113-537: Hugh Reskymer " Kym " Bonython , AC , DFC , AFC (15 September 1920 – 19 March 2011) was an Australian politician, World War Two veteran, musician, gallery owner, and racing driver. He was a prominent and active member of society in Adelaide , Australia. He had a distinguished career as a pilot during the Second World War, was a jazz drummer, owned an art gallery, raced speedcars, and served on
226-526: A 911 operator can be heard responding to a reported cardiac arrest at Berry's home. Berry's funeral was held on April 9, 2017, at The Pageant , in Berry's home town of St. Louis. He was remembered with a public viewing by family, friends, and fans in The Pageant. He was viewed with his cherry-red Gibson ES-335 guitar bolted to the inside lid of the coffin and with flower arrangements that included one sent by
339-456: A Sydney gallery once more, managing the BMG Fine Art for a short time. Bonython's eye for contemporary art saw his galleries promote many Australian and international artists, including Sidney Nolan , Pro Hart and William Dobell , and he is widely acknowledged to have discovered and fostered the work of Brett Whiteley . Along with the art galleries and his personal collection (much of which
452-548: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
565-446: A councillor, alderman, Mayor and Lord Mayor of the City of Adelaide . Kym was the youngest of six children; he had one half-brother ( John Langdon Bonython (1905–1992) ), two half-sisters ( Lady Betty Wilson and Ada Heath ), a brother (Charles Warren Bonython ) and a sister ( Katherine Verco ). Bonython attended St Peter's College, Adelaide , and upon completion entered into accountancy on
678-613: A factory worker at two automobile assembly plants and as a janitor in the apartment building where he and his wife lived. Afterwards, he trained as a beautician at the Poro College of Cosmetology, founded by Annie Turnbo Malone . He was doing well enough by 1950 to buy a "small three room brick cottage with a bath" on Whittier Street, which is now listed as the Chuck Berry House on the National Register of Historic Places . By
791-520: A focus on the guitar riff as the primary melodic element and an emphasis on songwriting as storytelling. His records are a rich storehouse of the essential lyrical, showmanship and musical components of rock and roll. In addition to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones , a large number of significant popular-music performers have recorded Berry's songs. Although not technically accomplished, his guitar style
904-489: A follow-up single in the same year, was his last Top 40 hit in both the US and the UK. Both singles were included on the part-live, part-studio album The London Chuck Berry Sessions (other albums of London sessions were recorded by Chess's mainstay artists Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf ). Berry's second tenure with Chess ended with the 1975 album Chuck Berry , after which he did not make
1017-746: A home at "Berry Park", near Wentzville, Missouri where he lived part-time since the 1950s and was the home in which he died. This home, with the guitar-shaped swimming pool, is seen in scenes near the end of the film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll . He regularly performed one Wednesday each month at Blueberry Hill , a restaurant and bar located in the Delmar Loop neighborhood of St. Louis , from 1996 to 2014. Berry announced on his 90th birthday that his first new studio album since Rockit in 1979, entitled Chuck , would be released in 2017. His first new record in 38 years, it includes his children, Charles Berry Jr. and Ingrid, on guitar and harmonica, with songs "covering
1130-484: A long-time collaboration with the pianist. The band played blues and ballads as well as country . Berry wrote, "Curiosity provoked me to lay a lot of our country stuff on our predominantly black audience and some of our black audience began whispering 'who is that black hillbilly at the Cosmo?' After they laughed at me a few times, they began requesting the hillbilly stuff and enjoyed dancing to it." In 1954, Berry recorded
1243-528: A lot of twelve-year-olds new insight into the moribund concept of "dirty" when it hit the airwaves ... Robert Christgau Berry returned to Chess from 1970 to 1973. There were no hit singles from the 1970 album Back Home , but in 1972, Chess released a live recording of " My Ding-a-Ling ", a novelty song that he had recorded in a different version as "My Tambourine" on his 1968 LP From St. Louie to Frisco . The track became his only number-one single. A live recording of " Reelin' and Rockin' ", issued as
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#17328686671221356-488: A mass toast at 10 pm in Berry's honor. One of Berry's attorneys estimated that his estate was worth $ 50 million, including $ 17 million in music rights. Berry's music publishing accounted for $ 13 million of the estate's value. The Berry estate owned roughly half of his songwriting credits (mostly from his later career), while BMG Rights Management controlled the other half; most of Berry's recordings are currently owned by Universal Music Group . In September 2017, Dualtone,
