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<p>Jeff Beck, the influential guitarist who rose to rock and roll stardom with 1960s supergroup the Yardbirds and later enjoyed a prolific solo career, has died, his official website said Wednesday. He was 78 years old.</p>

<p>A guitar virtuoso and innovator who was also one of the world's great rhythm and blues interpreters, Beck died "peacefully" after a sudden bout of bacterial meningitis.</p>

<p>"On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck's passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday," a statement on the English-born musician's website said.</p>

<p>"His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss. <a href="https://t.co/4dvt5aGzlv">pic.twitter.com/4dvt5aGzlv</a></p>
— Jeff Beck (@jeffbeckmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffbeckmusic/status/1613294003398799360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Beck's death quickly reverberated around the music world, with tributes pouring in from rock icons like Ozzy Osbourne, with whom Beck once collaborated, and Kiss lead singer Gene Simmons, who called Beck's passing "heartbreaking."</p>

<p>"No one played guitar like Jeff," Simmons posted on Twitter. "Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness. RIP."</p>

<p>Mick Jagger hailed Beck, an eight-time Grammy winner who was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "one of the greatest guitar players in the world."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">With the death of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitar players in the world. We will all miss him so much. <a href="https://t.co/u8DYQrLNB7">pic.twitter.com/u8DYQrLNB7</a></p>
— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) <a href="https://twitter.com/MickJagger/status/1613312367160397824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>"He was quiet as moccasined feet, yet mercurial, innovative, impossible to categorize," wrote punk-poet laureate Patti Smith. "One of the masters of my generation."</p>

<p>"A guitarist in the highest sense."</p>

<p><strong>'Limitless' imagination</strong></p>

<p>Born Geoffrey Arnold Beck on June 24, 1944, in England, the self-taught artist began tinkering on a borrowed guitar and even tried building his own.</p>

<p>He's cited guitarists from Les Paul to Ravi Shankar to Django Reinhardt as influences and built a life off of experimenting with new sounds and fusions that pushed rock's boundaries.</p>

<p>Beck played in a number of groups while in art school in London and had already recorded pioneering rock sounds by the time the Yardbirds hired him in 1965.</p>

<p>He auditioned after the departure of one of the band's star guitarists, Eric Clapton, and helped propel the British avant-garde rock sound with multiple groundbreaking recordings, including the fuzz-filled guitar licks on "Heart Full of Soul."</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/barbara-walters-iconic-the-view-anchor-interviewer-dies-at-93-548237"><strong>Read more:&nbsp;Barbara Walters, iconic 'The View' anchor-interviewer, dies at 93</strong></a></p>

<p>By 1966 he was paired in the Yardbirds with fellow guitar wizard Jimmy Page, who went on to found the British blues rock sensation Led Zeppelin.</p>

<p>"The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions," Page posted upon Beck's death.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless."</p>

<p><strong>'Guitarists' guitarist'</strong></p>

<p>A year later Beck formed his own band - the Jeff Beck Group, which included Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass and swiftly drew widespread praise.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The guitarists' guitarist," tweeted musician Paul Young of Beck, who said the virtuoso was "loved by everyone in the know."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. He was loved by everyone in the know; the guitarists guitarist! My condolences to his family &amp; friends RIP. 😢 <a href="https://t.co/OcCv1jSNvx">pic.twitter.com/OcCv1jSNvx</a></p>
— Paul Young (@PaulYoungParlez) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulYoungParlez/status/1613301038064500738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>Beck found solo success in 1975 with "Blow by Blow," a sleeper hit produced by George Martin of Beatles fame, who Beck later credited with saving his career.</p>

<p>By the 1980s he'd discontinued the regular use of a guitar pick, producing innovative sounds by plucking with his thumb.</p>

<p>"I don't care about the rules. In fact, if I don't break the rules at least 10 times in every song then I'm not doing my job properly," the Recording Academy quoted Beck as saying.</p>

<p>He found regular success collaborating with his peers and throughout the 1980s was a regular feature, performing on albums from the likes of Tina Turner, Roger Waters and Jon Bon Jovi.</p>

<p>More recently he worked with actor Johnny Depp, who shortly after his controversial defamation suit teamed up with the rocker for an album primarily comprised of covers.</p>

<p>In 2015 Rolling Stone magazine placed the artist at number five on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.</p>

<p>"Jeff Beck was on another planet," said Stewart of his former bandmate. "He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man.</p>

<p>"Thank you for everything."</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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Jeff Beck, the influential guitarist who rose to rock and roll stardom with 1960s supergroup the Yardbirds and later enjoyed a prolific solo career, has died, his official website said Wednesday.

