90 år fik Chuck Berrry, hvis borgerlige navn var Charles Edward Anderson Berry. Og i de fleste af dem tjente han den rock’n roll, han med rette er blevet gjort til ‘opfinder’ af. Og hans betydning for eftertidens musikere er beskrevet i den ene tykke bog efter den anden. Uden Berry ville vi have svært ved at stave til og udtale ordene “rock’n roll”. Eller son John Lennon udtrykte det i en kendt formulering: “If you tried to give rock ‘n’ roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’”

Nu vil jeg lægge hans første LP på pladespilleren, hvor den meget passende afløser en opsamling af Robert Johnson. Rejsen er slut for Chuck, der har “no particular place to go”. Også en rammende titel på en sang på denne mærkedag.

Riding along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin’ wild
Crusin’ and playin’ the radio
With no particular place to go

Riding along in my automobile
I was anxious to tell her the way I feel
So I told her softly and sincere
And she leaned and whispered in my ear
Cuddlin’ more and drivin’ slow
With no particular place to go

No particular place to go
So we parked way out on the Kokomo
The night was young and the moon was gold
So we both decided to take a stroll
Can you image the way I felt
I couldn’t unfasten her safety belt

Ridin’ along in my calaboose
Still trying to get her belt a-loose
All the way home I held a grudge
For the safety belt that wouldn’t budge
Crusin’ and playin’ the radio
With no particular place to go

https://youtu.be/dYTqzcc-WNk