Chuck Berry Introduces the #Blues #Legend Muddy Waters | Midnight Special 1973
At first Berry's repertoire consisted mainly of Nat "King" Cole and Muddy Waters songs. As soon as he began to develop his skills, Berry broke away from Stevens and Pee Wee, forming his own group, called the Chuck Berryn Combo. Playing around town, Berry gained popularity, playing additional gigs outside of St. Louis in neighboring cities. While visiting Chicago with his high school classmate and long-time friend Ralph Burris, they checked out the club scene. Seeing Howlin' Wolf and Elmore James for the first time on that faithful Friday night, Berry was amazed and "never wanted to leave place where Elmore James was performing." Burris wanted to scope out another act that night though. Muddy Waters was performing at the Palladium on Wabash Avenue. Berry was elated to have the opportunity to witness one of his idles performing. After the show Berry went backstage and spoke with Waters himself, talking of his admiration for the bluesman and asking him for advice on his own career. Waters famous advice was, "Yeah, see Leonard Chess. Yeah, Chess Records over on Forty-seventh and Cottage." Next Monday, Berry drove to 4720 Cottage Grove Avenue, the home of Chess Record Company. In a chance meeting with Leonard himself, Berry agreed to bring Leonard a demo tape. Berry returned by the end of the week, and Chess was amazed that a "hillbilly song" could be written and sung by a "black guy." A recording session was set up for May 21, 1955. The first two sides that Berry cut were, "Ida May" and "Wee Wee Hours." "Ida May" was later renamed "Maybellene." Willie Dixon sat in on the session, playing bass. "Maybellene" went on to reach number one on the Billboard R&B chart. Berry went on to record such classic tunes as "Sweet Little Sixteen," "School Day," "Johnny B. Goode," "Rock & Roll Music,'" and "Roll Over Beethoven." He reached the top of the charts in the late 1950s again with "School Days" in 1957 and "Sweet Little Sixteen" in 1958. On his recordings he teamed up with Willie Dixon throughout the 50s and 60s.

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