Chuck Berry

He may be a bit of a creep in real life, but there's no denying the impact Chuck Berry had on music. This morning's RAMP newsletter reports that his hometown of St. Louis is going to do something to recognize that...

Chuck Berry was the first person to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the inscription on his exhibit reads, "While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest...." It is in that spirit that Berry's hometown of St. Louis is preparing to honor one of its most famous native sons with a beautiful eight-foot bronze statue, designed by renowned sculptor Harry Weber. Apparently, bronze is very expensive, so KMOX/St. Louis personality Charlie Brennan has graciously spearheaded a fundraising campaign to help raise $100,000 to defray some of the statue's costs. The statue sits across the street from Blueberry Hill, a club where Berry, now in his 80s, has performed every month for the past 14 years, and Berry himself is slated to attend the statue's dedication on Friday, July 29 at 10am.

One of his first big hits was recorded right here in Chicago. It's still a great song 56 years after it was released...