To see why, we have to look at the R&B tradition which Berry grew up in, and in particular we want to look once again at the work of Berry’s hero Louis Jordan, and the particular type of entertainment he provided. That’s because, although they might not seem it at first glance now, both songs are tied in to a very different culture from the white teen one that was now dominating the rock and roll audience. While these days, both sides of his next single - “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” and “Too Much Monkey Business” - are considered rock and roll classics, neither hit the pop charts in 1956 when they were released. Specifically, we’re going to talk about a single that is as close as Berry got to being outright political. Today, we’re going to talk about the single that came after that, both sides of which were recorded at the same session as “Beethoven”. When we left Chuck Berry, he had just recorded and released his third single, “Roll Over Beethoven”, the single which had established him as the preeminent mythologiser of rock and roll.

This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. The one I’d recommend if you don’t have a spare couple of hundred quid for the complete works box set is the double-CD Gold, which has every major track without any of the filler. There are a myriad Chuck Berry compilations available. Long Distance Information: Chuck Berry’s Recorded Legacy by Fred Rothwell is an extraordinarily researched look at every single recording session of Berry’s career up to 2001. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on “Rock and Roll Waltz” by Kay Starr.Īs always, I’ve created a Mixcloud streaming playlist with full versions of all the songs in the episode.īrown Eyed Handsome Man: The Life and Hard Times of Chuck Berry by Bruce Pegg is a good narrative biography of Berry, which doesn’t shy away from the less salubrious aspects of his personality, but is clearly written by an admirer. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Download file | Play in new window | Recorded on August 19, 2019Įpisode forty-six of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” by the Chuck Berry Combo, and how Berry tried to square the circle of social commentary and teen appeal.

My Brown-Eyed Earl by Anna Bennett