Chuck Berry

the history of rock & roll in a nutshell (300 words or less)

THE NUTSHELL IS THIS: rock & roll has had two golden eras, both times when the artists took control of the music and its direction and led the way. But that’s not the norm for popular music: the norm is for businessmen in the form of owners, Artists & Repertoire (A&R) men, and other “bean-counters” to say what’s so. [Continue reading]

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Rock & roll is really swing with a modern name. It began on the levees and plantations, took in folk songs, and features blues and rhythm. It's the rhythm that gets to the kids—they're starved of music they can dance to, after all those years of crooners." – Alan Freed

"Rock & roll might not solve your problems, but it does let you dance all over them." – Pete Townsend

"I wanted to make the greatest rock record that I'd ever heard, and I wanted it to sound enormous and I wanted it to grab you by your throat and insist that you take that ride, insist that you pay attention, not to just the music, but just to life, to feeling alive, to being alive." – Bruce Springsteen

"Rock & Roll was one thing, and then they chopped off the Roll and called it Rock, which became a sort of umbrella term for anything with a guitar in it. Like hair bands ... how could we possibly believe that? It's just gotten downright silly, to the point where now it's sort of become like professional wrestling." – Tom Petty

"Rock & roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me—I can't help it." – Elvis Presley

"Do you believe in magic? Believe in the magic of a young girl's soul. Believe in the magic of rock & roll. Believe in the magic that can set you free!" – John Sebastian

"When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad—because of all the things in the world, you’re only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good." – Daryl Zero (The Zero Effect)

“Some of the worst mistakes in my life have been haircuts.” – Jim Morrison

"If I hadn't heard rock & roll on the radio, I would have had no idea there was life on this planet . . ." – Lou Reed