CHUCK BERRY
OVERVIEW
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Why is Chuck Berry often considered the most important
of the early Rock and Rollers?
OVERVIEW
“If you tried to give Rock and Roll another name, you
might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’” – John Lennon
Chuck Berry burst onto the Rock and Roll scene in 1955
with the release of “Maybellene” on Chess Records.
It shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart and No. 5
on the Pop chart, establishing Berry as an artist with
appeal to black and white audiences alike. By the end
of the decade, Berry had released a string of iconic
songs – “Roll Over, Beethoven,” “Schools Days,” “Rock
and Roll Music,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Johnny B.
Goode,” “Back in the U.S.A.” – that would be covered
by everyone from the Beach Boys to the Grateful Dead.
Distinct from Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Fats
Chuck Berry, 1957 | Credit: Universal Attractions
Domino – all piano players – Berry was a guitar player
whose guitar was a central component of his recordings.
Gone were the horns, central to much R&B, and gone was the piano as focal point. Guitar-based
Rock and Roll had its founding father.
In this lesson, students will analyze several of the elements that combined to make Berry such an
important and influential artist. They will examine his pioneering guitar riffs, his carefully crafted
lyrics that spoke directly to the emerging market of white, middle-class teen listeners, his blend of
R&B and Country and Western influences, and his energetic performance style, which helped pave
the way for a generation of guitar-playing showmen.
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
CHUCK BERRY
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this lesson, students will:
1. KNOW (KNOWLEDGE): 2. BE ABLE TO (SKILLS):
•C
huck Berry’s role in solidifying the electric • Evaluate Berry’s role as a Rock and Roll pioneer
guitar as a central instrument in early Rock
and Roll •C
ommon Core: Students will conduct research
by examining videos and texts relating to Chuck
•H
ow Berry built an audience by writing and Berry’s role in the early development of Rock
performing songs that spoke directly to the and Roll (CCSS Reading 7)
emerging audience of white, teenage music
listeners •C
ommon Core: After writing and revising a draft
with teacher supervision, students will create
•B
erry’s role as a “crossover” artist with appeal a poster incorporating both text and visual
to both black and white audiences elements, and present it to the class (CCSS
Writing 5; CCSS Writing 8: CCSS Speaking and
•H
ow Berry combined Country and Western and Listening 5)
Rhythm and Blues influences
•B
erry’s role as a showman who helped create a
Rock and Roll performance style.
ACTIVITIES
MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY:
Display the following quotes on the board:
“There’s only one true king of Rock and Roll. His name is Chuck Berry.”
– Stevie Wonder
“If you tried to give Rock and Roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’”
– John Lennon
“There’s not a lot of other ways to play Rock and Roll other than the way Chuck
plays it; he’s really laid the law down.”
– Eric Clapton
“Chuck Berry is the greatest of the rock and rollers.”
– Music critic Robert Christgau
Briefly discuss with students:
• What do these quotes suggest about Chuck Berry’s role as a Rock and Roll pioneer?
•H
ave students heard of Chuck Berry? Briefly discuss what they may already know about him, and where
they may have learned this information.
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
CHUCK BERRY
PROCEDURE: •A
ny additional elements that students believe
would help viewers better understand the
contribution on which they are focusing
1. Explain to students that in this lesson
they will investigate why Chuck Berry • Proper citation for sources used
is considered such an important figure
in the early history of Rock and Roll. 3. Distribute the Museum Exhibit Poster
They will work in groups of 4-5 students Worksheet and handouts of materials to
to create elements of a class museum each group.
exhibit on Berry as a Rock and Roll
pioneer. Each group will investigate one 4. If possible, arrange separate viewing
aspect of Berry’s influence, as follows: stations for each group, at which they
may view the specified video clips. If an
•G
roup 1 - Guitar Riffs/Solos. Required video:
Guitar Solos Internet connection is available, students
may use the computer at the viewing
•G
roup 2 - Berry as Songwriter: Lyrics. Required station to locate visual elements for their
video: “Johnny B. Goode”
posters. If this is not possible, play the
•G
roup 3 - Country Music Influences. Required videos for each group in succession, and
videos: “Ida Red” & “Maybellene” assign the research of visual elements
•G
roup 4 - Performance Style. Required video:
for the poster as homework.
