All language subtitles for Chuck.Berry.Hail.Hail.Rock.n.Roll.1987.720p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

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If you were to try and give
rock 'n' roll another name,
you might call it Chuck Berry.

Right. In the 1950s,
a whole generation
worshipped his music,

and when you see him perform
today, past and present
all come together...

and the message is,
"Hail, hail, rock 'n' roll."

Right on.

[ Crowd Cheering ]

* Mabellene
Why can't ya be true *

* Oh, Mabellene

* Can't ya be true

* Started back doin'
the things you used to do *

* As I was motorvatin'
over the hill *

* Saw Mabellene
in a Coupe De Ville *

* Cadillac rollin'
on an open road *

* Nothin' outrun my V-8 Ford

* Cadillac doin' about 95

* Bumper to bumper
or side to side *

* Mabellene
Can't ya be true *

* Oh, Mabellene
Can't ya be true *

* Ya started back doin'
the things you used to do **

Oh !

You know, the only song
I ever tried to sing of his
is "Mabellene."

I get far as the Cadillac
up on the hill and--

And you let it go
up the hill by itself.
No, it went.

[ Laughing ]

Whoa !

I remember driving
by a place in Nashville.

I must've been 16,
driving home from a date,

and, um, "Mabellene"
was playing out--

You could hear it
coming out of the club,
you know, as we rolled by.

And so we rolled down
the window, stopped
and used to listen.

He's the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

My mama even said that.

I said, "What about me, Mama ?"

She said, "Well, now, son,
you're ver-- you're different.

You sing slow songs,
but Chuck Berry's
rock 'n' roll."

I said, "Why, all this time,
I thought I was."

She said, "Well, your habits
are pretty good, but you're
no Chuck Berry."

My favorite song
with Chuck... is all of 'em.

I like all of 'em !
[ Laughing ]

I-I've always-- Chuck,
really, to be truthful,

not puttin' Bo down,
not puttin' Fats down,

but if I didn't say this,
God knows I'd be lyin'.

To the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob,

my God that I love so much--
and I keep Your Holy Sabbath
every Saturday...

from sunrise to sunset--
I must say this: He's
my favorite rock artist,

and he always have been,
and I think that--

I've never told
the world this, but...

his rhythm
is the only rhythm
that I can sing myself too.

And it fits. If I say
anything about Chuck,
Chuck is--

If Chuck don't go up on stage,
I know it's gonna be
really tough on me.

[ Little Richard Laughing ]

Wow. So this is
what you wanted to see.

This is it:
the Cosmopolitan Club.

That's what 30 years
can do for ya.

Gee, birthplace of "Mabellene."

Okay.

* Mabellene

* Why can't ya be true

Jesus. Look at this. Wow.

Oh, man,
this breaks my heart.

They must've had
a flood here or something.

Mmm, look at this place.

My beautiful Cosmopolitan,

and many beautiful nights
as we had in here.

Look at this.
This is something.

It's a far cry from the way
it was when I was here
back in '51, '52.

Drew three to four hundred
people every weekend--
Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Twenty-one dollars.
We were here for three years.

Three years.
Johnnie Johnson Trio,

until I took it over
and it got to be
Chuck Berry Trio.

Chuck Berry came to me
and asked me
about changin' the name...

from the Johnnie Johnson Trio
to the Chuck Berry Trio,

which, uh-- which was
perfectly okay with me,

because Chuck was more
of a go-getter and, uh,

he seemed to know more
about the business than I did,

and I figured with him
as a leader we would have
more jobs and a better success.

[ Chuck ]
I had two day jobs.
I worked with my father...

whenever I didn't have
anything else to do.

But mainly
when I started working
at the automobile plant,

that's when the money
started comin' in:
$91 a week.

I was cuttin'
pretty good too, because
I had a family, you know,

and, uh, $21 here
and $91 there--

A hundred dollars a week,
you can do pretty good.

Music is--
was a sideline, you know.

I was a carpenter
and a painter, you know.

About a year after
I started working here,

uh, I asked--
I'm in the painting business,
you know, fixing up.

I had an idea
about just putting
the, uh, ceilings in black.

And, uh, as I painted
them black, I had the idea
and went on on my own...

to paint, uh, the top of it
real dark, dark blue in ovals.

And then at the high point
of the oval,

I just painted
a snow-capped mountain,

and they went all around this,
all around, all the way
around the building,

excepting behind the bar
where the mirrors are.

I got $450 for that,

and compared
to $21 a weekend,

that's like
six months of playing.

That's the reason why
I'll never let that, uh,
painting and decorating go.

It's, uh, money.
Money in that.

[ Interviewer ]
But there had to be something
that drove you towards...

trying to make a life
as a professional musician.

Oh, when the money got larger,
I'd put the paintbrush down,

pick the pick up
and fiddle.

[ Chuckles ]
Oh, yeah. It got bigger.

As a matter of fact,
I left here...

making $42 a night...

and went straight
to Gleason's Bar
in Cleveland...

at $800 a week.