Jeff Beck, the influential guitarist who rose to rock and roll stardom with 1960s supergroup the Yardbirds and later enjoyed a prolific solo career, has died, his official website said Wednesday. He was 78 years old. A guitar virtuoso and innovator who was also one of the world's great rhythm and blues interpreters, Beck died "peacefully" after a sudden bout of bacterial meningitis. "On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck's passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday," a statement on the English-born musician's website said. "His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss." On behalf of his family, it is with deep and profound sadness that we share the news of Jeff Beck’s passing. After suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis, he peacefully passed away yesterday. His family ask for privacy while they process this tremendous loss. pic.twitter.com/4dvt5aGzlv — Jeff Beck (@jeffbeckmusic) January 11, 2023 × Beck's death quickly reverberated around the music world, with tributes pouring in from rock icons like Ozzy Osbourne, with whom Beck once collaborated, and Kiss lead singer Gene Simmons, who called Beck's passing "heartbreaking." "No one played guitar like Jeff," Simmons posted on Twitter. "Please get ahold of the first two Jeff Beck Group albums and behold greatness. RIP." Mick Jagger hailed Beck, an eight-time Grammy winner who was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "one of the greatest guitar players in the world." With the death of Jeff Beck we have lost a wonderful man and one of the greatest guitar players in the world. We will all miss him so much. pic.twitter.com/u8DYQrLNB7 — Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) January 11, 2023 × "He was quiet as moccasined feet, yet mercurial, innovative, impossible to categorize," wrote punk-poet laureate Patti Smith. "One of the masters of my generation." "A guitarist in the highest sense." 'Limitless' imagination Born Geoffrey Arnold Beck on June 24, 1944, in England, the self-taught artist began tinkering on a borrowed guitar and even tried building his own. He's cited guitarists from Les Paul to Ravi Shankar to Django Reinhardt as influences and built a life off of experimenting with new sounds and fusions that pushed rock's boundaries. Beck played in a number of groups while in art school in London and had already recorded pioneering rock sounds by the time the Yardbirds hired him in 1965. He auditioned after the departure of one of the band's star guitarists, Eric Clapton, and helped propel the British avant-garde rock sound with multiple groundbreaking recordings, including the fuzz-filled guitar licks on "Heart Full of Soul." Read more: Barbara Walters, iconic 'The View' anchor-interviewer, dies at 93 By 1966 he was paired in the Yardbirds with fellow guitar wizard Jimmy Page, who went on to found the British blues rock sensation Led Zeppelin. "The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions," Page posted upon Beck's death. "Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless." 'Guitarists' guitarist' A year later Beck formed his own band - the Jeff Beck Group, which included Rod Stewart on vocals and Ronnie Wood on bass and swiftly drew widespread praise. "The guitarists' guitarist," tweeted musician Paul Young of Beck, who said the virtuoso was "loved by everyone in the know." Devastated to hear of the sudden and tragic death of legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. He was loved by everyone in the know; the guitarists guitarist! My condolences to his family & friends RIP. 😢 pic.twitter.com/OcCv1jSNvx — Paul Young (@PaulYoungParlez) January 11, 2023 × Beck found solo success in 1975 with "Blow by Blow," a sleeper hit produced by George Martin of Beatles fame, who Beck later credited with saving his career. By the 1980s he'd discontinued the regular use of a guitar pick, producing innovative sounds by plucking with his thumb. "I don't care about the rules. In fact, if I don't break the rules at least 10 times in every song then I'm not doing my job properly," the Recording Academy quoted Beck as saying. He found regular success collaborating with his peers and throughout the 1980s was a regular feature, performing on albums from the likes of Tina Turner, Roger Waters and Jon Bon Jovi. More recently he worked with actor Johnny Depp, who shortly after his controversial defamation suit teamed up with the rocker for an album primarily comprised of covers. In 2015 Rolling Stone magazine placed the artist at number five on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. "Jeff Beck was on another planet," said Stewart of his former bandmate. "He was one of the few guitarists that when playing live would actually listen to me sing and respond. Jeff, you were the greatest, my man. "Thank you for everything." WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Jeff Beck, guitarist maestro and rock legend dies at 78

<p>Little Richard, the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" who built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel, died on Saturday at the age of 87, Rolling Stone magazine reported.</p>

