Chuck Berry: 1926 - 2017

Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Neil Young - 1986
Photo Lynn Goldsmith
(Click photo to enlarge)
Chuck Berry: 1926 - 2017

The Photo of the Moment is Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Neil Young in 1986 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Lynn Goldsmith.

On January 23, 1986, legendary artists James Brown, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and The Everly Brothers were inducted into the first class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. What was expected to be only a dinner with acceptance speeches turned into a historic jam session orchestrated by promoter Bill Graham featuring Berry, Lewis, Domino, Billy Joel, Keith Richards and Ron Wood of The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Steve Winwood, John Fogerty, and Chubby Checker. Paul Shaffer led the "World's Most Dangerous Band" (from Late Night with David Letterman) including saxophonist David Sanborn, guitarist Sid McGinnis, bassist Will Lee, and drummer Steve Jordan.

Highlights included Winwood performing “Gimme Some Lovin’ (The Spencer Davis Group) on organ, Forgery playing "Proud Mary"' for the first time in 14 years, and Checker singing and dancing "The Twist." Berry led the closing jam, duckwalking across the stage to his classic "Roll Over Beethoven" as Joel, Lewis, Fogerty, Richards, Young and Winwood played behind him.

From "30th Anniversary of the 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.":

Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll. His accolades include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and being named seventh on Time magazine's 2009 list of the 10 best electric guitar players of all time. On May 14, 2002, Berry was honored as one of the first BMI Icons at the 50th annual BMI Pop Awards.

The legendary guitarist is known for his duckwalk on stage, which he introduced during a 1956 concert in New York. His list of classics includes “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Rock and Roll Music,” "Maybellene,” “School Day,” "Johnny B. Goode," and “Back in the U.S.A.” Berry also appeared in several rock and roll movies in the 1950s, including Rock, Rock, Rock!, Mister Rock and Roll, and Go, Johnny, Go! 

Berry was inducted by Keith Richards, who stated, "It's very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry 'cause I've lifted every lick he ever played. this is the gentleman who started it all!" Berry was the centerpiece of the closing jam session, performing "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Johnny Be Goode" with Richards, Ron Wood, Billy Joel, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Fogerty,  Neil Young,  Steve Winwood, Hank Williams Jr., and Fats Domino.

Watch Chuck Berry perform "Johnny B. Goode" live in 1958 here.

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