Huck Berry Toronto

There was no shortage of historic rock music festivals in 1969, from highs of Woodstock to the crashing lows of Altamont. Meanwhile, interest was steadily building on another front. A full-fledged 1950s rock and roll revival was brewing, and the idiom's pioneers were experiencing a renaissance.

Rock & roll's prime innovator, thanks to his detailed songwriting, dazzling lyrics, and clear, economical guitar licks.
Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none was more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He was its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers. Quite simply, without him there would be no Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, nor myriad others. There would be no standard "Chuck Berry guitar intro," the instrument's clarion call to get the joint rockin' in any setting. The clippety-clop rhythms of rockabilly would not have been mainstreamed into the now standard 4/4 rock & roll beat…

Son of the blues, boogie woogie and rhythm & blues, rock and roll was first known under the name of ‘jump blues’, a more rhythmic and sped up sub-genre of blues, with the well-marked (and very danceable) snare beat. In 1955, ‘Maybelline’ Chuck Berry’s first single is released, and with it, a new era begins. Admired by everybody from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Elton John, Eric Clapton and AC/DC, Chuck Berry's influence on the world of music has been massive. In The Many Faces of Chuck Berry we will explore his explosive live performances and his blues roots; we will dig deep into his catalog of hits performed by other artists and we will review some of his fellow early-rockers that changed the music landscape more than 60 years ago. With fantastic artwork, remastered sound and extensive liner notes, this an essential additional to your 20th century music collection.

In this highly anticipated feature length documentary, the absolute instigator of rock 'n' roll, Chuck Berry, is truly revealed, with unprecedented exclusive access. Despite his iconic status, and reverence for his talent by rock's heroes John Lennon, Keith Richards, Steven Van Zandt, Joe Perry, Nils Lofgren and Alice Cooper, all featured, Chuck Berry was a family man…