Chuck Berry was a man of great musical talents and it turns out the icon -who passed away at age 90 on March 18, 2017- was also talented with his fists…according to Rolling Stones band member, Keith Richards.
Richards learned first hand what happened when somebody made Mr. Berry mad as hell- you get clocked clean in the eye for messing with him. That’s what happened to Richards, who says Chuck was one of his musical idols all of his life. However, apparently Berry didn’t discriminate (his music admirers included) when it came down to messing with his personal belongings, especially his guitars. Check out what Keith Richards revealed in Rolling Stone Magazine about what went down between him and Chuck Berry back in the day:
Keith Richards- “Chuck Berry once gave me a black eye, which I later called his greatest hit. We saw him play in New York somewhere, and afterward I was backstage in his dressing room, where his guitar was lying in its case. I wanted to look, out of professional interest, and as I’m just plucking the strings, Chuck walked in and gave me this wallop to the frickin’ left eye. But I realized I was in the wrong. If I walked into my dressing room and saw somebody fiddling with my ax, it would be perfectly all right to sock ’em, you know? I just got caught.”
Told y’all Chuck didn’t play that.
Keith also explained why Berry used to kick him off the stages back then:
“He would do things like throw me offstage, too. I always took that as a reverse compliment, sort of as a sign of respect – because otherwise he wouldn’t bother with me.”
Richards describes Berry’s true personality as tough, but still warm:
“He was a little prickly, but at the same time there was a very warm guy underneath that he wasn’t that willing to display. There were other times between us when we’re sitting around and rehearsing, and going, ‘Man, you know, between us we got that sh*t down” – and there would be a beautiful, different feeling.”
The two stars eventually were great friends though:
“In 1986, when we made Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, I moved into his house in Berry Park for weeks. It was a childhood dream come true – I’m living at Chuck Berry’s house, putting a band together with him!”
Richards On First Hearing About Berry’s Passing:
“When I got the call that he was gone, it wasn’t a total, unexpected shock…It hit me harder than I expected. But Chuck certainly hung in there. There’s another thing I hope to emulate.”
Chuck Berry is sorely missed by his fans, his two children, his wife of 68 years, and many loved ones.
Rest on Chuck Berry.
