7. Chuck Berry and Chess Records in Chicago
Chuck Berry developed the unique sound he made famous on guitar in his native St. Louis as a youth, though he was interrupted by a stint in a reformatory for armed robbery. After his release he returned to the guitar, emulating the rhythm of Mississippi blues. In 1955, he traveled to Chicago, where he met with bluesman Muddy Waters. Waters introduced him to Leonard Chess, of Chess Records, who agreed to record Berry’s songs, supporting him with session musicians. The song Berry chose was his own composition based on an old fiddle tune known as Ida Red. Berry called his adaptation Ida May, though Leonard Chess balked at the idea.
Chess surmised that the target audience for the song – teenagers – were interested in Berry’s lyrics, which described fast cars and interest in the opposite sex. It was Chess who suggested calling the song Maybellene. Released in July, 1955, it too was a monster hit on both sides of the Atlantic. Berry’s style on guitar, especially his leads, had never been heard before. Rolling Stone later wrote, in reference to the song, “Rock and roll guitar starts here”. Berry followed the song with hit after hit, in all of which the electric guitar moved to the forefront of the performance. Across the pond, musicians were listening enthusiastically.