Decca Records will
release ‘CHUCK,’ the final album and first new recordings in nearly four
decades by founding rock and roll legend Chuck Berry, who passed away last week
at the age of 90, on 16th June.
Comprised of ten new
recordings, eight of which were written by Berry, ‘CHUCK’ is his first new
album since 1979’s ‘Rock It.’ It was recorded and produced by Berry in various
studios around St. Louis and features his longtime hometown backing group -
including his children Charles Berry Jr. (guitar) and Ingrid Berry (harmonica,
vocals), plus Jimmy Marsala (Berry’s bassist for forty years), Robert Lohr
(piano), and Keith Robinson (drums) - which supported him for nearly two
decades on over two hundred residency shows at the famed Blueberry Hill club.
The album also includes guest performances from Gary Clark Jr., Tom Morello,
Nathaniel Rateliff and Chuck’s grandson Charles Berry III. Acclaimed author and historian Douglas
Brinkley contributes liner notes.
Both Morello and Rateliff
appear on album track ‘Big Boys,’ which Brinkley calls “a guitar player’s
national anthem” in his notes. The song
is streaming now; listen and share here:
“Working to prepare the
release of this record in recent months and in fact over the last several years
brought him a great sense of joy and satisfaction,” the Berry family said in a
statement posted to Facebook earlier this week.
“While our hearts are very heavy at this time, we know that he had no
greater wish than to see this album released to the world, and we know of no
better way to celebrate and remember his 90 years of life than through his
music.”
Some of the songs on
‘CHUCK’ were originally conceived as far back as the 1980s, with Berry
developing them in his home studio in St. Louis over many years during down
time between tours. He worked on the
album through 2014. When health concerns
forced him to stop touring and recording in 2015, Berry continued to oversee
production and planning for ‘CHUCK,’ enlisting his family and close friend Joe
Edwards, the owner of Blueberry Hill, to fulfill his wishes that the album be
completed and released. And from album highlight ‘Lady B. Goode,’ a spiritual sequel
to the iconic ‘Johnny B. Goode’ featuring ripping solos from three generations
of Berry guitarists, to the poignant country balladry of ‘Darlin’,’ a duet with
his daughter Ingrid, ‘CHUCK’ truly is a family affair.
“Working on my Dad's
record has been one of the best experiences of my life,” said Charles Berry Jr.
“I will forever treasure the musical conversations we had, and the time we
spent together completing it.”
Chuck Berry’s passing on
18th March prompted an outpouring of support and condolences from fans, fellow
musicians, and world leaders – from members of The Rolling Stones and Beatles,
to former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The Times commented, “Berry
created a set of riffs that remain the core building blocks of rock guitar-playing.
He combined them with smart, sassy, sly and playful lyrics that painted
incisive vignettes of teenage life. The result was a series of perfect
three-minute pop masterpieces.” The Daily Telegraph reflected, “Chuck Berry was
one of the undisputed, all-time greats of rock and roll, a founding father of
the music that shook and shaped the world. His influence on Elvis, The Beatles
and Stones (as well as every other star of the rock and roll firmament, from
Buddy Holly to Bruce Springsteen) is enough to guarantee musical immortality”.
Rolling Stone claimed
that Berry “defined rock & roll during it’s early years and for decades to
come.” The New York Times called Berry rock’s “master theorist and conceptual
genius, the songwriter who understood what the kids wanted before they knew
themselves,” adding that after 60 years, his earliest music “still sounds
reckless and audacious.”
‘CHUCK’ Track List:
‘Wonderful Woman’
‘Big Boys’
‘You Go To My Head’
‘3/4 Time (Enchiladas)’
‘Darlin’’
‘Lady B. Goode’
‘She Still Loves You’
‘Jamaica Moon’
‘Dutchman’
‘Eyes Of Man’
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