When Chuck Berry played at the White House the same week he was arrested
Chuck Berry may be revered as having pioneered rock and roll as a golden guitarist, but that’s not to say he had exactly golden morals to go with it. Yes, he may have been the driving force behind the musical genre we all know and love, and as such, changed the world – but frankly, under the current climate, his legacy shouldn’t really be celebrated for much else.
There is a litany of reasons for this that stretch from petty crimes to serious misgivings, but nonetheless, throughout it all, Berry maintained a supersonic status in the rock realm that, in many ways, enshrined him against a tarnished legacy. That rather convenient deal came in especially handy at one particular point, however, when the guitarist went from mingling with the highest echelons of society to scrounging with the lowest, all within the space of only a few days.
The year was 1979 and Berry was more than happy continuing to dine out on his seismic successes of the 1950s, touring around as everyone’s favourite rock and roll legacy act. That status landed him a coveted gig performing at the White House at the request of then President Jimmy Carter, flying the flag for the Black Music Association, at a special concert on June 1st.
But just three days later, on June 4th, the luscious gardens surrounding the Oval Office couldn’t have been any further from view, as Berry landed himself in court pleading guilty to a slew of federal tax charges amassing to a whopping $100,000 in fees that he had avoided up to that point. If there was any time the hope of a presidential pardon was in order, you can bet he was praying for it then.
However, unfortunately for him, Berry’s pleas were not answered, and he was handed down a jail sentence for the second time in his life, as the force of reality – and the law – came crashing back down with a resounding thump. His first sentence had related to offences some years earlier concerning an armed robbery and transporting a minor in the process… which, if that doesn’t give you an idea of the rock star’s true character, nothing else will.
Essentially, in Chuck Berry’s case, it was a rags-to-riches tale in reverse, where the heights of rock and roll pioneering stardom had clearly made him way too big for his boots. After all, mingling with the most powerful figures can only get you so far, proving that the consequences of one’s actions will always catch up to them, no matter how mighty they think they are.
It’s a cautionary tale for any budding rock god – your success will only ever last as long as you stay above the law, because entering the world of crime, as Berry did, could ruin those illusions of grandeur very quickly. Few people have likely gone from being at the very top of the tree to the very bottom in less than a week, but the pioneer of rock knew the motions of that catastrophic slide all too well. After all, he didn’t need to look far to guide him on the right track – maybe it was actually a subliminal message to himself when he told the story of ‘Johnny B Goode’.
