Quotes

About Chuck Berry | By Chuck Berry

“If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”
– John Lennon

“Berry’s On Top is probably my favorite record of all time; it defines rock and roll. A lot of people have done Chuck Berry songs, but to get that feel is really hard. It’s the rock and roll thing–the push-pull and the rhythm of it.”
– guitarist Joe Perry of Aerosmith

“All of Chuck’s children are out there playing his licks.”
– Bob Seger, Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Forgets

“There’s only one true king of rock ‘n’ roll. His name is Chuck Berry.”
– Stevie Wonder

“[My mama] said, ‘You and Elvis are pretty good, but you’re no Chuck Berry.’”
– Jerry Lee Lewis

“To me, Chuck Berry always was the epitome of rhythm and blues playing, rock and roll playing. It was beautiful, effortless, and his timing was perfection. He is rhythm supreme. He plays that lovely double-string stuff, which I got down a long time ago, but I’m still getting the hang of. Later I realized why he played that way–because of the sheer physical size of the guy. I mean, he makes one of those big Gibsons look like a ukulele!”
– guitarist Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones

“Of all the early breakthrough rock and roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers.”
– Cub Koda

“While Elvis was a country boy who sang “black” to some degree … Chuck Berry provided the mirror image where country music was filtered through an R&B sensibility.”
– Clive Anderson

“Well, Chuck Berry is the first singer-songwriter I know of.”
– Roy Orbison

“You are most certainly the inspiration for all of today’s rock ‘n’ roll guitarists. Your music is timeless.”
– Motown legend Smokey Robinson

Chuck Berry is “a musical scientist who discovered a cure for the blues.”
– singer Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers

“the epitome of what it is to be a rock ‘n’ roll guitar player, songwriter and singer.”
– Joan Jett