<p>Richard influenced legions of performers whose fame would eventually outstrip his own. His son, Danny Penniman, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, but said the cause of death was unknown.</p>

<p>Richard's bass guitarist, Charles Glenn, told celebrity website TMZ the musician had been sick for two months and that he died at his Tennessee home, surrounded by his brother, sister and son.</p>

<p>Glenn told TMZ he spoke with Richard on March 27 and the singer asked him to visit, but he could not because of the pandemic. He said Richard was like a father to him, and would sometimes tell him, "Not to take anything away from your dad, but you're my son."</p>

<p>At his peak in the 1950s and early '60s, Richard shouted, moaned, screamed and trilled hits like "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and "Lucille," all the while pounding the piano like a mad man and punctuating lyrics with an occasional shrill "whoooo!"</p>

<p>Time magazine said he played "songs that sounded like nonsense ... but whose beat seemed to hint of unearthly pleasures centered somewhere between the gut and the gutter."</p>

<p>The music drew in both young black and white fans at a time when parts of the United States still were strictly segregated. Many white artists, such as Pat Boone, had their own hit versions of Richard's songs, albeit considerably toned down and "safer" for the pop audience.</p>

<p>"I've always thought that rock 'n' roll brought the races together," Richard once told an interviewer. "Although I was black, the fans didn't care. I used to feel good about that."<br />
Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, James Brown, Otis Redding, David Bowie and Rod Stewart all cited Little Richard as an influence. Jimi Hendrix, who played in Richard's band in the mid-1960s, said he wanted to use his guitar the way Richard used his voice.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Little Richard, the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" who built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel, died on Saturday at the age of 87, Rolling Stone magazine reported.

Little Richard, the self-proclaimed "architect of rock 'n' roll" who built his ground-breaking sound with a boiling blend of boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues and gospel, died on Saturday at the age of 87, Rolling Stone magazine reported. Richard influenced legions of performers whose fame would eventually outstrip his own. His son, Danny Penniman, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, but said the cause of death was unknown. Richard's bass guitarist, Charles Glenn, told celebrity website TMZ the musician had been sick for two months and that he died at his Tennessee home, surrounded by his brother, sister and son. Glenn told TMZ he spoke with Richard on March 27 and the singer asked him to visit, but he could not because of the pandemic. He said Richard was like a father to him, and would sometimes tell him, "Not to take anything away from your dad, but you're my son." At his peak in the 1950s and early '60s, Richard shouted, moaned, screamed and trilled hits like "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly, Miss Molly" and "Lucille," all the while pounding the piano like a mad man and punctuating lyrics with an occasional shrill "whoooo!" Time magazine said he played "songs that sounded like nonsense ... but whose beat seemed to hint of unearthly pleasures centered somewhere between the gut and the gutter." The music drew in both young black and white fans at a time when parts of the United States still were strictly segregated. Many white artists, such as Pat Boone, had their own hit versions of Richard's songs, albeit considerably toned down and "safer" for the pop audience. "I've always thought that rock 'n' roll brought the races together," Richard once told an interviewer. "Although I was black, the fans didn't care. I used to feel good about that." Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, James Brown, Otis Redding, David Bowie and Rod Stewart all cited Little Richard as an influence. Jimi Hendrix, who played in Richard's band in the mid-1960s, said he wanted to use his guitar the way Richard used his voice.

Rock 'n' Roll pioneer Little Richard dies at 87

<p>Chuck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the pantheon of rock &#39;n&#39; roll pioneers as one of its most influential guitarists and lyricists, creating raucous anthems that defined the genre&#39;s sound and heartbeat, died on Saturday at his Missouri home. He was 90.</p>

<p>Police in St. Charles County, outside St. Louis, said they were called to Berry&#39;s home by a caretaker and found him unresponsive. Efforts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. local time.</p>

<p>Considered one of the founding fathers of rock &#39;n&#39; roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was present at its infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and songwriter - a nearly 30-year-old black performer whose style electrified young white audiences and was emulated by white performers who came to dominate American popular music.</p>

<p>Although Elvis Presley was called the king of rock &#39;n&#39; roll, that crown would have fit just as well on Berry&#39;s own carefully sculpted pompadour.</p>

<p>Berry hits such as &quot;Johnny B&nbsp;Goode,&quot; &quot;Roll Over Beethoven,&quot; &quot;Sweet Little Sixteen,&quot; &quot;Maybellene&quot; and &quot;Memphis&quot; melded elements of blues, rockabilly and jazz into some of the most timeless pop songs of the 20th century.</p>

