Chuck Berry’s Life in Photos

1 minute read

Legendary rock ‘n’ roll musician Chuck Berry died Saturday at 90, after being found unresponsive in his home near St. Louis. Berry’s hits, which included “Johnny B. Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Maybellene,” and his dynamic stage presence influenced popular British rock acts from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones. Berry’s music even found its way into a memorable scene from the 1985 cult classic Back to the Future. In 1986, Berry was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it opened. As the Hall of Fame said: “After Elvis Presley, only Chuck Berry had more influence on the formation and development of rock & roll.” Above, TIME looks back at Chuck Berry’s life and career in photos.

Chuck Berry Performing
Chuck Berry performs with his band c. 1956. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
"After School Sessions" Album Cover
Chuck Berry's debut album After School Sessions, which was released on May 1, 1957. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Chuck Berry with his Gibson hollow body electric guitar, c. 1958.
Chuck Berry with his Gibson hollow body electric guitar, c. 1958.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Photo of Chuck BERRY
Chuck Berry in the late-1950s.GAB Archive/Redferns/Getty Images
"TAMI" Show
Chuck Berry performs his "duck walk" in Santa Monica, Calif., on Dec. 29, 1964.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Photo of CONCERT POSTERS and Chuck BERRY
A Chuck Berry concert poster from 1965.GAB Archive/Redferns/Getty Images
Chuck Berry On Park Lane
Chuck Berry in London in 1965.David Redfern—Redferns/Getty Images
Chuck Berry Performs in New York
Chuck Berry performs in New York City in 1969.Walter Looss Jr.—Getty Images
Mick & Chuck At Madison Square Garden
Chuck Berry and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones chat backstage at Madison Square Garden in New York City, on Nov. 28, 1969.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Mike Douglas Show All Star Interviews
From left: Mike Douglas, Chuck Berry, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon during a taping of The Mike Douglas Show in Feb. 1972. Michael Leshnov—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Bo Diddley & Chuck Berry "Let The Good Times Roll"
Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry perform at Madison Square Garden, on May 6, 1972 in New York City.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry, c.1975. Terry O'Neill—Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Brad Elterman Archive
Chuck Berry and Michael Jackson at a Grammy Awards reception in Los Angeles in 1978.Brad Elterman—Getty Images
Chuck Berry In Concert At The Palladium
Chuck Berry performs at the Palladium in Hollywood, Calif. in 1980.George Rose—Getty Images
Photo of Chuck BERRY and Ahmet ERTEGUN and Keith RICHARDS
From left: Ahmet Ertegun, Chuck Berry and Keith Richards at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Awards in New York City, on Jan. 23, 1986.Ebet Roberts—Redferns
Guitar Legends
From left: Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry and Keith Richards during the filming of Hail! Hail ! Rock n Roll in Los Angeles in 1986. Terry O'Neill—Getty Images
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Season 26
Chuck Berry and Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show on Nov. 5, 1987.Paul Drinkwater—NBC/Getty Images
Photo of Chuck Berry and Johnnie Johnson
Chuck Berry and longtime pianist Johnnie Johnson at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in New Orleans, La., on April 30, 1995Ebet Roberts—Redferns/Getty Images
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Season 4
Chuck Berry performs with The Tonight Show Band in Burbank, Calif., on Oct. 4, 1995.Margaret Norton—NBC/Getty Images
Chuck Berry during the Grand Opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland Ohio, on Sept. 7, 1995.
Chuck Berry during the Grand Opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland Ohio, on Sept. 7, 1995. Jeff Kravitz—Getty Images
5/23/98 - PHOTOGRAPHER: Robert A. Reeder TWP The Kennedy Center BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Three day festiva
Chuck Berry performs at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on May 23, 1998.Robert A. Reeder—The Washington Post/Getty Images
Kennedy Center Honorees (clockwise), actress Angel
Kennedy Center Honorees Chuck Berry, along with Placido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, Clint Eastwood, and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 2, 2000. Neshan Naltchayan—AFP/Getty Images
Chicago Cubs v St. Louis Cardinals
Chuck Berry throws out the first pitch prior to a St. Louis Cardinals v. Chicago Cubs game in St. Louis, Mo., on on July 29, 2011.Dilip Vishwanat—Getty Images
Chuck Berry In Moscow
Chuck Berry performs in Moscow, Russia, on April 14, 2014. Dmitri Lekai—Getty Images

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