Chuck Berry, often called either the Father, or the King, of Rock And Roll, has passed away at his home in St. Charles, Missouri, aged 90.

As Pitchfork reports, Berry, whose career began in the early 1950’s with the track ‘Maybellene’, often cited as being one of the very first guitar-rock songs, passed away at his home around noon on Saturday, March 18th.

Berry’s career quickly gained traction following the release of ‘Maybellene’, with tracks such as ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Rock And Roll Music’, and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ all being released in the following years, inspiring others to take interest in the emerging genre, and single-handedly helping to popularise the rise of rock and roll music in America.

Berry’s influence was felt far and wide also, with numerous musicians citing him as one of their foremost influences, including our own Angus Young, whose famous ‘duckwalk’ was adapted from a similar stage antic often employed by Berry on stage. Countless other musicians credit him with being the impetus for the rock and roll genre, with musicians such as John Lennon even stating “if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry’.”

Chuck Berry had re-entered the consciousness of many music fans when he announced a new album, his first since 1979, last year on his 90th birthday. The as-yet unreleased album, tentatively titled Chuck, is set to include contributions from both Berry’s backing band, and his children.

While a cause of death hasn’t yet been announced, Berry had been encountering worsening health problems in recent years, with him most famously having to be carried off stage in Chicago in 2011 after collapsing while performing. Nevertheless, the world of rock music has now lost another of its true legends, however we speak with certainty when we say his legacy and influence will never be forgotten.

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