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<h5>Considered one of the founding fathers of rock &#39;n&#39; roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was present at its infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and songwriter - a nearly 30-year-old black performer whose style electrified young white audiences and was emulated by white performers who came to dominate American popular music</h5>
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<p>He was a monumental influence on just about any kid who picked up a guitar with rock star aspirations - Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among them.</p>

<p>Bob Dylan called Berry &quot;the Shakespeare of rock &#39;n&#39; roll,&quot; and he was one of the first popular acts to write as well as perform his own songs. They focused on youth, romance, cars and good times, with lyrics that were complex, humorous and sometimes a little raunchy.</p>

<p>Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the Beach Boys and scores of other acts - even Elvis - covered Berry&#39;s songs.</p>

<p>&quot;If you tried to give rock &#39;n&#39; roll another name,&quot; Lennon once said, &quot;you might call it &#39;Chuck Berry&#39;.&quot;</p>

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<p>Check Berry&#39;s hits (WION)</p>
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<p>Paying tribute to Berry on Twitter on Saturday, Springsteen called him &quot;rock&#39;s greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock &#39;n&#39; roll writer who ever lived.&quot; Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger tweeted: &quot;Chuck you were amazing &amp; your music is engraved inside us forever.&quot;</p>

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<p>Chuck Berry&#39;s later hits (WION)</p>
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<p>When Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he said: &quot;It&#39;s very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry because I&#39;ve lifted every lick he ever played. This is the gentleman who started it all.&quot;</p>

<p>His death came five months after Berry announced plans to release his first album of new music in 38 years sometime in 2017 - a collection of mostly original material recorded and produced by Berry, titled &quot;Chuck&quot; and dedicated to his wife of 68 years, Themetta &quot;Toddy&quot; Berry.</p>

<p>Berry&#39;s legacy was tarnished by his reputation as a prickly penny-pincher and run-ins with the law, including sex-related offenses after he achieved stardom.</p>

<p>Marking his 90th birthday in 2016 by announcing his new album, Berry listed T-Bone Walker, Carl Hogan of Louis Jordan&#39;s band and Charlie Christian from Benny Goodman&#39;s band as his guitar influences, but his lyrical style was all his own. Punchy wordplay and youth-oriented subject matter earned him the nickname &quot;the eternal teenager&quot; early in his career.</p>

<p><strong>Key collaborator</strong></p>

<p>Berry came along at a time when much of the United States remained racially segregated, but it was hard for young audiences of any color to resist a performer who delivered such a powerful beat with so much energy and showmanship.</p>

<p>Berry said he performed his signature bent-knee, head-bobbing &quot;duck walk&quot; across more than 4,000 concert stages. He said he invented the move as a child in order to make his mother laugh as he chased a ball under a table.</p>

<p>Some critics suggested it was his former pianist, Johnnie Johnson, who composed the tunes while Berry only penned the lyrics. Johnson sued Berry in 2000 for song royalties, saying they were equal collaborators on many of the hits, but the case was dismissed on grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.</p>

<p>It was with Johnson that Berry first made his mark, playing at black clubs in the St. Louis area at the musically ripe age of 27. Berry started out filling in with Johnson&#39;s group, known as Sir John&#39;s Trio, in 1953, and Johnson eventually acknowledged Berry&#39;s talent, charisma and business acumen by allowing the group to evolve into the Chuck Berry Trio.</p>

<p>At the suggestion of blues legend Muddy Waters, Berry auditioned for Chess Records, the white-owned Chicago label that put out scores of blues hits. The result was the rockabilly tune &quot;Ida Red,&quot; which became a hit after it was retitled &quot;Maybellene&quot; and discovered by white audiences.</p>

<p>When the record came out, Berry said he was stunned to see that pioneering rock &#39;n&#39; roll disc jockey Alan Freed and another man he had never met, Russ Fratto, were listed as co-writers of &quot;Maybellene.&quot; The shared credits deprived him of some royalty payments, but Berry dismissed it at the time as part of the &quot;payola&quot; system that determined which records got radio play in the 1950s. He later regained all the rights to his compositions.</p>

<p><strong>Only one number&nbsp;1 hit</strong></p>

<p>Berry and Johnson collaborated for some 30 years on such rock anthems as &quot;School Days,&quot; &quot;Roll Over Beethoven,&quot; &quot;Back in the U.S.A.,&quot; &quot;Reelin&#39; and Rockin&#39;,&quot; &quot;Rock &amp; Roll Music,&quot; &quot;No Particular Place to Go,&quot; &quot;Memphis&quot; and &quot;Sweet Little Sixteen.&quot; But Berry&#39;s only number. 1 hit was &quot;My Ding-a-Ling,&quot; a throwaway novelty song that seemed to be a juvenile sex reference.</p>

