Chuck Berry: An American Life

Chuck Berry was a legendary performer and inventor of rock and roll, but his motives and motivations were often shrouded in mystery. Biographer RJ Smith crafts a comprehensive portrait of Berry, bringing him to life in vivid detail and shedding new light on his life and music. The book celebrates Berry's accomplishments while also addressing troubling aspects of his public and private life, asking profound questions about how and why we separate the art from the artist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 08 November 2022
Publisher: Omnibus Press

Chuck Berry, the legendary performer and inventor of rock and roll, is the subject of the definitive biography, Chuck Berry: The Definitive Biography. Best known for his groundbreaking contributions to classics such as Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, You Never Can Tell, and Roll Over Beethoven, Berry was a man of enigmatic contradictions, whose motives and motivations often remained shrouded in mystery. How did a teenage delinquent come to write so many songs that profoundly transformed American culture? And once he achieved fame and recognition, why did he risk his career with a lifetime of reckless personal behavior? Throughout his life, Berry refused to shed light on either the mastery or the missteps, leaving the complexity that encapsulated his life and underscored his music largely unexplored.

In Chuck Berry, biographer RJ Smith crafts a comprehensive portrait of one of the great American entertainers, guitarists, and lyricists of the 20th century, bringing Chuck Berry to life in vivid detail. Based on extensive interviews, archival research, legal documents, and a deep understanding of Berry's St. Louis (his birthplace and the place where he died in March 2017), Smith sheds new light on a man few have ever truly understood. By placing his life within the context of the American culture he made and eventually withdrew from, we gain insight into how Berry became such a groundbreaking figure in music, erasing racial boundaries, crafting subtle political commentary, and paying a great price for his success. While celebrating his accomplishments, the book also does not shy away from troubling aspects of his public and private life, raising profound questions about how and why we separate the art from the artist.

Berry declined to call himself an artist, shrugging that he was good at what he did. But his achievement was truly remarkable.

Weight: 862g
Dimension: 166 x 237 x 43 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913172954