1469-524: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
1582-464: A middle-class black family in St. Louis , Berry had an interest in music from an early age and gave his first public performance at Sumner High School . While still a high school student, he was convicted of armed robbery and was sent to a reformatory , where he was held from 1944 to 1947. After his release, Berry settled into married life and worked at an automobile assembly plant. By early 1953, influenced by
1695-920: A passion for art, and he began his collection in 1945. In 1961 he opened his first gallery, the Bonython Art Gallery in North Adelaide , (which later became the Bonython Meadmore gallery). His first major exhibition was British Art of the 1960s, where he exhibited the first painting of Francis Bacon shown in Australia. He subsequently moved to Sydney to open the Hungry Horse Gallery in Paddington in 1966. His time with his Sydney gallery ended in 1976, and he returned to Adelaide to buy back his original gallery, operating it until 1983. From 1988 Bonython managed
1808-573: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
1921-748: A reputation as a difficult and unexciting performer. He also played at large events in North America, such as the Schaefer Music Festival , in New York City's Central Park in July 1969, and the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival in October. Berry helped give life to a subculture ... Even "My Ding-a-Ling", a fourth-grade wee-wee joke that used to mortify true believers at college concerts, permitted
2034-544: A single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without the citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge
2147-530: A six-month suspended jail sentence, placed on two years unsupervised probation, and was ordered to donate $ 5,000 to a local hospital. While no individual can be said to have invented rock and roll, Chuck Berry comes the closest of any single figure to being the one who put all the essential pieces together. It was his particular genius to graft country & western guitar licks onto a rhythm & blues chassis in his very first single, "Maybellene". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame A pioneer of rock and roll, Berry
2260-476: A speaking role as himself and performed "Johnny B. Goode", " Memphis, Tennessee ", and " Little Queenie ". His performance of "Sweet Little Sixteen" at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 was captured in the motion picture Jazz on a Summer's Day . The opening guitar riff of "Johnny B. Goode" is similar to the one used by Louis Jordan in his " Ain't That Just Like a Woman " (1946). Berry acknowledged
2373-460: A student at Sumner High School ; he was still a student there in 1944, when he was arrested for armed robbery after robbing three shops in Kansas City, Missouri , and then stealing a car at gunpoint with some friends. Berry's account in his autobiography is that his car broke down and he flagged down a passing car and stole it at gunpoint with a nonfunctional pistol. He was convicted and sent to
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#17328686671222486-614: A studio record until Rockit for Atco Records in 1979, which would be his last studio album for 38 years. In the 1970s, Berry toured on the strength of his earlier successes. He was on the road for many years, carrying only his Gibson guitar, confident that he could hire a band that already knew his music no matter where he went. AllMusic said that in this period his "live performances became increasingly erratic, ... working with terrible backup bands and turning in sloppy, out-of-tune performances" which "tarnished his reputation with younger fans and oldtimers" alike. In March 1972, he
2599-479: A television special at The Roxy in West Hollywood with Tina Turner as his special guest. The concert was released a year later on home video. In November 2000, Berry faced legal issues when he was sued by his former pianist Johnnie Johnson who claimed that he had co-written over 50 songs, including "No Particular Place to Go", "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven", that credit Berry alone. The case
2712-402: A very different career path. Initially he took up dairy farming on his father's Mount Pleasant property, where he introduced artificial breeding of cattle into Australia. In the 1950s his career changed to incorporate music, the arts, and motor racing. As a child Bonython developed a passion for jazz , and this influenced a number of his later pursuits. At the age of 17, in 1937, he entered
