The most influential rock 'n' roll artist of a generation will release his first new album in decades next year. On his 90th birthday, we look back at what makes him an icon.
Chuck Berry is the greatest rock 'n' roll artist of his generation. Elvis Presley may have become the hyper-branded icon and Little Richard may have the larger-than-life persona, but it's Chuck with the richest body of work. His distinctive guitar riffing made him a fixture on the charts in the 1950s and it made the instrument rock 'n' roll’s definitive symbol.
Unlike Elvis, Berry wrote and played his classic tunes, and unlike Richard, Berry managed to extend his career past his 1950s run with a string of strong singles in the early 1960s. Berry's influence is impossible to overstate—as a songwriter, lyricist, and guitarist, he’s the most complete summation of what "rock 'n' roll" is at its purest.