It felt great.
When I showed my brother
the contract,

he said, "You mean
to tell me--

Yeah, well,
that's the way it is."

From then on, I found out
that you make more and more
as the years go by.

[ Woman ]
Oh, baby !

[ Whooping, Applauding ]

That's what started me
to thinkin' that I could
go professional,

because the crowds
we had on the weekends
were jam-packed.

I said if I can do it here,
I can do it in Cleveland,
do it in Miami.

And when I went up
to Chicago where Leonard Chess
and Chess records were,

that was the launching
of my career.

I went up there
with a $79 recorder
and played that, you know,

'cause I'm not gonna play guitar
in front of a stranger.

Well, he said, "It sounds good."
He was listening to the lyrics.

And the name of the song,
I had it named "Ida Red,"

not knowing that I couldn't
name it the same title
of a song already out.

And "Mabellene" sounds just
like "Ida Red" rhythmically,
so I named it "Mabellene."

And, uh, evidently
he liked it,

because he told me to get
the band and come up and he'd
consider a recording contract.

I said, "When ? Yesterday ?"

He said, "No.
Whenever you can."

So the next Friday,
when Johnnie got off
from his job, we went up there,

and Saturday we recorded
"Mabellene," "Wee, Wee Hours,"
"Too Much Monkey--"

By the way, I had these songs
written during that week.

"Too Much Monkey Business"
and, I think,
"Roll Over, Beethoven."

And, uh, we did
all four of them
in less than six hours.

"Mabellene" had 36 takes,
by the way. I remember.

[ Interviewer ]
You wrote four songs
in one week ?

Oh, yeah. It wasn't
too hard to write, because
I'd been making up songs--

verses, that is--
on the bandstand
to other people's songs.

I'd take my verses and put
'em to the same rhythm
and I was on my way.

You know, poetry
is my blood flow.

We're gonna hear
some blues tonight...
[ Crowd Whistling, Cheering ]

'cause I'm sorry I left
the Cosmopolitan,

but I'm glad
I made that money.

[ Cheering, Applause ]

It helped out quite a bit,
you know ?

* You know I was
livin' in St. Louis *

* In the year of 1955

* My mother didn't have
a big mansion *

* Just a little
ol' country dive *

* And my daddy
worked all week long *

* Tryin' to keep us
six kids alive *

* I was standin'
at Lambert Airport *

* With this guitar
in my hand *

[ Cheering, Applause ]

* You know I had
a first-class ticket *

* Destination Hollywoodland

* I'll be
in Hollywood, Mama *

* Before the roosters
crow again *

[ Chuck ]
Wow !

* Can't help it
but I love *

* Sittin' here
and singin' to you *

[ Cheering ]

* I think that's the only
legitimate thing *

* I ever learned to do

[ Cheering ]

* Until I come
back here to Cosmo *

* I'm gonna say so long
and good-bye to you **

[ Cheering ]

[ Crowd Cheering,
[ Crowd Cheering,
Applauding, Whistling ]

[ Chuck ]
When I first took
the song to Leonard Chess,

we recorded in Chess Studios.

Naturally, I was
the only writer, because
it came from Missouri...

in a basement in my house.

And when the record came out,
it was Russ Fratto
and Alan Freed and Chuck Berry.

You know, who are these guys,
you know ?

I knew Alan Freed.
I heard him on the radio.

He was the disc jockey
in New York
that played the record.

Who is Russ Fratto ?
He's-- He owns
a stenography store--

a stationery store next to--
who supplied Leonard
with his stationery.

Uh, why they were on it
didn't matter to me.

I didn't know that was
a split of the monies,

but when I got my royalties,
I saw one third.

Anybody can easily
figure it out.
I'm good at mathematics.

I was only--
I'm only getting
a third of this, you know.

So that was in the days
of payola when, uh--

when you did something
for somebody, you got a cut
of whatever the issue was.

Money-- You know,
I'd sit up all night
lookin' at the contracts,

you know, tryin' to figure out
how I was gonna make
any money out of two--

two--
No, half a cent per record.

Half a cent ?
Half a cent per record.

We had to sell two records
to make a penny.
Right.

A record cost 59 cents,
didn't it ?
Yeah.

Well, there were 58
other pennies going somewhere.
Uh-uh.

I, uh-- Ooh, boy.

Yeah, I majored in math.
I was lookin'
at the other 58 cents.

I majored in mouth.
[ Laughing ]

I was doin' the talkin'
and no walkin'.
Didn't make nothin'.

Couldn't even
understand the contract.
I looked at it.

All I wanted to see was "Little
Richard." When I saw that, I
didn't even read the other part.

[ Chuck ]
You feel your way
when you don't know.

Sometimes you step on rocks.
Sometimes you get your head
bumped. But not twice.

That's a smart man.
Don't let the same dog
bite you twice.

[ Man ]
How ya doin', Chuck ?

Chuck's made a whole
new show business,

doing things on the road
the Chuck Berry way.

As a entertainer and as
a businessman/entertainer,

he just does things
different
than most people do.

