Chuck Berry (born Charles Edward Anderson Berry; 8.10.1926)
Chuck Berry is an American singer-songwriter, famous for his rock and roll songs Maybellene, Roll Over Beethoven and Johnny B. Goode.
Net Worth: In 2013, Celebrity Net Worth claimed that Chuck Berry had a net worth of 10 million USD.
Childhood: Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Henry and Martha Berry. He was the fourth of six children to the couple. In 1944, Berry was arrested for armed robbery. He had robbed three shops in Kansas City before his car broke down and he stole another at gunpoint. Berry was sent to a reform centre near Jefferson City, Missouri. He was released on his 21st birthday in 1947, after spending his time singing in a quartet and boxing.
Career: Chuck Berry began performing with Johnnie Johnson in 1953 who mentored him for two years. In 1955, Berry performed his first song, Maybellene, with Johnnie Johnson on the piano. The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues chart. In 1958, Berry released his arguably most famous song, Johnnie B. Goode. It reached number eight on Billboard's Hottest 100, and in 2008 it was voted number one on Rolling Stones' Greatest 100 Guitar Tracks. After serving a year and a half in prison (February 1962 - October 1963), Berry went through a relatively slow period in his career. Despite this, he still released singles like "No Particular Place to Go", "You Can Never Tell" and "Nadine".
Personal Life: In 1959, Chuck Berry was charged with having sex with a fourteen-year-old waitress he had brought to work as a hat check girl at his club. Originally sentenced to five years in prison, the Judge and Jury's attitudes and comments were found to be racist and racially prejudice, leading to a second trial. In the end, Berry only served a year and a half in jail. Berry was sued in 2000 by his former partner, Johnnie Johnson, who claimed to have written several of Berry's songs but received no credit. These songs included "No Particular Place to Go", "Role Over Beethoven", and "Sweet Little Sixteen".
Biography by Contactmusic.com