Charles Edward Anderson Berry, known to the world as Chuck Berry, grew up in this part of North St. Louis and found his musical voice here. Born in 1926 in the Ville neighborhood, Berry attended Sumner High School, where his musical talent was already evident. He spent time in reform school after a youthful conviction, worked in an automobile plant, studied cosmetology, and all the while played guitar in clubs around St. Louis.
In 1955, he traveled to Chicago and auditioned for Chess Records. Muddy Waters pointed him toward label founder Leonard Chess. Within a year, Berry had recorded 'Maybellene,' which shot to number one and essentially launched rock and roll as a commercial genre.
'Johnny B. Goode,' 'Roll Over Beethoven,' 'Rock and Roll Music,' 'Sweet Little Sixteen' — song after song that defined the sound, the attitude, and the imagery of a new American music. John Lennon said, 'If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.' Keith Richards built his entire guitar style on Berry's licks. Berry lived in the St. Louis suburb of Wentzville until his death in 2017 at age 90, still performing monthly concerts at Blueberry Hill in the Delmar Loop neighborhood — never leaving the city that made him.
His statue stands in the Loop. His music is everywhere.