Son of the blues, boogie woogie and rhythm & blues, rock and roll was first known under the name of 'jump blues', a more rhythmic and sped up sub-genre of blues, with the well-marked (and very danceable) snare beat. In 1955, 'Maybelline' Chuck Berry's first single is released, and with it, a new era begins. Admired by everybody from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Elton John, Eric Clapton and AC/DC, Chuck Berry's influence on the world of music has been massive. In The Many Faces of Chuck Berry we will explore his explosive live performances and his blues roots; we will dig deep into his catalog of hits performed by other artists and we will review some of his fellow early-rockers that changed the music landscape more than 60 years ago. With fantastic artwork, remastered sound and extensive liner notes, this an essential additional to your 20th century music collection. Although rarely mentioned when talking about great blues performers, Chuck was an exceptional guitarist, who introduced himself to the genre with his own personality.

For this reason, on CD One of The Many Faces, titled Chuck Plays The Blues we present nine blues songs that perfectly illustrate this side of his. In addition, we included five songs recorded live in London in 1972, where Chuck was warmly received by his devoted fans.

CD Two of The Many Faces is a tribute to his songs, which we present performed by a diverse range of artists, in a way that his influence can be fully appreciated. The selection ranges from British punks like UK Subs and Eddie And The Hot Rods, to underground rockers like The Flaming Groovies, along Uriah's Heep lead singer David Byron and the charismatic Johnny Thunders (former member of New York Dolls), -a sort of Chuck Berry filtered thru heroin-, plus the remarkable instrumental treatment that the Bill Black's Combo (the band of Elvis Presley's ex-bass player) gives to classics.

Finally, CD Three is an early rock n 'roll compendium played by African-American pioneers such as Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, LaVern Baker, Roy Brown, Jackie Brenston (with Ike Turner) and Big Mama Thornton.

What are people saying about 

Chuck Berry - The Many Faces Of - 3 CD Set