A new official Chuck Berry documentary, Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock 'N' Roll, is coming to video-on-demand platforms, DVD and Blu-ray this month, and now the official trailer can be viewed online.
The film is directed by Jon Brewer, whose credits include B.B. King: The Life of Riley, Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story and Guns N’ Roses: The Most Dangerous Band in the World.
The new doc features fresh commentary about the electric guitar legend from the likes of Gene Simmons, George Thorogood, Alice Cooper, Nils Lofgren, Gary Clark Jr and Steven Van Zandt, as well as archival footage of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and others testifying to Berry's greatness.
Brewer discussed Berry's impact as a guitarist in an interview with Below the Line, saying, “He was quite aggressive with his guitar. It was almost like a percussion instrument, the way he played it. It came over in a different way than a normal guitar player.
“It wasn’t the licks – there was some sort of kick in it that made you move. He had that tremendous get up and move accompaniment with the guitar.”
George Thorogood takes it further in the documentary, saying of Berry, “He is the most important guitarist in rock history.”
Or, as Gene Simmons puts it, “Chuck Berry was Chuck Berry. The definition of Chuck Berry is… Chuck Berry.”
You can watch the official trailer for Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock 'N' Roll above, and for more information, head to Cardinal Releasing.
“I would say he’s underrated in the echelons of guitar. Honestly, there’s no-one close”: Steve Vai reveals what it’s like to work side by side with fellow Frank Zappa alum Adrian Belew on the BEAT tour
“I think Eddie got rubbed up the wrong way because we had another superstar guitar player in our lineup”: Eddie Van Halen apparently left Peavey because it signed a second standout shredder – Joe Satriani
