From John Lennon to Jimi Hendrix: The 8 best covers of Chuck Berry song ‘Johnny B. Goode’
Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Chuck Berry
Three icons of the guitar converged when Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Chuck Berry got on stage to perform Berry’s anthem. Filmed for Taylor Hackford’s 1987 film Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, the music documentary records two concerts held at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis to celebrate the iconic Chuck Berry’s 60th birthday, giving audiences the chance to see Berry backed by some of the world’s most exclusive rock stars. It was a tantalising prospect.
Sourced and arranged by Keith Richards—a massive Berry fan despite being punched in the face by the rocker—the backing band saw artists such as the great Bobby Keys, Chuck Leavell, Robert Cray, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, and of course Richards and Clapton, take to the stage to perform some of Berry’s most notorious hits, with the great man front and centre.
“Chuck is the granddaddy of us all,” Richards wrote in the rocker’s obituary. “Even if you’re a rock guitarist who wouldn’t name him as your main influence, your main influence is probably still influenced by Chuck Berry. He is rock and roll in its pure essence. The way he moved, especially in those early film clips; the exuberant ease when he laid down that rhythm was mystifying and something to behold.”