Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode (1959) | SAFE ✯ |

It is ranked #7 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Story Behind The Song: Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode

Guitarist Keith Richards has noted that the song's chords are more typical of piano compositions, reflecting Berry's unique adaptation of Johnnie Johnson's boogie-woogie piano style into aggressive guitar phrases. Cultural and Cosmic Impact Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode (1959)

Released in and further cemented by its appearance on the 1959 album Chuck Berry Is on Top , "Johnny B. Goode" is often hailed as the definitive blueprint for rock 'n' roll. It introduced the world to the first "rock biography," chronicling the rise of a guitar hero from humble roots—a story that mirrored Chuck Berry’s own journey to stardom. The Story Behind the Song It is ranked #7 on Rolling Stone’s list

The name was a tribute to his longtime pianist, Johnnie Johnson , who influenced much of Berry’s guitar style. Ironically, Johnson did not play on the actual recording; the piano work was handled by Lafayette Leake . Cultural and Cosmic Impact Released in and further

"Johnny B. Goode" has achieved a status that few songs can match:

In 1977, NASA selected it for the Voyager Golden Record . It is the only rock 'n' roll song currently traveling through deep space as a representation of human creativity for potential extraterrestrial life.

Although the song claims Johnny "never ever learned to read or write so well," Berry was actually well-educated and had a degree in hairdressing and cosmetology. Musical Innovation: The Riff Heard Round the World