Chuck doesn't have
a big entourage, doesn't
have a band with him.

He likes to go by himself,
leaves the job by himself.

You know, promoters
offer limousines and such,
and he doesn't care.

This is Chuck Berry, that's all.
This is just Chuck Berry
doin' it his way.

One-nighters, that's all
I ever do. One-nighters.

[ Interviewer ]
Where's all your luggage ?

No luggage. Just a guitar
underneath.

Comb, toothbrush--
that's it.

That's the way I do it.

You check your guitar
in baggage ?

Yeah, once
in about six months.

After that, get a new one.

Uh, deductible, you know.
Tools ?

[ Dick Alen ]
Chuck has always caught
the imagination of the kids--

not only the young black kids,
but the white kids, from
the beginning of his career.

He's been able
to keep the old ones and bring
the new generation all the time.

The 15-, 16-year-olds,
as they come in, as they hear
Chuck on the oldies stations,

like it, know it's good music
and just stay with it.

He has always been going.

The man is a natural
guitar player.
He's a natural businessman.

He feels it's a very
important part of his life
and his career,

and he takes care of it
very well.

I think my first date
was $800 a week,

and that was six nights,

so it's about
from about $100 a night...

to, uh, now I'm getting
blrlrl $1,000 a night,

you see.

[ Interviewer ] How much ?
Is that a secret ?
Oh, the I.R.S. knows.

They know it straight now.

Sure. No problem. Cute.

[ Interviewer ]
How many concerts
do you do a year ?

Well, I'll just multiply
six by 12 months.

Seventy to a hundred
at the most,

and that's diminishing
because here I'm
nearing 60, right ?

I've had what I call
extreme success...

from what I contemplated
in my life,

and, uh, I want to enjoy
a bit of it too.

I want to go to some gigs,
go to some rock concerts...

and sit there and,
"Hey, baby !

Play that music,
white boy !"
[ Chuckling ]

[ Dick Alen ]
When the contract reads X,
whatever it is,

he'll be there doin'
exactly what
the contract says.

People try to help him,
try to guess for him,

and that's how
trouble starts.

That's part of the contract:
that the buyer has to supply
a rock 'n' roll band.

Uh, the only requirement
is that they know
Chuck Berry's greatest hits.

Mr. Berry,
good to meet you.
[ Man ]
Welcome to Columbus.

Shall we go ?
Let's go rock 'n' roll.
[ Laughing ]

All right.
[ Woman ]
Hey, Chuck !

I met Chuck Berry once
when my manager said, "Gee,

you're gonna open on a bill
for Jerry Lee Lewis
and Chuck Berry."

And we thought this was
"forget it," you know.

I was 23 or 24, and these guys
were our heroes and--

and, uh, so we're
real excited,

and the guy says,
"He's gonna get a band that's
gonna back Chuck Berry up."

We said, "No, don't tell him--
Don't get one
of the local bands.

Tell him that we'll
back him up."

I had-- I think
my first album might've just
come out around that time.

So we went down to Maryland.
We drove in
from some overnight gig.

I forget from where.

We came out and played
about a half hour,

which is generally
the time you were allotted
in those days...

if you were an opening act,
and we went over pretty good.

We did all right.

And then Jerry Lee came out,
and he did his set...

and, you know, ended
standin' on the piano and,

uh, no Chuck Berry, right ?

No. He's not there.

So, it's about--

I forget what time
it was supposed to go on,

but it was gettin'
very close to the time
he was supposed to go on.

There's no sign of him.
The promoter's gettin'
really nervous.

He comes up to me
and he says, "Look,

"go on back out there,
because Chuck Berry's
not here.

I don't think he's comin'."

I said, "I'm not gonna
go out there. They're
waitin' for Chuck Berry."

And, uh, about five minutes
before the show...

was timed to start,

the back door opens,
and he comes in.

He's by himself,

and, uh, he's got
a guitar case.

And that was it. I guess
he pulled up in his own car.

Didn't have
anybody with him.

And he walked--
kinda walked by me...

and went straight
to the office...

with the promoter,
you know ?

Where I guess
the rumor was--
[ Laughing ]

I think the rumor was
he would get 11 grand,

and at the end of the night
he'd give a grand back
if the band was okay...

and if the equipment worked.

I don't know if that's true,
but that's what we heard.

So straight into the office,

and then he comes--
walks out of the office...

and he comes
into the band's room,
you know.

We said, "Well, great.
We're gonna go on."

I said, "Well, Chuck.
Like, what-- What songs
are we gonna do ?"

He says, "Well, we're gonna
do some Chuck Berry songs."
[ Laughing ]

That's all he says.

So we go, "Okay."
We get out on stage.

The crowd's goin' insane.
They can see him.
He walks on,

opens up the guitar case,
tunes the guitar.

The lights are up.
The place is goin' nuts.

And we're goin', like,
you know, "What are we
gonna start with, Chuck ?"

And he's kinda not
payin' attention to us
or not hearin' us.

