Hey Maybelline

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There is an interesting quote by John Lennon that refers to a great rock and roll singer Chuck Berry. He once said, “if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it “Chuck Berry”. Berry was an American singer who was responsible of changing the kind of music everyone in the U.S. enjoyed starting with the mid-50s. His claim to fame is creating the do-it-yourself template that most rock and rollers still try to follow today. It all began on May 21, 1955, when Berry, who was unknown at that time, recorded a song called “Maybelline”. Berry started out as a blues performer from St. Louis, Missouri and he like to experiment with all kinds of sounds. Then in May of 1955, he went to Chicago where he met his idol the great bluesman Muddy Waters. It was Waters who told him to go to Chess Records. Berry went there and hoping to get a contract he recorded “Maybelline”. When everyone was in agreement DJ Alan Freed played this song for two hours straight on his WINS radio show in the summer of 1955. At this time Berry was still working as a part-time construction worker and learning the hairdressing trade. He had no idea how popular he was going to become. “Maybelline” hit the number one spot on the R&B charts and was at number 5 on the pop charts. Berry had arrived and made himself a place in the history of rock and roll.