Who really played the guitar on ‘Johnny B Goode’ in ‘Back to the Future’?

Michael J Fox did not play or sing the version of ‘Johnny B Goode’ heard in the famous ‘Back to the Future’ dance scene. The music was recorded by session guitarist Tim May and vocalist Mark Campbell, while Fox studied the guitar part and carefully matched his movements and performance to the recordings.

May was asked to blend the sound of Chuck Berry’s 1950s style with the guitar approach popular in the 1980s, including Van Halen, and recorded several takes. Fox worked with guitar instructor Paul Hanson to learn the song’s finger movements note for note, helping make the scene convincing despite not producing the soundtrack himself.