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Chuck Berry, in his own words

nico7martin
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Flickr - http://j.mp/1SPGCl0
Rock 'n roll legend Chuck Berry died on March 18, 2017.

I was sad to hear about Chuck Berry’s death last weekend.

When I worked in St. Louis two decades ago, getting an interview with Berry was a challenge for every reporter in town. He hadn’t given an interview in more than two years when I decided to give it a shot. The owner of a venue where Berry played every couple of months suggested I come to the 40th anniversary of Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode. The idea was the club owner would help me get an interview before the show.
That did not happen.

So I relaxed, had a couple of beers, recorded some of the concert (with some terrible acoustics).

I started talking to the guy next to me. He was a public radio fan and was really interested in a series of reports I'd done on St. Louis schools' desegregation. When I asked his name, he replied, "Charles Berry, Jr."

Yep. Chuck's son.

I told him why I was there and he made sure I got an interview after the show.

Listen to the segment that I produced above. It includes that elusive interview with the legendary Chuck Berry that aired in 1998. 

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Lester Graham reports for The Environment Report. He has reported on public policy, politics, and issues regarding race and gender inequity. He was previously with The Environment Report at Michigan Public from 1998-2010.
Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.
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