Chuck Berry

Berry was a rock and roll legend; part of the first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class and a hero to Keith Richards, among others. He had a reputation for being prickly, but by some accounts was quite personable. Years of getting burned by promoters and journalists left him untrusting.

The 1987 documentary Hail! Hail! Rock n Roll is about Berry's life. Keith Richards was a producer on the film and assembled the musicians. It did not go as planned: After extensive rehearsals without Berry present, he completely changed the arrangements when they began filming. Berry's capricious nature is evident in the film, but he approved of it.

He joined The Sir John Trio in 1953. The piano player, Johnnie Johnson would continue working with Berry and collaborate on many of his hits. Years later, Johnson sued Berry because he was never credited on any of the songs he helped write, and never received royalties from them. Johnson claimed he did not understand his legal rights at the time, but in 2002, the judge ruled that too much time passed between the writing of the songs and the lawsuit, and ruled in Berry's favor.