Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American rock and roll pioneer. He was dubbed the “Father of Rock and Roll” for refining and expanding rhythm and blues into the key ingredients that differentiated rock and roll with songs like “Maybellene” Johnny B. Goode” (1955), “Roll Over Beethoven” (1956), “Rock and Roll Music” (1957), and “Roll Over Beethoven” (1955).
By penning songs about youth and materialism and establishing a musical style that stressed guitar solos and showmanship, Berry influenced later rock music.
Berry grew up in a black middle-class family in St. Louis and attended Sumner High School, where he excelled in music.
Chuck Berry Parents: Henry Berry, Martha Berry
His grandparents were enslaved people, and his parents, Martha and Henry Berry were among the many African Americans who moved to St. Louis in search of work during World War I from the rural South.
Henry was an industrious carpenter who also served as a deacon at Antioch Baptist Church, and Martha was one of the few Black women to graduate from college during her period.
