He is commemorated in St. Louis by the Chuck Berry Statue in the Delmar Loop, situated near Blueberry Hill, where Berry frequently performed.
Blueberry Hill houses a collection of Chuck Berry artifacts, among which is the iconic Gibson-350T guitar. Berry used this guitar to pen hits like “Rock & Roll Music,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and “Johnny B. Goode.”
Widely hailed as the “Father of Rock and Roll,” Berry learned how to play the guitar from his friend Ira Harris. Harris taught Berry techniques that would shape his own sound. His breakthrough came in 1955 when he signed with Chess Records.
Berry was the first person to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. After a long and successful career that ended in 2014 with over 200 shows at Blueberry Hill, he retired to St. Louis.
