Born on this day in St. Louis, Missouri, Charles Edward Anderson Berry (1926–2017) became the Father of Rock and Roll—a poet of rhythm and rhyme whose music made the world dance. His first hit, Maybellene (1955), fused country storytelling with rhythm and blues, sparking a revolution that would never quiet down.

He shaped his smooth singing style after Nat King Cole and wrote with wit, rhythm, and grace. “I think it had a lot to do with my diction,” he said. “The pop fan could understand what I was saying.”

From Roll Over Beethoven to Sweet Little Sixteen to Johnny B. Goode, Berry’s songs captured the heartbeat of youth. He duckwalked across the stage in his starched suit, grinning as his guitar told stories of drive, daring, and delight.

“My music, it is very simple stuff,” he said modestly (Inside that simplicity pulsed the genius of timing and truth.) “Everything I wrote about wasn’t about me,” he explained, “but about the people listening.”

Inspiring generations from the Beatles to the Beach Boys, Berry built bridges between rhythm and poetry, Black roots and white youth, rebellion and beauty. As John Lennon once said, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry.”

Through every chord and every grin, he reminded us that joy itself is a kind of courage. That music, when played from the heart, makes the whole world move.