When John Lennon and Chuck Berry met for first time on ‘The Mike Douglas Show’
The Beatles have sat at the very peak of the rock ‘n’ roll pyramid for six decades. With a cultural presence bracketing most present lifetimes, it can be difficult to fathom in retrospect that they were giants who stood on the shoulders of others. Their key influences were rooted in the earliest form of blues-based rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s. Amongst the likes of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Buddy Holly, one musician they appeared particularly enamoured with was Chuck Berry.
During their live shows in the early 1960s, The Beatles never shied from pulling a cover or two from the locker to pay homage to their favourite rock artists and bolster their thin spread of original material. Chuck Berry’s hits were a common feature of these early gigs, and his compositions were even included in a couple of The Beatles’ studio releases; ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ featured in the 1963’s With the Beatles while ‘Rock and Roll Music’ appeared on 1964’s Beatles for Sale.
After their emphatic rise to global fame through the first half of the ’60s, Berry became one of The Beatles’ growing number of apostles. As quoted in A Walk Down Abbey Road, Berry commented on why he thought the Fab Four had been so successful. “Because they were geniuses,” he said. “They’re writers I understand, three heads a growth. And boy, two heads are better than one, but three heads? Genius.”
“I [had] heard [Beatles music] in America,” he continued. “My appreciation of music is not actually with an artist, but it’s with a song. Of course, the artist is involved. But each song has its own glory, and ‘Yesterday’ was the highest of The Beatles.”
Berry added that he had connected with ‘Yesterday’ the most because of its relation to age and life experience. “I don’t think there could ever be a song that, at my age, could be more appropriate,” he said. “You know I haven’t learned it yet, but I shall.
“When a group or an artist continuously puts out product that is absorbed by the public and in demand, it’s genuine,” he said. “And this is what I thought about The Beatles when they continually put out hit after hit after hit.”
While Berry never met The Beatles while they were together in the ’60s, he first shook hands with John Lennon in 1972 prior to a joint performance on The Mike Douglas Show. The late rock legends hit the stage to play ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’. Watch below.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.