It doesn’t seem that long ago when my wife Jane and I went to Deer Creek Music Center (before the days of big money naming deals…it’s called Klipsch now).  Chuck Berry wowed the crowd playing all his greatest music.  Chuck Berry never had his own band.  He would just tell the venue to find a group of musicians that knew his music.  It always worked.  Many big names would work for little money just to play with Chuck  Berry.

Elvis Presley is often called the King of Rock & Roll, and Elvis was one of the greatest, no doubt.  But if you ask people in the know about the history of music, they will tell you the real King of Rock & Roll was, and always will be, Chuck Berry.

Why is Chuck Berry not commonly known as the King of Rock & Roll?  To understand the answer to that question, you need to remember the time in American history when Berry became popular.

It was the 1950s and race relations in America were not good.  Rock and Roll was, at that time, considered a controversial form of music, a challenge to the establishment.  For an African-American man doing Rock & Roll, and gaining a young fan base, Chuck Berry never got credit for what he accomplished in changing the landscape of American music.

Elvis always got the credit for being the King, but Berry is the man who earned the title.  American racism at the time prevented him for getting the credit he deserved.

Chuck Berry himself always called Elvis the greatest ever.

Chuck Berry died on March 18th at the age of 90.  He will be remembered for giving us his music, and that music will entertain people for a long time to come.  That will be his legacy.  His songs will live on for people like me, and for those not even born yet.

You will be missed, Chuck Berry.