Born 100 Years Ago Today in St. Louis, the “Father of Rock and Roll” Who Inspired The Beatles and the Rolling Stones

Chuck Berry’s centenary is being marked by a look back at how he helped shape rock and roll. His blend of 1950s rhythm and blues, distinctive guitar playing and energetic showmanship influenced generations of musicians, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Born Charles Edward Anderson Berry in St. Louis on 18 October 1926, he began performing publicly as a teenager and rose to prominence in the mid-1950s. His best-known songs include “Maybellene”, “Roll Over Beethoven”, “Rock and Roll Music” and “Johnny B. Goode”; he also had a later hit with “My Ding-A-Ling” in 1972. Berry died in Missouri in 2017, aged 90.