“Johnny B. Goode”
5. Allow students sufficient time to read
2. Divide students into groups; if through the source material in their
necessary, duplicate groups to packets and watch the video clips.
accommodate class size. Explain that
each group will be given a packet of 6. After students have viewed and
source materials addressing their specific discussed the material, allow additional
topic. They must work within their groups time for them to write a paragraph
to read through the materials, view the summarizing their topic, as described in
video clips, and discuss the related the group handout.
questions. They will then work together
to create a poster that will be part of the 7. Circulate among groups as they are
class museum exhibit on Chuck Berry. working, reading over the paragraphs
The poster must include: they are writing and offering suggestions
for improvement.
•A
paragraph summarizing this aspect of Berry’s
contributions to early Rock and Roll 8. After approving each group’s paragraph,
•A
t least two visual elements that illustrate the distribute poster board or construction
contribution. These may be photographs found paper, markers, tape, etc.
on the Internet or original drawings created by
members of the group 9. In the remaining time, have students
•T
he name of one Chuck Berry song that continue working in their groups to
illustrates this contribution, with a one- to assemble the elements of their posters.
two-sentence explanation of why that song was
chosen
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
CHUCK BERRY
SUMMARY ACTIVITY:
1. Each group will present its poster to the class, highlighting its central themes.
2. After each group has made its presentation, discuss the following with the class as a
whole:
•T
hink back to the quotes at the beginning of the lesson. Does what you have learned about Chuck Berry in
this lesson support those statements?
•D
oes one specific aspect of Berry’s career seem especially key to his status as a Rock and Roll pioneer? Or
are they all equally important?
WRITING PROMPT:
usic critic Robert Christgau has called Chuck Berry “the greatest of the rock and rollers.” Is
M
this description justified? What specific contributions support this statement?
EXTENSIONS:
A Chuck Berry documentary and concert film, Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll, directed by Taylor
Hackford, was released in 1987. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was a driving force
behind the film, and is one of several artists interviewed for it. Ask students to watch the
documentary and write a review, detailing the important contributions Berry made to the history
of Rock and Roll.
View the clip called Chuck Berry: Influences and then research the two major influences
mentioned, Louis Jordan and Muddy Waters. How is their impact evident in Berry’s music?
Write a two-page research paper, using examples to support your argument.
S TA N D A R D S
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS
College and Career Readiness Reading Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 for Literature and
Informational Text
Reading 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media,
including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
College and Career Readiness Writing Anchor Standards for Grades 6-12 in English
Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects
Writing 5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach.
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
CHUCK BERRY
Writing 8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess
the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding
plagiarism.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening for Grades 6-12
Speaking and Listening 5: Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data
to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language for Grades 6-12
Language 4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words
and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting
general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.
SOCIAL STUDIES – NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES (NCSS)
Theme 1: Culture
Theme 2: Time, Continuity, and Change
Theme 5: Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Core Music Standard: Responding
Select: Choose music appropriate for a specific purpose or context.
Analyze: Analyze how the structure and context of varied musical works inform the
response.
Interpret: Support interpretations of musical works that reflect creators’ and/or
performers’ expressive intent.
Evaluate: Support evaluations of musical works and performances based on analysis,
interpretation, and established criteria.
Core Music Standard: Connecting
Connecting 11: Relate musical ideas and works to varied contexts and daily life to
deepen understanding.
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
CHUCK BERRY
RESOURCES
VIDEO RESOURCES HANDOUTS
• Chuck Berry – Influences (1965) • Group 1: Guitar Riffs and Solos
• Chuck Berry – Johnny B. Goode (1965) • Group 2: Chuck Berry as Songwriter - Lyrics
• Chuck Berry – Maybellene (1965) • Group 3: Country Music Influences
• Chuck Berry – Guitar Solos • Group 4: Performance Style
•G
uitar Solos Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys - • Museum Exhibit Poster Worksheet
Ida Red (1952)
FEATURED PEOPLE
• The Beatles
• Chuck Berry
• The Rolling Stones
• Muddy Waters
• Bob Wills
BOOK 1: BIRTH OF ROCK
