Chuck Berry

There had to be a market in order for you to be successful in a business. The market had to need your business, or the product of it. ”

I wanted to play blues. But I wasn't blue enough. I wasn't like Muddy Waters, people who really had it hard. In our house, we had food on the table. We were doing well compared to many. So I concentrated on this fun and frolic, these novelties. ”

My music is simple stuff. Anybody can sit down, look at a set of symbols and produce sounds the music represents. ”

I directed my music to the teen-agers. I was 30 years old when I did 'Maybellene.' My school days had long been over when I did 'School Day,' but I was thinking of them. ”

I grew up thinking art was pictures until I got into music and found I was an artist and didn't paint. ”

Rather than have joy, I would rather be absent of pain. ”

One of my realizations is that if you revel over joy, you're going to ache over pain and get killed over hurt. Your span of feelings are going to go just as far one way as the other. ”

Remember that my view, the only true view I can see with, is through the black eyes that I have. ”

Maybe it is true what they say, that playing these Chuck Berry songs is easy. But try singing them. The words come out hard, like bullets. ”

Rock 'n' roll accepted me and paid me, even though I loved the big bands... I went that way because I wanted a home of my own. I had a family. I had to raise them. Let's don't leave out the economics. No way. ”