And then all I see is--
[ Stomping Foot,
Imitating Guitar ]

That's it !
[ Laughing ]
You know ?

And, like, the band
is like, "Yaahh !"

We're in a state
of total panic.

We're tryin' to figure out
what song are we playin'.

Uh, what key is it in ?
Chuck plays in a lot
of strange keys...

like B-flat, E-flat.

And our bass player, who was--
He's kind of the... historian
of the band, you know ?

So everybody runs to him
and he has the right key,
right ?

And so, uh, we pick up
the key, and we're doin'
pretty good, I think.

I forget what song it was.
Uh,

but we're playin' away,
and the crowd's goin' nuts,

and Chuck runs back and says,
"Play for that money, boys !"

We forgot to tell him
we were doin' this for free.

Anyway, the night ended,
there was a big brawl
in front of the stage,

and the lights came up
and I think his amp blew up.

We're kind of--
I guess we're doin'
"Johnny B. Goode."

** [ Imitates Guitar ]
You know, we're just
playin' that rhythm.

And he just kinda walked
to the side of the stage,

packed his guitar in front
of the entire auditorium.

They're goin' crazy.
[ Chuckles ]

Then he waved,
and that was it.

[ Laughing ]
He walked out and walked back
into his car, and he was gone.

I doubt that he'd
remember us, you know.

We were probably-- We were
another one of the bands he was
using on the road at the time.

It was just the kind
of night that-- that--

You know, when I'm 65 or 70,
and I got, you know,
my grandkids.

"Chuck Berry ? Yeah,
I met Chuck Berry.

[ Laughing ]
Matter of fact, I backed
Chuck Berry up one night."

"You did ?"
"Yeah."

You know, it's a story
you're always gonna tell.

[ Chuck ]
This is our cornerstone we had
placed in the fall of '57.

At least, I wanted it
to be a cornerstone.

When I bought it, I found out
it was a tombstone.

Well, death of a cornfield
and birth of an amusement park.

I wanted it to be
like Disneyland or Six Flags,

but it turned out
to be One Flag.

I really wanted to have
a great place for fishing.

My father was a great fisherman,
and all the family's
are great fishermen.

So when we first started
improving this,

this whole area here
was just a valley,
a big valley,

and we had the lake
dug out and filled up
in about a year.

And, uh, shortly after that,
we had festivals in the '60s.

We had a festiv--
One of the festivals
had 40,000 people.

Another one
had 60,000 people,

and the whole park
in a sense
is kind of like Hyde Park.

I have never seen it,
actually.

We just called it Hyde Park
in the suburbs of Missouri.

If you wanted to go,
you'd just come to Missouri.

Come to Berry Park.

Now, this is the barroom
of the clubhouse we had
built here...

in, uh-- During the '50s,
when I was touring...

with all my colleagues
and everything,

I wanted everybody
to come and see.

I wanted everybody to come
here, from Laverne Baker
to Elvis Presley,

the Everly Brothers--
you name it.

And I think that, um, I--
Actually, in here,

I predicted playing here...

in my rockin'-chair years.

And, um, here's where
I could settle down
and do my thing.

We didn't get off the ground
with this, 'cause
I was touring so fast.

We were wonderin' now
will it ever be as I
anticipated it to be.

**

* Everything is wrong
since me and my baby parted *

* All day long I'm barkin'
'cause I *

* Couldn't get my car started

* Laid off from my job and can't
afford to check it *

* I wish somebody'd come along
and run into it and wreck it *

* Come on
Since my baby parted *

* Come on
I can't get started *

* Come on
I can't afford to check it *

* I wish somebody'd come along
and run into it and wreck it *

* Everything is wrong since
I been without ya *

* Every night I lie awake
thinkin' about ya *

* Every time the phone rings
Sounds like thunder *

* Some stupid jerk tryin'
to reach another number *

* Come on

* Since I been without ya
Come on *

* Steady thinkin' about ya
* Steady thinkin' about ya
Come on *

* Tryin' to make ya see
that I belong to you *

* And you belong to me
So come on *

**

Yeah !
What happens there ?
Who needs an ending ?

I wanted to serve Chuck up
with a good band,

'cause I never heard him
play in tune, you know.

And I was-- I've been so
disappointed with Chuck Berry's
live gigs for years and years...

whenever I've seen him,
'cause he didn't give a damn.

You know ? And he just--
If he made a mistake,
he'd blame it on the band.

I mean, and he'd just
wing it and get through,

and he's got such
a powerful personality...

that he's managed
to get away with it.

I know everybody said
that I was, you know,
mad to take the gig on,

and no doubt they said it
to you too.

But, um, so I ordered
the straitjacket,

allowed six to eight weeks
for delivery...

and, uh, if anybody
was gonna do it,
I wanted it to be me.

I'm not so much
a musical director, you know,

as an S-and-M Director.

It's, uh--
[ Chuckles ]

Social and Musical Director's
the polite way--
It's the S-and-M Band, you know.

[ Interviewer ]
What was it, when you
first heard Chuck Berry,

that made you...
change your life ?

