Chuck Berry

Guitarist and singer Chuck Berry's output from 1955 to 1965 includes some of the earliest classics in rock history, from "Maybellene" and "Rock 'n' Roll Music" to "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Johnny B. Goode." Berry began playing professionally in St. Louis in the early 1950s. His 1955 hit "Maybellene" made him a national star, and he followed with a string of hit records that appealed to both black and white audiences