This windfall reinvigorated his career, and replenished his royalty check account. Now hailed as a hero by the biggest and most influential musicians on the planet at the time, he resumed his hitmaker status in 1964, scoring with "Nadine", "No Particular Place To Go", and "You Never Can Tell" He toured England to wildly enthusiastic crowds. While his stint in jail had robbed him of his exuberance to a degree, his showmanship and songwriting abilities were still intact. At least, for a while.
By 1965, rock 'n' roll had begun its transformation into rock, and tastes were becoming more sophisticated. The basic joys of Berry's music began to look passe, after his second wind. Berry, having regained the spotlight against all odds, was reluctant to let it go again. As times changed, he kept up, remaining a showman even as his records became half-hearted affairs. He found a sympathetic audience among the West Coast hippies, becoming a fixture at the Fillmore and festival scene. He left Chess for Mercury records, but his material for them was weak; his star was again fading when he returned to Chess and released a knock-off live recording of a vulgar singalong "My Ding-A-Ling", which ironically became his only #1 Billboard hit of his career, going gold.
Once again he went through a period of rediscovery; this time playing every invitation he got, from TV to festivals to oldies reviews, anything. However, by the mid-70's he was again on the outs; his records, which were often lame attempts at sounding "contemporary" failed to chart, even on the Black charts. He was as out of touch with rock as a man could be at this point, having nothing in common with any of the major 70's trends, from prog-rock to punk. But he kept playing shows, paying the bills.
Unfortunately for Berry, he didn't pay his income tax; in 1979 he returned to prison on income tax evasion charges shortly after what would prove to be his very last album ever, the actually not-bad Rock It, featuring long-time collaborator Johnnie Johnson.
Following his release, Berry was a shadow of his former self. He still played shows, but started getting the reputation of being erratic, sloppy, unfocused, and often tardy. He was a charter inductee into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, but no longer showed any interest in recording again. He published a rather tawdry autobiography in 1987, and was given a 60th birthday salute by Keith Richards which became the successful rockumentary, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, which gave him a last moment in the spotlight. But his private exploits had become fodder for groupie tell-alls, and his image was tarnished.
It's a sad fade for a man who meant so much to so many for so long; Berry's musical legacy, however, is tarnished not a whit. While it's hard to look at footage of the younger Berry (who was already 30 by the time he broke) and not feel a pang of regret for how his life turned out, it is also hard not to be riveted by the master showman, and the earth altering notes he played, even 50 years later. Long after Berry is gone, and Keith Richards, and all of us, people will still point to Chuck Berry and say, "That's where rock 'n' roll begins"
Article comments
1 - DJRadiohead
This is an excellent post. I wrote a quick bit yesterday about the passing of Johnnie Johnson and I could not do it without going back and listening to my Chuck Berry anthology. Artists are still using the rock and roll dictionary he wrote more than 50 years ago. His music still stands tall. The shame of it is all the great songs he has probably written and will never record. I do not believe that well ran dry.
2 - Johan Hasselberg
Great to find this Chuck Berry overview. But the last years has not been so bad. He still make recordings in his studio and still put out great live shows around the world. He has been in Europe three times in 2005 and will be back in June. He also comes up with new guitar riffs, not heard on records. Chuck Berry will hold a tribute concert for Johnnie Johnson, the man Berry has called his "best piano player". The performance in Johnson's honor will take place the night of April 29th at The Pageant in St. Louis. Proceeds raised from the event will go to Johnnie Johnson's wife and family. Chuck is donating his time and has inspired many of the biggest names in Blues from the St. Louis area, including Henry Townsend. This is a great opportunity for families to see this legend at one of the country's premier venues. Tickets are only $10. Tickets can be purchased online through www.ticketmaster.com - Check also the venue's website www.thepageant.com for more information.