2825-458: Is "one of the primary sonic architects of rock and roll." According to Cleveland.com's Troy L. Smith, "Chuck Berry didn't invent rock and roll all by his lonesome. But he was the man who took rhythm and blues and transformed it into a new genre that would ever change popular music. Songs like 'Maybellene,' 'Johnny B. Goode,' 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Rock and Roll Music' would showcase the core elements of what rock and roll would become. The sound,
2938-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
3051-421: Is distinctive—he incorporated electronic effects to mimic the sound of bottleneck blues guitarists and drew on the influence of guitar players such as Carl Hogan , and T-Bone Walker to produce a clear and exciting sound that many later guitarists would acknowledge as an influence in their own style. Berry's showmanship has been influential on other rock guitarists, particularly his one-legged hop routine, and
3164-473: Is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
3277-553: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
3390-482: Is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of
3503-679: Is the only rock-and-roll song included on the Voyager Golden Record . Born in St. Louis , Berry was the youngest child. He grew up in the north St. Louis neighborhood known as the Ville , an area where many middle-class people lived. His father, Henry William Berry (1895–1987) was a contractor and deacon of a nearby Baptist church; his mother, Martha Bell (Banks) (1894–1980) was a certified public school principal. Berry's upbringing allowed him to pursue his interest in music from an early age. He gave his first public performance in 1941 while still
Kym Bonython - Misplaced Pages Continue
3616-541: The Australia Council . Bonython was also one of Australia's leading monarchists, chairing the No Republic committee and serving as one of South Australia's delegates to the 1998 Constitutional Convention . Other causes to receive his active support included euthanasia and compulsory national service . In 1979 Bonython wrote an autobiography: Ladies' Legs and Lemonade , Kym Bonython, Adelaide: Rigby, 1979. Bonython
3729-478: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
3842-664: The Billboard ' s Top 100 chart, and Berry toured as one of the "Top Acts of '56". He and Carl Perkins became friends. Perkins said that "I knew when I first heard Chuck that he'd been affected by country music. I respected his writing; his records were very, very great." In late 1957, Berry took part in Alan Freed 's "Biggest Show of Stars for 1957", touring the United States with the Everly Brothers , Buddy Holly , and others. He
3955-461: The Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of the order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of
4068-849: The Intermediate Reformatory for Young Men (now the Algoa Correctional Center) in Jefferson City, Missouri , where he formed a singing quartet and did some boxing. The singing group became competent enough that the authorities allowed it to perform outside the detention facility. Berry was released from the reformatory on his 21st birthday in 1947. On October 28, 1948, Berry married Themetta "Toddy" Suggs, who gave birth to Darlin Ingrid Berry on October 3, 1950. Berry supported his family by taking various jobs in St. Louis, working briefly as
4181-520: The Mann Act after allegations that he had had sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old Apache waitress, Janice Escalante, whom he had transported across state lines to work as a hatcheck girl at his club. After a two-week trial in March 1960, he was convicted , fined $ 5,000, and sentenced to five years in prison. He appealed the decision, arguing that the judge's comments and attitude were racist and prejudiced
4294-652: The Sydney Showground Speedway , Claremont Speedway in Perth and the Brisbane Exhibition Ground (Ekka). At one stage he was also the national hydroplane champion. His life in motor sports led to many accidents, the most serious being in 1956 when, racing to defend his Australian hydroplane title at Snowdens Beach , his boat crashed; the injuries that resulted led to Bonython spending the next 14 months on crutches. Amongst his achievements in motor sports
4407-469: The " duck walk ", which he first used as a child when he walked "stooping with full-bended knees, but with my back and head vertical" under a table to retrieve a ball and his family found it entertaining; he used it when "performing in New York for the first time and some journalist branded it the duck walk." On July 29, 2011, Berry was honored in a dedication of an eight-foot, in-motion Chuck Berry Statue in
4520-537: The "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In November his compilation album The Great Twenty-Eight was ranked 21st in Rolling Stone ' s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time . In March 2004, Berry was ranked fifth on the list of "The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Joe Perry wrote in tribute, "As a songwriter, Chuck Berry is like the Ernest Hemingway of rock & roll. He gets right to
4633-693: The "Cecil B. De Mille of Bowden". In 2007, he was one of 10 inaugural inductees into the Australian Speedway Hall of Fame . Bonython was also active in public life. He served on the Adelaide City Council , as had both his father and grandfather before him, and he was the chairman of the South Australian Jubilee 150 Board. Other boards of which he was a member included the Adelaide Festival of Arts , Musica Viva Australia and
Kym Bonython - Misplaced Pages Continue
4746-527: The 1950s, and as a promoter he brought to Adelaide some of the greats of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie , Count Basie , Dave Brubeck , Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong . Later, at the urging of his children, he expanded his range to rock and roll , bringing the likes of Chuck Berry to Adelaide, and he was one of the key people responsible for negotiating the addition of Adelaide to the Beatles Australian tour 1964. Along with music, Bonython had
4859-633: The 1970s (often being paid in cash by local promoters), added ammunition to the Internal Revenue Service 's accusations that Berry had evaded paying income taxes. Facing criminal sanction for the third time, Berry pleaded guilty to evading nearly $ 110,000 in federal income tax owed on his 1973 earnings. Newspaper reports in 1979 put his 1973 joint income (with his wife) at $ 374,982. He was sentenced to four months in prison and 1,000 hours of community service—performing benefit concerts —in 1979. Berry continued to play 70 to 100 one-nighters per year in
4972-406: The 1980s, still traveling solo and requiring a local band to back him at each stop. In 1986, Taylor Hackford made a documentary film, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll , of a celebration concert for Berry's sixtieth birthday, organized by Keith Richards . Eric Clapton , Etta James , Julian Lennon , Robert Cray , and Linda Ronstadt , among others, appeared with Berry on stage and in the film. During
5085-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
5198-675: The Adelaide City Council. Hugh Reskymer "Kym" Bonython was born on 15 September 1920 in Adelaide , South Australia , the youngest child of Sir John Lavington Bonython and his second wife Lady Jean Bonython , née Constance Jean Warren. (Sir John's first wife died in childbirth, aged 26). He was named "Hugh Reskymer Bonython " after an ancestor who had served as High Sheriff of Cornwall in 1619. Both his father, John Lavington Bonython, and his grandfather, John Langdon Bonython , had been (among other things) editors of daily Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser . His father had also served as
5311-727: The Delmar Loop in St. Louis right across the street from Blueberry Hill. Berry said, "It's glorious—I do appreciate it to the highest, no doubt about it. That sort of honor is seldom given out. But I don't deserve it." Rock critic Robert Christgau considers Berry "the greatest of the rock and rollers", and John Lennon said, "if you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." Ted Nugent said, "If you don't know every Chuck Berry lick, you can't play rock guitar." Bob Dylan called Berry "the Shakespeare of rock 'n' roll". Bruce Springsteen tweeted, "Chuck Berry
5424-571: The Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour, "in recognition of service to the community, particularly as Chairman of the SA Jubilee 150 Board". Bonython was also appointed a Knight of the Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ), and awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by the University of Adelaide (DUniv) in recognition of his outstanding service to the arts and
5537-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
5650-578: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
5763-481: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
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#17328686671225876-492: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
5989-581: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
6102-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
6215-511: The Rolling Stones in the shape of a guitar. Afterwards a private service was held in the club celebrating Berry's life and musical career, with the Berry family inviting 300 members of the public into the service. Gene Simmons of Kiss gave an impromptu, unadvertised eulogy at the service, while Little Richard was scheduled to lead the funeral procession but was unable to attend due to an illness. The night before, many St. Louis area bars held
6328-508: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
6441-450: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
6554-476: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll . Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll ", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into
6667-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
6780-509: The band a set list and expected the musicians to follow his lead after each guitar intro. Berry did not speak to the band after the show. Nevertheless, Springsteen backed Berry again when he appeared at the concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.) At the request of Jimmy Carter , Berry performed at the White House on June 1, 1979. Berry's touring style, traveling the "oldies" circuit in
6893-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
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#17328686671227006-463: The coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on a bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear
7119-684: The community. Other honours included a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Adelaide Critics Circle in 2007, and the Kym Bonython Fellowship, which provides support to up and coming visual artists and was named in his honour, and was first awarded by the Adelaide Festival Centre in 2010. Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It
7232-557: The concert, Berry played a Gibson ES-355 , the luxury version of the ES-335 that he favored on his 1970s tours. Richards played a black Fender Telecaster Custom, Cray a Fender Stratocaster and Clapton a Gibson ES 350T, the same model that Berry used on his early recordings. In the late 1980s, Berry bought the Southern Air , a restaurant in Wentzville, Missouri . In 1982, Berry performed
7345-606: The cultures were so far apart, we would have to have a play station in order to play it. The cultures begin to come together, and you begin to see one another's vein of life, then the music came together." Among the honors Berry received were the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2000. He was ranked seventh on Time magazine's 2009 list of the 10 best electric guitar players of all time. On May 14, 2002, Berry
7458-460: The debt to Jordan and several sources have indicated that his work was influenced by Jordan in general. By the end of the 1950s, Berry was a high-profile established star with several hit records and film appearances and a lucrative touring career. He had opened a racially integrated St. Louis nightclub, Berry's Club Bandstand, and invested in real estate. But in December 1959, he was arrested under
7571-437: The early 1950s, Berry was working with local bands in clubs in St. Louis as an extra source of income. He had been playing blues since his teens, and he borrowed both guitar riffs and showmanship techniques from the blues musician T-Bone Walker . He also took guitar lessons from his friend Ira Harris, which laid the foundation for his guitar style. By early 1953, Berry was performing with Johnnie Johnson 's trio, starting
7684-477: The early teenage market by using graphic and humorous descriptions of teen dances, fast cars, high school life, and consumer culture, and utilizing guitar solos and showmanship that would be a major influence on subsequent rock music. Thus Berry, the songwriter, according to critic Jon Pareles , invented rock as "a music of teenage wishes fulfilled and good times (even with cops in pursuit)." Berry contributed three things to rock music: an irresistible swagger,
7797-636: The end of the 1950s, Berry was an established star, with several hit records and film appearances and a lucrative touring career. He had also established his own St. Louis nightclub, Berry's Club Bandstand. He was sentenced to three years in prison in January 1962 for offenses under the Mann Act —he had transported a 14-year-old girl across state lines for the purpose of having sexual intercourse. After his release in 1963, Berry had several more successful songs, including " No Particular Place to Go ", " You Never Can Tell ", and " Nadine ". However, these did not achieve
7910-407: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
8023-545: The face." He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of harassment and paid a $ 250 fine. In 1990, he was sued by several women who claimed that he had installed a video camera in the bathroom of his restaurant. Berry claimed that he had the camera installed to catch a worker who was suspected of stealing from the restaurant. Although his guilt was never proven in court, Berry opted for a class action settlement. One of his biographers, Bruce Pegg, estimated that it cost Berry over $ 1.2 million plus legal fees. His lawyers said he had been
8136-476: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
8249-657: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
8362-572: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
8475-590: The guitar riffs and showmanship techniques of the blues musician T-Bone Walker , Berry began performing with the Johnnie Johnson Trio . His break came when he traveled to Chicago in May 1955 and met Muddy Waters , who suggested he contact Leonard Chess , of Chess Records . With Chess, he recorded "Maybellene"—Berry's adaptation of the country song " Ida Red "—which sold over a million copies, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's rhythm and blues chart. By
8588-429: The jury against him. The appeal was upheld, and a second trial was heard in May and June 1961, resulting in another conviction and a three-year prison sentence. After another appeal failed, Berry served one and one-half years in prison, from February 1962 to October 1963. He had continued recording and performing during the trials, but his output had slowed as his popularity declined; his final single released before he
8701-470: The label which released Berry's final album, Chuck , agreed to publish all his compositions in the United States. Berry is interred in a mausoleum in Bellerive Gardens Cemetery in St. Louis. In 1987, Berry was charged with assaulting a woman at New York's Gramercy Park Hotel . He was accused of causing "lacerations of the mouth, requiring five stitches, two loose teeth, [and] contusions of
8814-463: The live album he was backed by the Steve Miller Band . Although this period was not a successful one for studio work, Berry was still a top concert draw. In May 1964, he had made a successful tour of the UK, but when he returned in January 1965, his behavior was erratic and moody, and his touring style of using unrehearsed local backing bands and a strict nonnegotiable contract was earning him
8927-399: The major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as " Maybellene " (1955), " Roll Over Beethoven " (1956), " Rock and Roll Music " (1957), and " Johnny B. Goode " (1958). Writing lyrics that focused on teen life and consumerism , and developing a music style that included guitar solos and showmanship , Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music . Born into
9040-500: The media with an ABC radio jazz show. The show continued for 38 years, finishing in 1975. His involvement in the jazz scene also extended to making and selling music; in 1952 he became a member of a jazz band as drummer – a skill he had learned as a child – and he opened his first record store in Bowman's Arcade on King William Street in 1954. His passion for music also led him to create his own concert promotion company, Aztec Services, in
9153-547: The melody of Berry's " Sweet Little Sixteen ". In 1964 and 1965 Berry released eight singles, including three that were commercially successful, reaching the top 20 of the Billboard 100: " No Particular Place to Go " (a humorous reworking of "School Days", concerning the introduction of seat belts in cars), " You Never Can Tell ", and the rocking " Nadine ". Between 1966 and 1969, Berry released five albums for Mercury Records , including his second live album (and first recorded entirely onstage), Live at Fillmore Auditorium ; for
9266-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
9379-649: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
9492-448: The order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of the Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing
9605-453: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
9718-1087: The point. He tells a story in short sentences. You get a great picture in your mind of what's going on, in a very short amount of space, in well-picked words ... kids today are playing the same three chords, trying to play in that same style. Turn the guitars up, and it's punk rock . It's the Ramones and the Sex Pistols . I hear it in the White Stripes , too. People will always cover Chuck Berry songs. When bands go do their homework, they will have to listen to Chuck Berry. If you want to learn about rock & roll, if you want to play rock & roll, you have to start there." In December 2004, six of his songs were included in " Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ": " Johnny B. Goode " (#7), " Maybellene " (#18), " Roll Over Beethoven " (#97), " Rock and Roll Music " (#128), " Sweet Little Sixteen " (#272) and " Brown Eyed Handsome Man " (#374). In June 2008, his song "Johnny B. Goode"
9831-672: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
9944-528: The recommendation of his older half-brother John. The Second World War interrupted this: in 1940 he began training as a pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Bonython served in the (then) Netherlands East Indies and New Guinea, experiencing several "death defying" near misses. He was in hospital in Darwin (with dengue fever) during the 1942 bombing - he had just evacuated and taken cover when
10057-497: The right time when Afro-American music was spilling over into the mainstream pop." When Berry first saw a copy of the Maybellene record, he was surprised that two other individuals, including DJ Alan Freed had been given writing credit; that would entitle them to some of the royalties. After a court battle, Berry was able to regain full writing credit. At the end of June 1956, his song " Roll Over Beethoven " reached number 29 on
