Classically Chuck Berry

As conductor Anthony Parnther cued the start of the overture, four of the last words one would imagine to prelude an orchestral performance rang through the newly updated Powell Symphony Hall. “Let’s get ready to rock,” the prerecorded voice said after giving an introduction for the special performance that featured the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. 

Last weekend’s SLSO presentation of the Chuck Berry Birthday Bash was a kickoff for the Chuck100 programming leading up to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree’s 100^th birthday next year.  Saturday afternoon’s concert fell on what would have been his 99^th birthday. 

“Welcome to the celebration of a true American icon,” the prerecorded greeting said. “Father of Rock and Roll, poet of the guitar and a voice that shaped generations. From the heart of St. Louis, he sparked a musical revolution – blending the blues, R&B and country into a brand new sound: Rock and Roll.”

Along with an all-star band and vocalists, SLSO provided accompaniment for more than 30 of Berry’s original compositions. 

The concert began with Chanell Haynes leading a true-to-form rendition of Berry’s Maybellene.” Her husky vocals would make her an ideal vocalist if SLSO decided on a tribute to fellow Sumner alum Tina Turner. 

Berry’s simple, yet profound melodies and chord progressions were given a new soundscape thanks to SLSO’s instruments and Parnther’s arrangements.  Listening to them as they were presented symphonically served as a reminder of just how groundbreaking these compositions made by a Black man born and raised in The Ville were. 

“Alice Cooper said Chuck Berry could tell you the whole story in three minutes or less,” the recording said. “He didn’t just make hits; he wrote chapters of American life. He knew how to set a scene.”

His songs are an essential element of the American songbook. They are also the global blueprint for a genre that is still going strong more than 70 years after he changed music forever. 

“Hail Hail Chuck Berry,” said James Walbourne, guitarist and vocalist for the legendary British rock band The Pretenders, as he strummed and sang and played his way through several of the selections.  It’s fair to say that had it not been for Berry, his band – which is iconic in its own right – wouldn’t exist. 

Walbourne was just one of the names to grace the stage over the two days of shows. Others included Grammy Award-nominated Americana singer and songwriter Valerie June and viral singing sensation and St. Louis music scene veteran Brian Owens. 

And while the roster of special guests included Grammy and Academy Award nominees, one of the most compelling performances came from those who share his bloodline. His son Charles Berry Jr., along with Berry’s grandsons Charles Berry III and Jahi Eskridge demonstrated that Berry’s musical legacy is generational. 

Family matriarch Themetta Berry beamed from the family’s box seats. She grooved in her seat to the music made by her husband of 68 years. 

Before he took the stage and displayed all of the fancy footwork of his grandfather, Charles Berry III gave Mrs. Berry the credit for him being on the Powell Hall stage, and any other. 

“In 1999 she supplied me with my first-ever guitar,” Charles Berry III said of his grandmother. “I would not be here today if it weren’t for her.” 

Both father and son said that Mrs. Berry was the one who organized their impromptu performance of “Little Queenie.”  Chuck Berry had a hand in the family’s performance as well. 

“For those who are wondering, yes – this is actually my dad’s 1960 Gibson ES345,” Charles Berry Jr. said before he strummed the opening riff for his father’s classic “Johnny B. Goode,” which closed out the show. 

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.