Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) w… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American songwriter, guitarist, and singer. He is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.

Chuck Berry remains an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music who first began performing in 1953. Cub Koda wrote, "Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. He is its greatest songwriter, the main shaper of its instrumental voice, one of its greatest guitarists, and one of its greatest performers." John Lennon was more succinct: "If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'."

Berry was among the first musicians to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on its opening in 1986. He received Kennedy Center Honors in 2000 in a "class" with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, and Clint Eastwood. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry #5 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He was also ranked 6th on Rolling Stone's Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists of All Time.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included three of Chuck Berry's songs (Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Rock & Roll Music), of the 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll.
Chuck Berry held a special place, in terms of sound development, in the formation of, Mersey-Beat at Liverpool.

The finest exponent of Chuck Berry, guitar, sound at Liverpool during 1959 to 1963, was Vincent Tow/Ismail, who in turn passed on many of the learned skills to Lennon & McCartney, his friends and colleagues during that period--1959 to 1962/3.

Chuck Berry also influenced many of the great rock 'n' roll bands that we know today including The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

Club Nitty Gritty
Chuck Berry Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, down in Tennessee, close to Mississippi
'Bout a mile out of Toulouse, on the way to Memphis
There's a road turning south that's rather rocky and tricky
But it dead-ends right up to the Club Nitty-Gritty

They do the Mess Around
The Watusi
The Hully Gully

The Mashed Potato
And oh-oh they started Twisting

They did the Shimmy
Ah! They were Jerking

Overall Meaning

The song "Club Nitty Gritty" by Chuck Berry describes a road that leads to a club deep in Tennessee that's difficult to find. The lyrics list various dance moves like the Mess Around, Watusi, Hully Gully, Mashed Potato, Twist, Shimmy, and Jerk. These dances were popular during the 1960s when the song was released. The words describe how patrons of the club would engage in these dances and the energy of the dance floor.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a lively club where people dance with wild abandon. The mention of the road being rocky and tricky creates an air of mystery, as if it's a secret club that only the select few know about. The fact that it dead-ends at the club means that once you've found it, you're in for a wild night of dancing.

Line by Line Meaning

Well, down in Tennessee, close to Mississippi
In Tennessee, near Mississippi

'Bout a mile out of Toulouse, on the way to Memphis
About a mile out from Toulouse en route to Memphis

There's a road turning south that's rather rocky and tricky
A rocky and difficult road heads south

But it dead-ends right up to the Club Nitty-Gritty
The road ends at Club Nitty-Gritty

They do the Mess Around
They dance the Mess Around

The Watusi
They do the Watusi dance

The Hully Gully
They perform the Hully Gully dance

The Mashed Potato
They dance the Mashed Potato

And oh-oh they started Twisting
They began to dance the Twist

They did the Shimmy
They did the Shimmy dance

Ah! They were Jerking
They were doing the Jerk dance