An eight-foot bronze statue honoring rock 'n' roll pioneer and Beatles and Rolling Stones influence Chuck Berry was dedicated late last week in the singer's hometown of St. Louis, Mo.
"The statue was first suggested by Bill McClellan, who writes for the St. Louis Dispatch, and second by Charlie Brennan, who is a commentator on KMOX Radio in St. Louis," Harry Weber, the statue's sculpture, told us in a phone interview. "They felt he was a treasure of St. Louis and deserved some recognition in view of the fact that, without argument, represents the genesis of rock n' roll." Brennan had raised over $100,000 for the statue.
John Lennon once introduced Berry on a TV show by saying, "If you tried to give rock 'n' roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry." His music was the inspiration for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and numerous other artists. He was also the very first inductee into the the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Weber said he used films and about 24 different pictures of Berry for the statue's design. "We wanted to do him moving, his head sort of strutting across the stage, getting ready to do his duck walk," he said. It took about nine month to complete it.
Berry attended the dedication ceremony with members of his family. "I don't know how to speak, I just sing a little bit. I'm going to say thank you again, and I love you all," Reuters reported he told the crowd. Friends who sent comments included Little Richard and Elvis Costello.
The statue is located on Delmar Boulevard in University City in an area filled with Berry memorabilia. In another hometown honor, the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team also had Berry throw out the first pitch at a recent game.
And Berry hasn't retired. He plays once a month at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis in the appropriately named Duck Room. Joe Edwards, owner of the club says, "It's remarkable. He's 84 years old. He'll be 85 this October and he is putting on shows better than he did 20 years ago. He's just relaxed and enjoying performing with his daughter Ingrid and his son Charles Jr."
Tickets, $35 each, go on sale two days after the previous months performance through the Blueberry Hill website connection to Ticketmaster at http://www.blueberryhill.com/. Edwards says they usually sell out pretty quickly.
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