Hailed as the “Father of Rock-and-Roll,” Chuck Berry's distinctive guitar playing, songwriting, and showmanship have influenced every rock-and-roll musician to follow him. He grew up singing in a Baptist church in St. Louis, Missouri, and he absorbed influences as diverse as Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian, and Muddy Waters. Adapting the concept of boogie-woogie piano to the guitar, his first big hit was “Maybellene” in 1955. He then recorded a series of hits that defined rock, including “Johnny B. Goode,” “No Particular Place to Go,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and “Roll Over Beethoven.” He was the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 1986) and is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Berry's song “Johnny B. Goode” is included on the copper records aboard the Voyager space probes, launched into outer space in 1977 to reach out to the universe with the best of our culture. In 1985, Chuck Berry entered the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame.