Showing Chuck Berry Growing up in St. Louis
Told affectionately in interviews by his wife, Themetta, the Berry children, grandchildren, and interspersed with Rock ‘n Roll Legends, we hear stories about the devoted man that loved his family, returning to them for sanctuary from arduous road trips around the US and the world. We hear how the handsome Charles Berry flirted with and met his wife. We see old family photos. He was tall, had pretty, flashing eyes, flowing hair and a captivating, wide smile. He courted her-- taking her on drives in his slick car. He confessed to her that he spent three years in a reformatory for stealing money and a car on a road trip to Hollywood, a rebellious streak that provides foreshadowing for his life. Would she marry him? She was thrilled to say yes! He began playing music and eventually started playing local gigs. Old playbills, yellowed and water-stained list his play dates. He altered his name on his musician’s card so his father’s church wouldn’t kick the family out of the parish if they found out Charles was playing The Devil’s Music. These anecdotes illustrate those early days. Eventually, with the church’s blessings, he used Chuck Berry as his entertainment persona and kept Charles Berry for his family. Amid the harassment of local authorities, Jim Crow laws, and the lynching of African Americans, Chuck Berry became the founder of Rock ‘n Roll, an international sensation. Overtime, he also became a local club and business owner. The restaurant would later become a source of a scandalous crime.