There's something
about the sound.

Uh, the total--

I don't even know if Chuck
realizes what he did.
I don't think maybe he does.

I mean, people sometimes
don't, you know.

I mean, Michelangelo
probably thought
he was third-rate too.

But, um, it was
just such a total thing:

the great sound,
the great rhythm.

But on top of all that,

such a great
total overall sound...

came off the needle
on that record.

You know, all of them.
The first one, I think,
was "Johnny B. Goode."

Uh--

That-- That's when I knew
what I really wanted to do.

You know ? I didn't
have to make a living.

I didn't dream I could
make a living, but I knew
that's what I wanted to do.

I would do it as a hobby
even if I was an accountant
now or something, you know.

Probably be better off.
[ Chuckling ]

Leave the amp as I set it.
That's my amp, and I'm
setting it the way I wish.

-[ Man ]
Well--
-I'm not speakin' to you.

[ Man ]
I'm answering your question.

That's gonna have the sound
on the film, baby.

I'm interested
in how it sounds here.

It sounds the way
I wish it to sound.

That's the way it's going
to sound if I am playing.
If I am not playing--

[ Man ]
Turn it any way you want.
Check the tape out, Chuck.

Why it was being done ?
Well, don't touch my amp.

You said it won't be done.
He said he didn't.

- He said why it's being done.
- Why it's being done is because
it's not recording well.

Okay.
That's what's gonna
end up on film.

- Huh ?
- That's the way it's gonna
end up on film.

If it winds up on the film,
that's the way Chuck Berry
plays it. Ya understand ?

I understand about it.
I understand.

- I was talking to anybody.
- You gotta live with it
afterwards.

I been living
for sixty years with it !
I know that !

Okay, then realize it !
Is it gonna be around
after you're dead and gone ?

It ain't you and me.
It's everybody.
Oh, well, I ain't dyin'.

Go on, then, and sing
your song. Shit.

[ Keith ]
I think he's got
a little worm in him.

He's the only guy that's
hit me that I never got back.

You know ?
Maybe I'm savin' it.
[ Laughs ]

But, um--
[ Interviewer ]
Tell me about that.

Oh, it was in
a dressing room like this.

He'd done a show in New York,

and I went up to say hello,
and he was just leaving...

with a little bit
of white tail.

And, uh, I made
the mistake of tapping him
on the shoulder, saying,

"Hey, Chuck, don't rush off
without saying hello."
Because I'd known him.

I met him in '65,
first time.

Yeah, and, uh,

he just turned around
and just gave me a full shot
right in the face.

You know, boom.
I was very proud
that I didn't go down.

I don't know.
Maybe he got his fingers
burnt earlier on...

and decided to shut
the rest of the world out.

I think since
he got out of jail,

he came out with a chip
on his shoulder and, uh,
I just tried to knock it off.

I don't know
whether I did or not,

but, uh, I respect the man.

Always will, you know,
for what he's done
and also for myself.

I've lived under the umbrella
of the Rolling Stones
for 20-odd years.

In a way, I'm
in as totally insulated
a scene as maybe Chuck's.

This must be one
of the most difficult gigs.

If I can handle this,
I ain't worried
about nothin' else.

[ Laughing ]

If you just--
If you sing it and just
play the rhythm,

and I'll put the fills in,
uh-- in between
those vocal lines.

Say that again.
If you sing it and just
play the rhythm--

**
* Groove on out

Then I don't have
to keep hoppin' and tryin'
to cover both ends.

I need the rhythm guitar,
at least.
Okay.

It would be too much,
probably, to sing and play
the lead, fills as well.

Well, it wasn't.
[ Laughing ]

Well, yeah, I mean,
I don't mind, but I'll play
the rhythm...

if you wanna--
if you wanna do the fills.

It's only on
those two verses. I mean--

* Groovin'
Climb into my machine *

* And you can
groove on out **
Yeah, but...

the stops and starts
is what we were lookin' for.

Yeah.
We got them as long as--
as long as we have, uh--

- And you're gonna
play the solo, right ?
- If he wants me to.

[ Keith ]
Yeah, yeah.
We need that.

I need that guitar.

[ Man ]
Here.

**

That slur is
started right here.

It starts on the upper one.

Listen.

**
All right.

All right.
See, start with it
all the way down there.

I'm playing F.

**

Perfect. Perfect.

**

* Oh, girl

* Don't let him
steal it away *

* Gonna learn to dance if it
takes me all night and day *

* Gonna learn to dance if it
takes me all night and day *

** [ Stops ]

[ Man ]
Yeah ?
[ Keith ]
And then--

And then
there's another one.

** [ Stops ]

[ Chuckles ]

**

** [ Stops ]
You wanna get it right,
let's get it right.

**

** [ Band Continues ]

** [ Stops ]

[ Man ]
Ya test it, Chuck ?