10170-448: The same success or lasting impact of his 1950s songs, and by the 1970s he was more in demand as a nostalgia performer, playing his past material with local backup bands of variable quality. In 1972, he reached a new level of achievement when a rendition of " My Ding-a-Ling " became his only record to top the charts. His insistence on being paid in cash led in 1979 to a four-month jail sentence and community service, for tax evasion . Berry
10283-401: The spectrum from hard-driving rockers to soulful thought-provoking time capsules of a life's work" and dedicated to his wife Toddy. On March 18, 2017, Berry was found unresponsive at his home near Wentzville, Missouri . Emergency workers called to the scene were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead by his personal physician. TMZ posted an audio recording on its website in which
10396-677: The tracks "I Hope These Words Will Find You Well" and "Oh, Maria!" with the group Joe Alexander & the Cubans. The songs were released as a single on the Ballad label. Berry's showmanship, along with a mix of country tunes and R&B tunes, sung in the style of Nat King Cole set to the music of Muddy Waters brought in a wider audience, particularly affluent white people. In May 1955, Berry traveled to Chicago, where he met Muddy Waters who suggested he contact Leonard Chess , of Chess Records . Berry thought his blues music would interest Chess, but Chess
10509-406: The victim of a conspiracy to profit from his wealth. Reportedly, a police raid on his house found intimate videotapes of women, one of whom was apparently a minor. Also found in the raid were 62 grams of marijuana . Felony drug and child abuse charges were filed. The child abuse charges were eventually dropped, and Berry agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor possession of marijuana. He was given
10622-670: The ward he had been in took a direct hit. During his time with the RAAF, Bonython filled the roles of aircraft captain in 1941, and chief flying instructor with the rank of squadron leader in 1943. On 1 September 1944, Flight Lieutenant Bonython (Aus.280778) was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC), and on 22 February 1946, Squadron Leader Bonython AFC was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) When Bonython returned from service he chose not to return to accounting, deciding on
10735-405: The young Christchurch native to ride at Rowley Park. On 1 September 1944 Bonython was awarded the Air Force Cross . On 22 February 1946 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . In the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours , he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition of service to the arts. In the 1987 Australia Day Honours , Bonython was appointed Companion of
10848-585: Was 'definitely' no one like Chuck Berry." Rolling Stone called him "the father of rock & roll" who "gave the music its sound and its attitude, even as he battled racism—and his own misdeeds—all the way," reporting that Leonard Cohen said, "All of us are footnotes to the words of Chuck Berry." Kevin Strait, curator of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, said that Berry
10961-523: Was a guest on ABC 's Guy Mitchell Show , singing his hit song "Rock 'n' Roll Music". The hits continued from 1957 to 1959, with Berry scoring over a dozen chart singles during this period, including the US Top 10 hits " School Days ", " Rock and Roll Music ", " Sweet Little Sixteen ", and " Johnny B. Goode ". He appeared in two early rock-and-roll movies: Rock Rock Rock (1956), in which he sang "You Can't Catch Me", and Go, Johnny, Go! (1959), in which he had
11074-569: Was a larger fan of Berry's take on " Ida Red ". On May 21, 1955, Berry recorded an adaptation of the song "Ida Red", under the title " Maybellene ", with Johnnie Johnson on the piano, Jerome Green (from Bo Diddley 's band) on the maracas, Ebby Hardy on the drums and Willie Dixon on the bass. "Maybellene" sold over a million copies, reaching number one on Billboard magazine's rhythm and blues chart and number five on its Best Sellers in Stores chart for September 10, 1955. Berry said, "It came out at
11187-412: Was a significant influence on the development of both the music and the attitude associated with the rock music lifestyle. With songs such as " Maybellene " (1955), " Roll Over Beethoven " (1956), " Rock and Roll Music " (1957) and " Johnny B. Goode " (1958), Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive, with lyrics successfully aimed to appeal to
11300-623: Was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986; he was cited for having "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance." Berry is included in several of Rolling Stone magazine's "greatest of all time" lists; he was ranked fifth on its 2004 and 2011 lists of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and 2nd greatest guitarist of all time in 2023. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll includes three of Berry's: "Johnny B. Goode", "Maybellene", and "Rock and Roll Music". "Johnny B. Goode"
