Well we all gotta go, & 90 is a good age, but the death of a genuine musical legend.
Yes, he was 90, but Chuck was working on stuff up to this year, he seemed fit & healthy, an album was planned to come out, he didn't live like a 90 year old.
Like many of the early rock and roll stars, Chuck Berry appeared as himself in a new film genre--the rock and roll film, which flourished from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. For Berry, his first appearance came in 1956's ROCK, ROCK, ROCK!. These films had just enough plot to justify the inclusion of the myriad musical acts lined up to appear. In ROCK, ROCK, ROCK!, a young teenage girl (Tuesday Weld) desperately tries to earn enough money to buy a dress for a school rock and roll dance.
Berry and the other performers lip-synched to their own recordings in the film. ROCK, ROCK, ROCK! was shot over a period of two weeks at Mikaro Studios in Bronx, NY, on a budget estimated from $80,000 to $125,000. The film also marked the feature film debuts of Connie Francis, Tuesday Weld, and Valerie Harper. Connie Francis did not appear onscreen, but she was given screen credit for dubbing Tuesday Weld's singing voice. Will Price directed the film.
Here's Berry singing his one song in the film, "You Can't Catch Me":
The musical performers in ROCK, ROCK, ROCK! hailed from a number of different record labels, but Chess Records, the label of Berry, as well as The Moonglows and the Flamingos, who also appeared in the film, released the "soundtrack" album. But because Chess was limited to only releasing the songs of its own artists, only the four songs from their acts appeared on the the 12-track LP. The balance of the release was filled out by previously released Chess tracks, including Chuck Berry's early hits "Maybelline" and "Roll Over Beethoven," as well as The Moonglows' pop and R'n'B standards "Sincerely" and "See Saw." Universal/Chess released the LP on CD in 2004.
Ever the self-promoter, Alan Freed starred in the 1957 film MISTER ROCK AND ROLL, the saga of how disc jockey Alan Freed discovered rock and roll. The new musical sounds were traced back to their roots in jazz, blues, and gospel. Alan Freed had made his film debut a year earlier in ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK. On 11 July 1951, Freed, calling himself “Moondog,” began to emcee a program of rhythm and blues music over WJW radio in Cleveland, Ohio. The music, which had previously attracted a largely black audience caught on with the white, post-war teen audience, and was renamed rock and roll. In 1954, Freed moved to WINS radio in New York, and staged a series of legendary music shows. In the late 1950s, Freed was charged with accepting bribes in exchange for featuring certain recordings on his program, bringing a ruinous end to his career. The practice, popularly called "Payola," was later revealed to be widespread.
In MISTER ROCK AND ROLL, the songs introduced by disc jockey Alan Freed on his radio show are then performed on stage by the musical entertainers. Lionel Hampton and His Band also appeared in the film, with Hampton acting as the film's musical director. Charles Dubin directed the film.
Berry sang two songs in the film--"Oh Baby Doll" and "La Juanda." Here's his performance of "Oh Baby Doll":
The title of 1959's GO, JOHNNY, GO! was inspired by Jimmy Clanton's popular single "Go, Jimmy, Go" as well as the refrain from Chuck Berry's hit song "Johnny B. Goode," which was listed as "Johnny Be Good" in the onscreen credits. The song is sung by Berry over the opening and closing credits.
In the film, rock-n-roll promoter Alan Freed holds a talent search to develop a new rock star, then must find the elusive, mystery contestant (Jimmy Clanton) who doesn't know he has won. GO, JOHNNY, GO! marked the motion picture debuts of Jimmy Clanton and Sandy Stewart. Clanton made only one other film, the 1961 release TEENAGE MILLIONAIRE. GO, JOHNNY, GO! also marked the final screen appearance of "rockabilly" performer Eddie Cochran (1938--1960), who died in an automobile crash on 17 April 1960, and the only screen appearance of popular teenage idol Ritchie Valens (1941--1959), who died in a plane crash on 3 February 1959, along with fellow rock and rollers Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, shortly after filming his song for the picture. The film was also the final one for Alan Freed. Paul Landres directed.
Chuck Berry, Jimmy Clanton, and Sandy Stewart are the only rock and roll stars to act as well as sing in the film. The others only sing their musical numbers, most in a stage performance setting. Berry performed two songs in the film itself--"Little Queenie" and "Memphis Tennessee." Here is "Little Queenie":
And here he is in the film performing "Memphis Tennessee," in a television broadcast viewed by Clanton and Stewart:
No soundtrack LP was issued for the film, but a promotional LP was made available, copies of which are valued into the many hundreds of dollars. In November 2016, Jasmine Records of Great Britain issued a CD of that recording as a "50-year-rule" disc.
JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY was a seminal jazz documentary produced, directed, and photographed by Bert Stern. The 1960 film depicts many of the musicians performing at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, which was held over the Fourth of July weekend. The filmmakers follow the events of the two-day festival, documenting performances by such jazz luminaries as Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Chico Hamilton, and Thelonius Monk. Here is Berry performing his hit "Sweet Little Sixteen"
A plethora of rock and pop stars appeared in the 1964 concert film THE T.A.M.I. SHOW. Chuck Berry sang his hits "Maybelline," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Roll Over Beethoven." The T.A.M.I. Show (Teenage Awards Music International) was videotaped in the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 29, 1964. The tape was then transferred to film for release in theaters. Steve Binder directed the film. A condensed version of this film and the subsequent THE BIG T.N.T. SHOW (1966) was released on tape in 1984 as "That Was Rock" and hosted by Chuck Berry.
For the documentary KEEP ON ROCKIN', director D. A. Pennebaker filmed the 1969 Toronto Rock and Roll Revival. The film, which did not get a commercial release until 1972, opens as members of a motorcycle club ride down the highway on their way to the concert. Inside the stadium, revered rock and roll performers Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard perform the classic songs with which they achieved fame and notoriety. Berry performed a 45-minute set at the festival, which can be seen here:
In the early 1970s, Richard Nader produced the Original Rock & Roll Revival Concerts tour, which featured iconic musicians of 1950s rock and roll music. The documentary LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL presents excerpts from three live concert performances held at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY; Cobo Hall in Detroit, MI; and the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, during which the musicians performed the popular songs for which they were famous.
Nader served as emcee to the performers in the film, which is interspersed with interviews of stars reminiscing, still shots and black-and-white footage from earlier performances, often showing the concert and earlier footage simultaneously in split-screen. During the concert tours, ten photographers recorded behind-the-scenes footage of performers, crew and audience, which is also interspersed in the film. Sid Levin and Robert Abel directed.
Here is a segment of the film featuring Chuck Berry:
AMERICAN HOT WAX was a biopic of disc jockey Alan Freed, focusing on the pivotal year of 1959, which saw him reach his greatest popularity and then fall from grace due to the "payola" scandal. Tim McIntire starred as Freed, and the film included several musical stars of the 1950's, including Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, playing themselves. Floyd Mutrux directed the 1978 film.
The Kenny Vance-produced soundtrack LP, distributed through A&M Records, featured live concert performances from Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, The Moonglows, The Drifters, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Wholesale orders for the LP reached Gold sales status (500,000 physical copies). The LP has not been reissued on CD. Here's Chuck Berry's performance in the film:
Three years after the successful release of Universal Pictures’ NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, (1978), the newly-formed ABC Motion Pictures decided to produce NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CLASS REUNION as one of the company’s first three projects. With domestic distribution to be handled by Twentieth Century-Fox, ABC budgeted the picture at $8 million. The film marked the theatrical motion picture screenwriting debut of filmmaker John Hughes. Michael Miller directed the film. Peter Bernstein and Mark Goldenberg collaborated on the unreleased score.
Chuck Berry made a "Special Appearance" in the 1982 comedy-horror film, as the featured musical act at a party, during which he sings "It Wasn't Me," "My Dingaling," and "Festival." Here is that scene:
In St. Louis, in 1986, for Chuck Berry's 60th birthday, Keith Richards assembled a pickup band of Robert Cray, Joey Spampinato, Eric Clapton, himself, and long-time Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson. Joined on stage by Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, and Julian Lennon, Berry performed his classic rock songs. Director Taylor Hackford filmed the proceedings, which were released in 1987 as the concert/documentary film CHUCK BERRY: HAIL! HAIL! ROCK 'N' ROLL.
Berry's talents as a composer, lyricist, singer, musician, and entertainer are on display and, in behind-the-scenes interviews, are discussed by Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, and others. There's even a rarity for Berry, a rehearsal. Archival footage from the early 1950s and a duet with John Lennon round out this portrait of a master. MCA released the film's soundtrack on LP and CD. Here's the film's trailer:
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce voted to give Chuck Berry a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame a couple of years before this film was made. The star was never dedicated because nobody was willing to step forward to pay for it. In order to help promote the film, Universal Pictures paid for the star, and it was dedicated the same week the film was released.
In August 1972, a major rock and roll festival was held at Wembley Stadium in London. Director Peter Clifton filmed some of the proceedings, which were released in Britain in 1973 as THE LONDON ROCK AND ROLL SHOW. The primary acts featured in the film were Little Richard, Bill Haley and the Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry, who provided the show's climactic set. The film had its American release in 1975. Here is one of Berry's songs from the film, "Reelin' and Rockin'":
In August 1972, a major rock and roll festival was held at Wembley Stadium in London. Director Peter Clifton filmed some of the proceedings, which were released in Britain in 1973 as THE LONDON ROCK AND ROLL SHOW. The primary acts featured in the film were Little Richard, Bill Haley and the Comets, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry, who provided the show's climactic set. The film had its American release in 1975. Here is one of Berry's songs from the film, "Reelin' and Rockin'":
Chuck got a lot of condolences from celebrity's, he was huge worldwide, among them were Jagger, Page, Richards, they were pretty sad/peed, as it was there hero from an early age.