**

* Oh, don't let him
steal it away *

* I'm gonna learn to dance
if it takes me night and day *

* Come into my machine
so we can cruise on out *

* I know a swingin' little joint
where we can jump and shout *

* It's not too far
back off the highway *

* Not so long a ride

* You park your car
right in the open *

* You can walk inside

* A little sugar
takes your hat *

* And you can
thank her, ma'am *

* Every time you make the scene
you'll find the Georgia Jam *

* Carol, don't let him
steal it away *

* Gonna learn to dance if it
takes me night and day *

Yeah !

Yeah !

Hey !

* Ya wanna hear some music
like the piano go play *

* Hold tight
Put your foot *

* Don't let her
carry it away *

* Don't let the heat overcome me
if the music's too loud *

* Don't the music get tricky
when the drummer get proud *

* Y'all can't dance
I know ya wish ya could *

* Sock it to 'em, Keith
Make 'em really feel good *

Yeah ! Yeah !

* Oh, don't let him
steal it away *

* Gonna learn to dance if it
takes me night and day *

Blow ! Blow !

Yeah ! Yeah, yeah !

* Steal it away

* Gonna learn to dance if it
takes me night and day **

All right ! All right !

We came along,
the whole thing changed.

All of a sudden,
we became a no-no.

What is this ?
This is devil music.

And Elvis, he asked me--
He says, "Do you think
I'm playin' the devil's music ?"

[ Laughing ]
"The hell.
You are the devil, boy."

We couldn't get records
played on the radio,

and I remember hearing
Phil Chess and Leonard saying,
discussing this,

"You know what ?
If we could get a white kid
to play this song,

we could get it played."

Because the radio stations
were owned by all caucasians.
They wouldn't play black music.

So they said, "Okay."
So all of a sudden you got
Carl Perkins popped up,

Elvis Presley, uh,
Gene Vincent.

They all come out of,
what, Sun Records in, uh,
Nashville somewhere.

Payola made it.
That's what made it
for Sun Records.

Geoff Philips and myself,
I'll have to admit,

cranked payola off,
started paying off
disc jockeys...

to play records.

I said, "Mr. Philips,
you shouldn't do that.
That's a sin."

[ Chuckling ]
He said,
"It'll pay off, son."

So he went to jail.
[ Chuckling ]

[ Interviewer ]
But those records
were great records.

You still had to pay
to have them played ?

Well, yeah, but everybody
wants the money.

Everybody wants to be paid
to be appreciated,

not just to draw $80 a week
for playin' a record.

A star, whoever he is, makes
$100,000 dollars off a record,
and he gets $80 a week.

There was a bad omen
hangin' there...

when the thing
became separated.

It became separated.
R-and-B became--
became what we was doin'...

and rock 'n' roll became
what the white kids was doin'.

I think you mean
we moved in separated.

We weren't called popular music.
We were not put in that class.

We were called
rhythm and blues.
[ Bo ] Yeah.

When I started with
a-wop-bop-a-loo-bop
a-lop bam boom...

and Pat Boone
covered it,

uh, uh, uh--
I was wop-bop-a-la
all over the place.

A-and so I remember
Art Rube says--

Arthur Goldsberg, he says--
He would put my record
on the top station,

and then here come
Pat Boone.

The-- The white kids
wanted mine,

'cause it was
real rough and... raw,

and Pat Boone
had this smooth version:

[ Softly ]
* Wop-bop-a-loo-bop
a-lop bam boom **

And I'd say,
"Wop-bop-a-loo--"
I had a gut to mine.

So the white kids would
take mine and put it in a drawer
and put his on the dresser.

- For their parents to see.
- I was in the same house.

But I was mad when
Pat Boone cut my record.
I wanted to get him.

I said, "I'm goin'
to Nashville to find him."

I wanted to get him
because, to me, he was
stopping my progress.

I wanted to be famous,
and here this man
came and took my song !

[ Chuck ]
White man.
A-And took--

Not only did he take
"Tutti Frutti," but he gonna
take "Long Tall Sally,"

and he didn't know how
to duck back in no alley !

Son of a gun !
I said, "I got to do
somethin' about it."

Later, I thought about that
and said, "That was good,"

but back then I said,
"I can't stand him."

But as I got older,
I got bolder.
[ Chuck ] Yeah !

And now I've started
rubbin' shoulders.
Yes.

[ Keith ]
Johnnie Johnson,
Chuck's piano player, right ?

Chuck hadn't
worked with him
for 20-odd years.

Those two have a strange
rela-- He walked in
on Johnnie's band...

in a little club
in East St. Louis one day
and took it over,

you know,

and Johnnie,
being the guy he is,

"Pleasure. Right, brother."

I don't think Johnnie
has realized really...

that Chuck--
I said to Johnnie,
"Play a boogie."

You know ?
I mean, he'll go flow
naturally into it.

** [ Singing Boogie ]

And he's not doin'
a Chuck Berry song.

I know, the way he's playing,
it's his riff.

Chuck adapted it guitar.
I know that, too, because
of the key it's in.

It's in piano.
It's in Johnnie's keys.
It's in piano keys.

If it was a guitar--
I mean, this is guitar,
rock 'n' roll.

