A major influence on early rock and roll, Chuck Berry, born in 1926, scored big hits between 1955 and 1958, writing “Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “School Day,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” and “Johnny B. Goode.” At the time, he was criticized by some black R&B artists for sounding white and by some white conservative critics for his popularity among white teenagers. Berry’s experience is another example of the complicated and sometimes contradictory nature of the relationship between race and popular music.
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