Chuck Berry

INCLUDES 4 BONUS TRACKS

One of the most important pioneers of rock & roll, Chuck Berry combined blues, country, and a witty, defiant teen outlook into songs that have influenced virtually every rock musician in his wake. Combined with sharp, rapid-fire lyrics full of sly insinuations about cars and girls, Berry laid the groundwork for not only a rock & roll sound but a rock & roll attitude. Chuck exhibited the highest degree of musical integrity. Not only did he play guitar on all of his recordings, he wrote and sang all of his own material. The result is the most satisfying and consistent recorded canon of any of the early rockers.

Long unavailable on vinyl, this quintessential collector’s edition includes the largely forgotten yet outstanding LP Rockin’ at the Hops, which was originally released by Chess Records in 1960. Berry cut a lot of material during this part of his career that has slipped under the radar. Here you will find rock & blues gems such as “Bye Bye Johnny”, “Down the Road Apiece”, “Confessin’ the Blues”, “Too Pooped to Pop”, “Let It Rock”, and “Childhood Sweetheart”. It is a perfect album to delve a little deeper into Chuck Berry’s superlative legacy. In addition to this original masterpiece, we have included 4 bonus tracks, consisting of singles from the same period.

All of these original gems – which have been remastered to achieve the most pristine sound – are simple two-and-a-half-minute songs that convey all the sheer power and emotion of rock & roll.

PERSONNEL:

CHUCK BERRY, lead vocals and guitar, plus:

Matt “Guitar” Murphy (guitar),
Willie Dixon (double bass),
Johnnie Johnson (piano),
Jaspar Thomas (drums),
Leroy C. Davis (tenor sax),
The Ecuadors: Roquel Davis, Harvey Fuqua and Etta James (backing vocals), among others.

Recorded in Chicago, 1960–1961.
Original recordings produced by Leonard and Phil Chess.

SIDE 1
01. BYE BYE JOHNNY
02. WORRIED LIFE BLUES
03. DOWN THE ROAD APIECE
04. CONFESSIN’ THE BLUES
05. TOO POOPED TO POP
06. MAD LAD
07. OUR LITTLE RENDEZVOUS
08. JAGUAR AND THUNDERBIRD

SIDE 2
01. I GOT TO FIND MY BABY
02. BETTY JEAN
03. CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART
04. BROKEN ARROW
05. DRIFTIN’ BLUES
06. LET IT ROCK
07. COUNTY LINE
08. BACK IN THE U.S.A.