You play
in A and E and D...

'cause you got open strings
and there--

This is a little technical,
but... for a guit-- That--

If it's a guitar band,
you play in those keys,

because it's-- they're
guitar keys, you know ?

On top of everything else,
we're playing in piano keys:

you know, horn keys, jazz keys,
Johnnie Johnson's keys.

You know ? And I-- I mean,
the minute that he does
"School Days,"

** [ Singing ]
he ain't copyin'
Chuck's riffs on piano.

Chuck adapted them
to guitar...

and put those great
lyrics behind them.

But without somebody
to give him them riffs,

voila,no song,

just a lot
of words on paper.

I didn't write the music
with him. I'd be in the room
sometime while he was writing.

That's it. He would
write the lyrics, then he
and I would get together...

and we played some kind
of music that he could
put lyrics into,

and it would all come out
just right, you know.

Some would be fast;
some would be slow...

like this piece, uh, uh,
"Havana Moon," for instance.

That was a slow
sort of calypso thing.

So we had to find
some calypso music
to go with the lyrics...

to what he was--
to his "Havana Moon."

And then, uh, pieces
like "Baby Doll"...

and, uh,
"Roll Over, Beethoven"--

all these were fast,
so we had to come up
with fast music...

that would blend in
with the words
that he was writin',

so he could get
all his sentence out
and still come out on time.

So this is the way
he did it.

They say, "That's
a Chuck Berry song
because there's--"

** [ Singing ]

Well, the first time
I heard that...

was in Carl Hogan's--

in one of Carl Hogan's
riffs in, uh,
Louis Jordan's band.

We have, uh, T-Bone Walker.

Uh, I love T-Bone Walker's
slurs and his blues.

So put a little Carl Hogan
and a little T-Bone Walker...

and a little Charlie Christian,
the guitarist,

and-- and, uh,
Tommy Dorsey's band together,

look what a span of people
that you will please.

And that's what I did
in "Johnny B. Goode,"

uh, "Roll Over, Beethoven."

And making it simple
is another important
factor, I think,

that resulted in, uh,
a lot of, uh, the artists...

understanding and being able
to play my music--

if you can call it my music,
but there's nothing new
under the sun.

* When, when
Okay, let's just... a cappella.

One, two, three, four.

* When I see
those big, brown eyes *

* That's when
I take my cue *

* Don't take us
but a few minutes
to get a message through *

* I talk to you
You talk to me *

* We talk to one another
I keep talkin'
to the wrong person.

* It don't take
but a few minutes *
What is that ? Hold up.

You sang it right up.

* It don't take us
but a few minutes *
* A

Wait. You got
to do this slow.
** [ Singing Tones ]

Oh, we sound
like a alphabet.
Hold it.

* A
* A

Let's go up
slower.

[ Together ]
* It don't take

* But a few

Okay.
* It don't take
but a few *

Okay, "It don't take,"
straightaway.
One, two, three, four.

* It don't take
but a few minutes *

- * To get
a message through **
- "Understand each other."

Oh, am I gonna
remember that ?

[ Keith, Laughing ]
Well, you wrote it.

I tell you what,
if I remember it--
[ Gibberish ]

[ Eric Clapton ]
There's a whole
mixture of things.

I hear
Latin and country, jazz.

The whole thing makes
a beautiful hybrid.

[ Interviewer ] But there's
not an understanding on his part
that he's a great songwriter.

He just kind of
sloughs it off.

Not entirely.
I'm not too sure.

I've only just met him,
and it's hard to say...

from just knowing him
this short a time...

really what his
kind of acceptance
of the whole thing is.

First, I'd heard stories
that he was very bitter...

and he thought people
had ripped him off.

In order to think that,
you must be aware of how far
your influence has spread.

I don't really know if he's
completely aware of how much
people love his music,

because I know he's more--
he's often very keen
to be a showman.

And that can be a sign of the
fact that you're not very secure
with what you are good at.

I like to hear him play
those ballads
and things like that.

I know that's deep
in his heart.

If he was doing that on stage,
then I kinda feel
that he was more--

that he was really aware
of how much people do love him.

**

* I'm through with love

* I'll never fall again

* Set a dream to love

* Don't ever call again

* For I must have you

* Wonder why

* That's why
I'm through with love *

* I've locked my heart

* I'll keep
my feelings there *

* Yes, I've stopped
my heart *

* With an icy Frigidaire

* For I mean to care
for no one *

* That's why
I'm through with love *

* You should have told me

* That you didn't care

* You needn't scold me
For you had your share *

* Slave wrapped around you
To hound you and swear *

* Those deep emotions
Devotions to you *

* I've locked my heart

* I'll keep
my feelings there *

* Yes, I've
stopped my heart *

* Like an icy Frigidaire

* For I mean
to care for no one *

* That's why I'm through

* Yes, I'm through

* With love *

Sure play some pretty,
pretty chords to be
a rock 'n' roller, Jack.

So do you.
Really, them pretty chords,
baby.

Mmm, yeah.
You should have been
a jazz artist, Jack.