<p>Berry&#39;s reputation for being greedy and grouchy was evident in the 1987 documentary &quot;Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll,&quot; which focused on a 60th-birthday concert that Keith Richards organized for him. The movie&#39;s makers said Berry refused to show up for filming each day unless given a bag of cash.</p>

<p>&quot;He was an oddly cheap character in some ways,&quot; Jagger told Mojo magazine. &quot;He ... was always rude to everyone. He became too much of a parody of himself.&quot;</p>

<p>Berry was born October&nbsp;18, 1926, the third of six children whose father was a contractor and church deacon and whose mother was a schoolteacher. They lived in a relatively prosperous black section of St&nbsp;Louis known as the Ville.</p>

<p>In the first of his brushes with the law, Berry was sent to a reformatory as a teenager for armed robbery. After his release at age 21, he worked in an auto plant and as a photographer and trained to be a hairdresser.</p>

<p>As he became a star, Berry irked some in St&nbsp;Louis by acquiring property in a previously white area and opening his own nightclub, where another legal scrape nearly ended his career.</p>

<p>At a show in Texas in 1959, Berry had met a 14-year-old Native American girl and hired her to work at the St&nbsp;Louis club. She was later fired and then arrested on a prostitution charge, which led to Berry being convicted for violating the Mann Act, transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. He was sent to prison in 1962 for a year and a half and wrote several songs while incarcerated, including &quot;No Particular Place to Go&quot;.</p>

<p>Berry had more trouble in 1979 when he was convicted of tax evasion, serving four months in prison, and in the 1990s when a number of women accused him of videotaping them in the bathrooms of his restaurant-club in Wentzville, Missouri.</p>

<p>While the hits did not keep coming for Berry, the tributes never stopped, and he continued playing a monthly show at a St&nbsp;Louis nightclub into his late 80s. He received a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1984 and his 1986 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame made him part of the inaugural class.</p>

<p>Illustrating his influence, a recording of &quot;Johnny B&nbsp;Goode&quot; was included in a collection of music sent into space aboard the unmanned 1977 Voyager I probe to provide aliens a taste of Earth culture.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


'If you tried to give rock 'n' roll another name,' John Lennon once said, 'you might call it 'Chuck Berry'

