Chuck Berry Honoured With Statue In St Louis

Chuck's still standing, and always will be   30-Jul-11

The real king of rock n' roll, Chuck Berry, now 84-years-old, unveiled a huge bronze statue of his likeness in front of 500 people in St Louis' Delmar Loop Entertainment district.

The 8-foot statue drew criticism from some local residents, due to Berry's previous battles with the law. But the strength of the crowd in the 90-degrees heat, and the messages from legendary musicians such as Little Richard and Elvis Costello, showed the overall support for Berry's legacy.

The musician kept his speech short, saying:

"I won't keep you long... I don't know how to speak, I just sing a little bit. I'm going to say thank you again, and I love you all."

Chuck Berry joined the crowd in singing a rendition of his 1957 hit, Johnny B. Goode, at the end of the ceremony, and still plays monthly shows at Blueberry Hill, which is just across the street from the statue.

The star was also joined at the event by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

A member of the Council (as of earlier this summer) had gathered just 100 signatures in opposition to the statue, claiming that Chuck Berry's conviction for transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes (1962) made him an ill-fitting candidate for a statue.

Catch the rock n' roller's next show at Blueberry Hill on August 17th.

(Image courtesy of Creative Commons 3.0, author - Hakan Henriksson)

Rich Beech

www.StudioParanormal.com