13 Oct
207: Chuck Berry releases Johnny B Goode
Johnny B. Goode is a song written by Chuck Berry about a poor country boy becoming a star by hard work and his skill at playing the guitar. Although partly autobiographical, the inspiration for the song is said to have been Johnnie Johnson who played the piano and composed several songs with Berry. As for the last name — Berry was born on Goode Avenue in St. Louis so it is thought that is where he got that name from. The song was written in the mid-fifties, but not released until his album Chuck Berry Is on Top which came out March 31 in 1958. A copy of the recording of the song was included on the Voyager Golden Record, attached to the Voyager spacecraft representing rock and roll among other cultural achievements of humanity.