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.
The Man And The Donkey
Chuck Berry Lyrics
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Down the road came a tired little donkey,
Much he was loaded till his head hung down.
Upon this back so heavy set a big man,
Singin' such a sad song
As he rode into town.
But he sing such a sad song, and the guitar he broke.
The donkey stop, the man he reach to get a big jug,
Him and the donkey take a sip o' the drink.
Down the road, oh the dancing donkey,
Head swingin' so high, all the pain now gone.
The man he sing, some song was a gay song,
And the little donkey kept a-dancin' on.
Down the road was the man and the donkey,
So good feel the donkey, so gay was the man.
How plain when the wind blow was the sound of the gay song,
When the man and the donkey kept a-movin' on down the road.
The lyrics to Chuck Berry's song The Man And The Donkey tells a story of a tired little donkey that is heavily loaded and struggling to walk down the road. The donkey is carrying a big man who is singing a sad song as they rode into town. The man continues to sing to the donkey, but his sad song is so heart-wrenching that he breaks his own guitar. However, the situation takes a turn when the man reaches for a big jug and takes a sip of the drink with the donkey. At this point, the donkey is rejuvenated, and he starts dancing down the road with his head swinging so high as if all the pain has gone.
The man notices the change and starts singing a gay song, and the little donkey keeps a-dancing on. As they continue down the road, they both feel good, and the man is so gay that the sound of the song is plain as the wind blows. This song is a beautiful portrayal of the connection between humans and animals. It shows how a little care and affection can transform anything, even something as mundane as an overworked donkey carrying a heavy load.
Line by Line Meaning
Down the road came a tired little donkey,
A small and exhausted donkey walked on the road
Much he was loaded till his head hung down.
The donkey was heavily laden and unable to hold his head high.
Upon this back so heavy set a big man,
A large man was sitting on the overloaded donkey's back.
Singin' such a sad song As he rode into town.
The man sang a mournful tune as they entered the town.
And the man, the man sing to the donkey,
The man sang to the donkey.
But he sing such a sad song, and the guitar he broke.
His sad song made him break his guitar.
The donkey stop, the man he reach to get a big jug,
The donkey stopped, and the man reached for a large jug.
Him and the donkey take a sip o' the drink.
The man and the donkey both had a drink from the jug.
Down the road, oh the dancing donkey,
Further down the road, the donkey began to dance.
Head swingin' so high, all the pain now gone.
The donkey's head was swinging high as he was relieved of pain.
The man he sing, some song was a gay song,
The man then sang a cheerful song.
And the little donkey kept a-dancin' on.
The donkey continued to dance along the road.
Down the road was the man and the donkey,
The man and the donkey continued their journey along the road.
So good feel the donkey, so gay was the man.
The donkey felt better, and the man was happy.
How plain when the wind blow was the sound of the gay song,
The happy song was clearly heard when the wind blew.
When the man and the donkey kept a-movin' on down the road.
The man and the donkey continued to move along the road.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHUCK BERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mark Hankins
Melody and words from Junko Pardner. "Good artists copy, great artists steal."
Eduardo Carrochio
groovin rhythm, great solo
Małgorzata Ziółkowska
THE BEST, NO WORDS! 😍🤩😍🤩 MORE SONGS LIKE THIS!
Małgorzata Ziółkowska
The best rock and roll
Małgorzata Ziółkowska
The best!
John McFall
Who was the singer that was singing with Chuck?
aron hallam
I dont know shes on the'' live on stage'' as well
Barbara Krmadjian
His sister, forgot her name
Małgorzata Ziółkowska
Hmm.... Martha Berry?