Vintage Rock Magazine

You’d struggle to find any artist amongst rock’n’roll’s higher echelons who wasn’t blown away the first time they heard Chuck Berry. Over the years pretty much all of the greats have at one time or other waxed lyrical about the “Father Of Rock’n’Roll” and how he single-handedly reshaped their musical landscapes. Look beyond those timeless riffs and licks and find a master storyteller who liberated the youth of America, untethering them from the staid world of their elders, via his unique and relatable tales of teenage life. In short, Chuck was the ultimate raconteur who spoke the language of rock’n’roll fluently – and his records would go on to shake the walls in perpetuity.
In what would have been his 100th birthday year, it felt like the perfect time for a deep dive into his character and musical legacy. Here, with the help of a panel of experts, we set out to uncover the real Chuck Berry.
Earlier this month, we had the pleasure of chatting with Kirsty Bell, director of the recently released Eddie Cochran documentary, Don’t Forget Me, who takes us behind the scenes on what is a long-overdue portrait of the much neglected star – it should hit the spot for any rock’n’roll fan.
We also explore the making of Ricky Nelson’s sophomore LP, a dozen tunes that elevated him from child TV star to bona fide rockabilly artist.
There’s unmissable features on The Chantels, the first of the great girl groups; an in-depth look at Stray Cats’ mighty discography; our Top 20 Chicano rock’n’roll classics; plus a fascinating excerpt from Jeff Evans’
new book, Rock & Pop On British TV: The Definitive History, in which he revisits Jack Good’s trailblazing Oh Boy! TV show.
Archive gems comprise an unmissable 2014 interview with the icon that is Sid King, in which he discusses his attempts to break through with the Five Strings, plus there’s a look at the rise of jump blues, perhaps the most important stepping stone
on the way to rock’n’roll.
Enoy the issue!