11413-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
11526-765: Was destroyed when the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 engulfed his Mount Lofty property, "Eurilla"), Bonython authored and published a number of art books. Bonython raced Speedcars at the Rowley Park Speedway in the Adelaide suburb of Bowden , which he also owned the lease on and promoted from 1954 to 1973. Bonython had some major crashes in Speedcars but also some success, winning the South Australian Championship in 1959–60. He competed at venues such as
11639-909: Was dismissed when the judge ruled that too much time had passed since the songs were written. In 2008, Berry toured Europe, with stops in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Poland, and Spain. In mid-2008, he played at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore . During a concert on New Year's Day 2011 in Chicago, Berry, suffering from exhaustion, passed out and had to be helped off stage. Berry lived in Ladue, Missouri , approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of St. Louis. He also had
11752-408: Was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to the order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by
11865-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
11978-582: Was filmed, at the BBC Television Theatre in Shepherds Bush, for Chuck Berry in Concert , part of a 60-date tour backed by the band Rocking Horse. Among the many bandleaders performing a backup role with Berry in the 1970s, were Bruce Springsteen and Steve Miller when each was just starting his career. (Springsteen related in the documentary film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll that Berry did not give
12091-406: Was his work to bring Formula 1 to Adelaide in 1985, in which he has been described as a "catalyst" for the event (along with other prominent locals including then Premier of South Australia John Bannon and former F1 driver and 1983 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Vern Schuppan ). His time in motor sports earned him the title of "the man with 99 lives" and, from Max Harris regarding Rowley Park,
12204-459: Was honored as one of the first BMI Icons at the 50th annual BMI Pop Awards. He was presented the award along with BMI affiliates Bo Diddley and Little Richard . In August 2014, Berry was made a laureate of the Polar Music Prize . Berry is included in several of Rolling Stone magazine's "Greatest of All Time" lists. In September 2003, the magazine ranked him number 6 in its list of
12317-456: Was imprisoned was " Come On ". When Berry was released from prison in 1963, his return to recording and performing was made easier because British invasion bands—notably the Beatles and the Rolling Stones —had sustained interest in his music by releasing cover versions of his songs, and other bands had reworked some of them, such as the Beach Boys ' 1963 hit " Surfin' U.S.A. ", which used
12430-434: Was married twice and had five children: Robyn and Chris from the first marriage, Tim, Michael and Nicole from the second. On his return from Milne Bay after the war he married Jean Adore Paine – they divorced in 1953. In 1957, while still on crutches from his accident at Snowden's beach, he married former Miss South Australia Julianna McClure (Julie). Bonython died on 19 March 2011 at his home in North Adelaide , aged 90. He
12543-410: Was ranked first in the "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time". In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Berry at number 96 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. The journalist Chuck Klosterman has argued that in 300 years Berry will still be remembered as the rock musician who most closely captured the essence of rock and roll. Time magazine stated, "There was no one like Elvis. But there
12656-405: Was rock's greatest practitioner, guitarist, and the greatest pure rock 'n' roll writer who ever lived." When asked what caused the explosion of the popularity of rock 'n roll that took place in the 1950s, with him and a handful of others, mainly him, Berry said, "Well, actually they begin to listen to it, you see, because certain stations played certain music. The music that we, the blacks, played,
12769-591: Was survived by his wife, Julie, his five children, 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was given a state funeral, held on 29 March 2011 at St Peter's Cathedral . It was attended by many of the friends he made in speedway, including former long time Rowley Park track manager Alan Marks, Australian Sidecar champions Rick Munro and Len Bowes, Speedway City promoter Wendy Turner, Gillman Speedway promoter and former sidecar racer David Parker, flagman Glen Dix, and 15 time World Champion Ivan Mauger who got his first start in Australia in 1960 when Bonython signed
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