Chuck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the pantheon of rock 'n' roll pioneers as one of its most influential guitarists and lyricists, creating raucous anthems that defined the genre's sound and heartbeat, died on Saturday at his Missouri home. He was 90. Police in St. Charles County, outside St. Louis, said they were called to Berry's home by a caretaker and found him unresponsive. Efforts to revive him failed and he was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. local time. Considered one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was present at its infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and songwriter - a nearly 30-year-old black performer whose style electrified young white audiences and was emulated by white performers who came to dominate American popular music. Although Elvis Presley was called the king of rock 'n' roll, that crown would have fit just as well on Berry's own carefully sculpted pompadour. Berry hits such as "Johnny B Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Maybellene" and "Memphis" melded elements of blues, rockabilly and jazz into some of the most timeless pop songs of the 20th century. Considered one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll, Charles Edward Anderson Berry was present at its infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and songwriter - a nearly 30-year-old black performer whose style electrified young white audiences and was emulated by white performers who came to dominate American popular music × He was a monumental influence on just about any kid who picked up a guitar with rock star aspirations - Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among them. Bob Dylan called Berry "the Shakespeare of rock 'n' roll," and he was one of the first popular acts to write as well as perform his own songs. They focused on youth, romance, cars and good times, with lyrics that were complex, humorous and sometimes a little raunchy. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, as well as the Beach Boys and scores of other acts - even Elvis - covered Berry's songs. "If you tried to give rock 'n' roll another name," Lennon once said, "you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." Check Berry's hits (WION) × Paying tribute to Berry on Twitter on Saturday, Springsteen called him "rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived." Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger tweeted: "Chuck you were amazing & your music is engraved inside us forever." Chuck Berry's later hits (WION) × When Richards inducted Berry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he said: "It's very difficult for me to talk about Chuck Berry because I've lifted every lick he ever played. This is the gentleman who started it all." His death came five months after Berry announced plans to release his first album of new music in 38 years sometime in 2017 - a collection of mostly original material recorded and produced by Berry, titled "Chuck" and dedicated to his wife of 68 years, Themetta "Toddy" Berry. Berry's legacy was tarnished by his reputation as a prickly penny-pincher and run-ins with the law, including sex-related offenses after he achieved stardom. Marking his 90th birthday in 2016 by announcing his new album, Berry listed T-Bone Walker, Carl Hogan of Louis Jordan's band and Charlie Christian from Benny Goodman's band as his guitar influences, but his lyrical style was all his own. Punchy wordplay and youth-oriented subject matter earned him the nickname "the eternal teenager" early in his career. Key collaborator Berry came along at a time when much of the United States remained racially segregated, but it was hard for young audiences of any color to resist a performer who delivered such a powerful beat with so much energy and showmanship. Berry said he performed his signature bent-knee, head-bobbing "duck walk" across more than 4,000 concert stages. He said he invented the move as a child in order to make his mother laugh as he chased a ball under a table. Some critics suggested it was his former pianist, Johnnie Johnson, who composed the tunes while Berry only penned the lyrics. Johnson sued Berry in 2000 for song royalties, saying they were equal collaborators on many of the hits, but the case was dismissed on grounds that the statute of limitations had expired. It was with Johnson that Berry first made his mark, playing at black clubs in the St. Louis area at the musically ripe age of 27. Berry started out filling in with Johnson's group, known as Sir John's Trio, in 1953, and Johnson eventually acknowledged Berry's talent, charisma and business acumen by allowing the group to evolve into the Chuck Berry Trio. At the suggestion of blues legend Muddy Waters, Berry auditioned for Chess Records, the white-owned Chicago label that put out scores of blues hits. The result was the rockabilly tune "Ida Red," which became a hit after it was retitled "Maybellene" and discovered by white audiences. When the record came out, Berry said he was stunned to see that pioneering rock 'n' roll disc jockey Alan Freed and another man he had never met, Russ Fratto, were listed as co-writers of "Maybellene." The shared credits deprived him of some royalty payments, but Berry dismissed it at the time as part of the "payola" system that determined which records got radio play in the 1950s. He later regained all the rights to his compositions. Only one number 1 hit Berry and Johnson collaborated for some 30 years on such rock anthems as "School Days," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Back in the U.S.A.," "Reelin' and Rockin'," "Rock & Roll Music," "No Particular Place to Go," "Memphis" and "Sweet Little Sixteen." But Berry's only number. 1 hit was "My Ding-a-Ling," a throwaway novelty song that seemed to be a juvenile sex reference. Berry's reputation for being greedy and grouchy was evident in the 1987 documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll," which focused on a 60th-birthday concert that Keith Richards organized for him. The movie's makers said Berry refused to show up for filming each day unless given a bag of cash. "He was an oddly cheap character in some ways," Jagger told Mojo magazine. "He ... was always rude to everyone. He became too much of a parody of himself." Berry was born October 18, 1926, the third of six children whose father was a contractor and church deacon and whose mother was a schoolteacher. They lived in a relatively prosperous black section of St Louis known as the Ville. In the first of his brushes with the law, Berry was sent to a reformatory as a teenager for armed robbery. After his release at age 21, he worked in an auto plant and as a photographer and trained to be a hairdresser. As he became a star, Berry irked some in St Louis by acquiring property in a previously white area and opening his own nightclub, where another legal scrape nearly ended his career. At a show in Texas in 1959, Berry had met a 14-year-old Native American girl and hired her to work at the St Louis club. She was later fired and then arrested on a prostitution charge, which led to Berry being convicted for violating the Mann Act, transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. He was sent to prison in 1962 for a year and a half and wrote several songs while incarcerated, including "No Particular Place to Go". Berry had more trouble in 1979 when he was convicted of tax evasion, serving four months in prison, and in the 1990s when a number of women accused him of videotaping them in the bathrooms of his restaurant-club in Wentzville, Missouri. While the hits did not keep coming for Berry, the tributes never stopped, and he continued playing a monthly show at a St Louis nightclub into his late 80s. He received a Grammy award for lifetime achievement in 1984 and his 1986 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame made him part of the inaugural class. Illustrating his influence, a recording of "Johnny B Goode" was included in a collection of music sent into space aboard the unmanned 1977 Voyager I probe to provide aliens a taste of Earth culture. (Reuters)

Chuck Berry, founding father of rock 'n' roll, dead at 90

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Chuck Berry, founding father of rock 'n' roll, dead at 90