a month show at a local club here, kind of like the Les Paul/Iridium thing. http://www.blueberryhill.com/

 

He's been exclusively playing 355's for 40+ years, and as for his guitars, he's surprisingly unparticular, as long as it's a cherry ES-355 or Lucille. The gig I did with him he was playing a beat-to-**** cherry 355 with two knobs and the switch tip missing. I tried to sell him an old 335 I had, but he had no interest because it was sunburst. His "home" amp is a Fender Dual Showman on top of the bass version 2-15 cabinet. I never really understood that amp choice for I owned one in the mid-seventies and thought it sounded like crap (I switched to Sunn and then Music Man).

 

As for the Signature Model guitar, all Gibson would have to do is take a cherry Lucille and put "Chuck" on the face of the headstock instead of "Lucille". Somewhat knowing the man, and knowing a lot about him, I would bet it's a licensing issue. Chuck does not get out of bed in the morning without getting cash up-front. I would have to think that Gibson has proposed this idea to him many times, he probably just wants too much money.

 

As for "Hail, Hail, Rock & Roll", it is a must see, and the new edition has extra DVD's with all the behind the scenes stuff and interviews. You won't believe some of the stories on the extra discs, what was shown in the theatrical release version was the nice stuff.

 

For anybody that is interested, here's his website (like you couldn't google it yourself): http://chuckberry.com/

 

Here's a link to an old "tour rider" posted on The Smoking Gun: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/backstagetour/chuckberry/chuckberry1.html

SRV-Zeppelin

SRV-Zeppelin

Posted
Posted
Buck Cherry is a play on Chuck Berry.

 

Buck Cherry rocks.

 

My apologies, RichCI. Buck Cherry does not "suck"- perhaps that was not a good term to use. I admit Buck Cherry has talented musicians and a good vocalist, I'm just not into their style of music. And, given the genre, I suppose that by technicality they do "rock." So... are we cool?

Ian Martin

Ian Martin

Posted
Posted

 

My apologies' date=' RichCI. Buck Cherry does not "suck"- perhaps that was not a good term to use. I admit Buck Cherry has talented musicians and a good vocalist, I'm just not into their style of music. And, given the genre, I suppose that by technicality they do "rock." So... are we cool?[/quote']

 

Stop being afraid to offend people with your opinion.

 

It makes you look like a puss.

 

It's your opinion, and yours alone, who cares what anyone else thinks?

 

Buckcherry blows major ****.

 

...IMHO, that is.

myspace.com/jessenoah

myspace.com/jessenoah

Posted
Posted

song lyrics are supposed to atrocious, unless you are zeppelin or cream

the best song writers ever- KISS, and ZZ Top

 

 

why, because they are simple metaphors for all sorts of sexual liberalism, lots of sex, lots and lots and lots of sex, sex with girls you know, with girls you dont know, with girls who might not be girls (lola!?!?!?)

 

but thats just my opinion

RichCI

RichCI

Posted
Posted

 

My apologies' date=' RichCI. Buck Cherry does not "suck"- perhaps that was not a good term to use. I admit Buck Cherry has talented musicians and a good vocalist, I'm just not into their style of music. And, given the genre, I suppose that by technicality they do "rock." So... are we cool?[/quote']

 

No apologies necessary - if you don't like them, you don't like them.

RichCI

RichCI

Posted
Posted
Their vibe and style is decent' date=' their song writing skills and lyrics are atrocious.

 

Poo is still poo no matter how it's packaged.[/quote']

 

If they had been around in the 80's, they would have been huge as their style would have been right at home in that era. Sure, their lyrics are vapid but so was everything else 20 years ago; however, vapid or not, it's still fun music. What I didn't like about rock music in the 90's is that so many bands took themselves entirely too seriously and there was no fun music out there. When I listen to Buck Cherry, I'm not expecting socially conscious lyrics about saving the world, I'm expecting "I'm drinking my face off! Show me your ****!" You know - rock and roll!

Ian Martin

Ian Martin

Posted
Posted

Yeah, but that's lyrical SUBJECT MATTER. It has nothing to do with a well written song.

 

I don't care what a song is about, no matter how absurd it is or how perverse, it needs to be worded and written the right way.

 

Alot goes into what makes a song great: great performances, arrangements, musicians, the vibe, the presentation, and lyrics. It works as a whole. Sometimes these points are greatly out of balance (i.e., Dylan was an awful singer but his lyrics kicked ***).

 

It can be hard to define each of these points individually sometimes because every song is subjective, and a good songwriter is good at crafting these elements to work well with each other.

 

But I'm sorry, when I hear a song in which the chorus is:

Hey

You're crazy *****

But you **** so good, I'm on top of it

When I dream, I'm doing you all night

Scratches all down my back to keep me right on

 

Even at the core of rock 'n roll, with songs written by uneducated druggies that are about sex, drugs, and getting laid (which leaves the bar pretty low)...those are piss poor lyrics IMHO, and that is why that song will never be a good song.

 

Can it be spoonfed to the masses on Top 40 radio? You betcha. It's a moneymaker. But it is completely forgettable in every sense of the word.

Tim Plains

Tim Plains

Posted
Posted

I'm sure Buck Cherry is a great band, but I'll never know. A local radio station played their first radio hit sooooooooooooooooooooooo many times that I can never listen to them ever again. Cocaine...or something like that.

 

Same with that new Kings of Leon song. If I hear it one more time I'm going to snap...

myspace.com/jessenoah

myspace.com/jessenoah

Posted
Posted

 

But I'm sorry' date=' when I hear a song in which the chorus is:

[i']Hey

You're crazy *****

But you **** so good, I'm on top of it

When I dream, I'm doing you all night

Scratches all down my back to keep me right on[/i]

 

 

i agree 100 %

i dont like nickelback, or that other group who sings bad girlfriend

lyrics shouldnt be that graphic, they need to let the listeners imagination do some of the work too

Ian Martin

Ian Martin

Posted
Posted

 

i agree 100 %

i dont like nickelback' date=' or that other group who sings bad girlfriend

lyrics shouldnt be that graphic, they need to let the listeners imagination do some of the work too[/quote']

 

Yay! We agree! Let's toast!!! timoticon-spinr.giftimoticon-spin-whoa.giftimoticon-spin-whoa.giftimoticon-spinr.gif

Riffster

Riffster

Posted
Posted

I've been wanting to see good old Chuck for a few years now but he plays once a month and on Wednesdays, I can't make a trip to St. Louis middle of the week...the only time he played on a Friday recently it was a Fourth of July and we had plans, maybe one day...

 

This guy invented rock guitar, the rest of the guys back then where playing their piano or acoustic guitar real hard but Chuck was rocking it...

 

Don't you go dying on me Chuck!!!

 

My heart jumped a bit when I saw the subject line...I thought oh Fu*k!.......

L5Larry

L5Larry

Posted
Posted
I've been wanting to see good old Chuck for a few years now but he plays once a month and on Wednesdays' date=' I can't make a trip to St. Louis middle of the week...the only time he played on a Friday recently it was a Fourth of July and we had plans, maybe one day....[/quote']

 

He's also doing some casino shows and a few concert venues here in St. Louis, and they are generally on weekends. He's still pretty busy for an old fart. Keep an eye and ear out, you never know where he might pop up. My wife has never seen him either, and she's all over me to take her. I guess I ought to do that.

 

Here's the best listing I could find of his schedule:

http://www.chuckberry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2076

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