Wissenswertes

On 6/1/1979, President Jimmy Carter asked him to perform at the White House.

Until his passing, he performed on a Wednesday each month at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant in the Delmar Loop neighborhood in St. Louis.

His only #1 single was his controversial novelty song "My Ding a Ling".

Owned a warehouse full of old Cadillacs, one from every three or four model years, all the way back to the mid-1950s, which he claimed to be trying to get rid of; but said that nobody would give him a fair price, so he just stored them away.

Voted the fifth Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by "Rolling Stone".

Worked as a janitor, carpenter and hairdresser.

Whenever he performed live, he always selected a venue that was near an Indian restaurant, so he could have a meal straight after the show. When he was at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall in the 1990s, the stage door was directly opposite the front door of the Mogul-E-Azam, so he was able to sneak out the stage door, cross the alley and have his meal without traveling too far (one of the roadies on duty that night let slip about the restaurant information).

Arguably the most important figure in rock-n-roll in the 1950s, besides Elvis Presley. Although Presley had much more explosive record sales and greater commercial longevity, Berry was equally influential and had the satisfaction of knowing that he, unlike Presley, had written all of his own classics.

Awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1777 North Vine St. on 10/7/1987.

Inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1982), the Blues Hall of Fame (1985), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (charter member) (1986), and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1986).

In Stephen King's novel "Christine", many chapters open with lyric fragments from his songs.

Awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame at 6504 Delmar Blvd. on 6/25/1989.

Made his national television debut on 11/8/1957 on Bandstand (1952) performing "Rock and Roll Music" twice in a row, by demand of the teenage dancers in the studio.

Served three jail terms: for armed robbery in 1944, for violation of the Mann Act in 1959, and for income-tax evasion in 1979. He served two years in the state penitentiary in Terre Haute, IN, and was released in February 1964.

In 2000 received the John F. Kennedy Center Honors.

In 1984 received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Originally wanted to be a professional photographer and started singing and playing in a band to buy cameras and photography equipment. Some of his photographs of the famous and near-famous are hanging in galleries around the world.

Father of Ingrid Berry.

One of his daughters, Aloha Berry, went to the same high school (University City Senior High School) as actor Edgar L. Davis and rapper Nelly.

Mentioned in "Chuck Berry Fields Forever" by Gilberto Gil, "Chuck Berry" by The Toasters, "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds, and "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" by Bob Seger.

Born to a contractor and deacon of a Baptist church and his wife, a qualified principal, he was the third of six children.

On 3/18/2017, police in St. Charles County, MO, were called to Berry's house, where he was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene at age 90.

His hit single "Johnny B. Goode," has one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in music history.