Shaw does a music special on Saturdays. Last Saturday she featured Chuck Berry.
Here's a snippet from Wikipedia's article on Chuck Berry.
"Berry lived in Ladue, Missouri, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of St. Louis. He also had a home at "Berry Park", near Wentzville, Missouri where he lived part-time since the 1950s and was the home in which he died. This home, with the guitar-shaped swimming pool, is seen in scenes near the end of the film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. He regularly performed one Wednesday each month at Blueberry Hill, a restaurant and bar located in the Delmar Loop neighborhood of St. Louis, from 1996 to 2014."
Berry Park? Been there. Blueberry Hill? Been there.
When I was going to college in St. Louis I belonged to a local fraternity. (Because I had some friends in it already.) The fraternity held a gathering called "The June Bustout" near the end of the school year. It was an all day affair held at Berry Park. There was a band at night and around midnight Chuck Berry would show up and play a few songs with the band.
Near the end of Berry's career, when he was playing at Blueberry Hill (in the Duck Room downstairs) some of us made sure to get there to see him before he quit performing altogether. He played with his daughter's (Ingrid) group. He had dementia and he could only get through a few songs. She would always finish the show.
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Thanks for sharing your first hand history with us, Mike. I really appreciate it. My husband had Bill Haley and the comets at his high school prom! Eastern Pennsylvania.
Some excellent memories.
Like EC said, excellent memories. Wasn't he the one that did the Twist and The Peppermint Twist?
Pretty special memories, Mike!
Saw him back in 69 in Frankfurt, Germany.
Berry Park was a little bit before my time but I saw Chuck play at Blueberry Hill in 2008. He still had it.
Wow - what a great bit of history. I wish I had gone to see him.
Chubby Checker did the Twist.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Mike.
I did not know Chuck Berry had dementia towards the end.
It's funny to to look back at the beginnings of some of these famous musicians. I also saw Ike and Tina Turner at a North St. Louis dance hall that above a bar.
I'm glad I can still remember a few.
That was Chubby Checker. Berry did Maybelline.
Yes they are.
He was big stuff back then.
I should have gone to Blueberry Hill more often.
It was always a fun time.
I remember a few things now and then.
He was 90 when he died so the causes of death was just listed as natural causes. But when I saw him at Blueberry Hill I could tell he was losing it mentally. With the life he lead I'm surprised he lasted that long.
It's always interesting to have a personal connection to some celebrity or famous event.
My next brag will be about John Goodman. He went to school in St. Louis. The owner of a bar where we had a regular Wednesday lunch went to high school with him and was one of his best friends. When he was in town he would come to the bar and hang out. Goodman was pretty private so we didn't "hang out" with him but did talk to him every once in a while.
My mom sat next to Chuck Berry on an airplane once.
why you old fart. Chuck Berry? That is so cool. He was born same year as one of my parents. c'mon now, you're not that much older than me.
That must have been an interesting flight.
He was 90 when he died. I hope I make it that far.
Wow. That's why we can be content in these later years because we've done a lot! Plenty to think back on and to look it out on with all that perspective. Well it's all coming to a head in a few weeks. Either the healing will begin or it all gets much much worse. Praying for the former. Have a good weekend
We've done a lot and seen a lot. Well, a matter of weeks to let the healing begin or batten down the hatches! Thanks for helping us get through it
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