[ Laughing ]
No money in it, Chuck.
No money in it.

Chuck is a beautiful songwriter.

One thing about him:
The things he's write about,

he have studied about
or know about.

Because, like, "Beethoven"
and all these other songs
that he made,

you can tell he been
to school with 'em.

You tell 'em about how you
went to school, darling,

and your education you got,
you know, how you went--

Oh, Lord,
I lost all of it.

No, you didn't.
No, he hasn't
lost anything.

Mom came out of college--
Where ? In Oklahoma ?

Yes, uh-huh.
Mom came out of college
as a teacher.

And Dad
came off the farm.

Yes, and plus he was
blind 'til he was 12.

Well, partially.
And they pierced his ears,
and it all came back.

So Daddy, when he
married Mother-- By the way,
she calls him "Henry," you know.

And one more thing, she's
six months older than him
and never lets him forget it.

"I'm older than you, Henry.
Listen to me."

Anyway, Daddy couldn't take it.

Daddy went
back to school during--
after they got married.

I'm nine years old, Daddy's
goin' to school. He says,
"We used to go to school."

He was going to school
trying to catch Mama.
That's true.

Mama layin' back
with her education,
"He'll never catch me."

Boy, does this box office
bring back a memory,

a real particular memory.

When I was 11 years old,
I came up to this very
box office...

to get a ticket to see
to get a ticket to see
Tale of Two Cities.

My father wanted us to see it
because it had a lot of artistic
qualities about it.

The lady said, "Come on,
we're not selling you a ticket.

You know you people can't
come in here. Go away."

You know, it tooktwo years
for that to come to our theater
in our neighborhood.

Things have changed,

really changed.

It made me think that someday...

I would come back.

I'll be back.

This theater was the Great
White Way of St. Louis,

the epitome of theatrical
business in St. Louis.

And the Father
of Rock 'N' Roll,

a cog in that big wheel...

is starring here tonight.

Me.

It's a far cry
from years back...

when my forefathers,

a few blocks away,

were sold
on the civil courthouse steps.

Sold.

Now, that's
a big change.

[ Audience Cheering ]

[ Cheering Loudly ]

Thank you.

Thank you.
Thank you, St. Louis.

[ Cheering Continues ]
Thank you.

[ Laughing ]
Thank you.

Thank you.

[ Chuck ]
What inspires me to play here...

is what this represents,
not what it is.

It could be a corner bar.

It's what it represents:

elegance, decency, the, er,
strive for a better manner
of life.

In the theater where I saw
A Tale of Two Cities,

we didn't
have such elegance.

I don't mean the decor;
I mean the clientele.

There was hollering
from the balcony.

When a scene came on,
you expressed your feelings.

Here you get a--
and that's enough.

Lemme hear you
holler ole !
Ole !

Ole !
Ole !

Ole !

[ Chuck ]
But whatever it be,
according to my music,

I'll generate the feeling that
we had back in our neighborhood.

Because that's one thing
about rock 'n' roll:
It's freedom.

**

**

* Well, I'm a write
a little letter, gonna
mail it to my local D.J. *

* Well, there's
a jumpin' little record
I want my jockey to play *

* Roll over, Beethoven
I got to hear it again today *

* Early in the mornin'
I'm givin' you a warnin' *

* Don't step
on my new, shiny shoes *

* Hey, diddle diddle
I play my fiddle *

* And I ain't got
nothin' to lose *

* Roll over, Beethoven
Tell Tchaikovsky the news *

* Well, if you feel it
and like it
Go get your lover *

* Reelin', rockin'
Roll it over *

* Move on up
a trifle further *

* Reel and rock
with one another *

* Roll over, Beethoven
Tell Tchaikovsky the news *

**
[ Cheering ]

* Early in the mornin'
I'm givin' you my warnin' *

* Don't step
on my new, shiny shoes *

* Hey, diddle diddle
I'm gonna play my fiddle
I ain't got nothin' to lose *

* Roll over, Beethoven
and tell *

* Everybody
repeat after me *

* Roll over, Beethoven
[ Cheering ]

- * Roll over, Beethoven
- * Roll over, Beethoven

- * Roll over, Beethoven
- * Roll over, Beethoven

* Roll over, Beethoven
* Roll over, Beethoven

* Roll over, Beethoven
Tell Tchaikovsky-- **

** [ Stops ]

[ Cheering ]

In the middle
of "Roll Over Beethoven"
at the Fox Theater,

Chuck comes up to me
in the solo and says,

"After this chorus, we're
gonna change the key from--"

We were in C--
"To B-flat."

[ Laughing ]
Which, I mean--

And I said, "No," and he
sort of did a double-take,

because I don't think many
people say no to Chuck.

Even when it's going great,
he won't leave it at that.

He'll come in,
"That's a potential
screw-it-up."

But that's just him.

[ Stammering ]
I don't think--

He's not malicious
or vicious or designed.

He's just him,
and you just gotta be--
When you're workin' with Chuck,

you just gotta be prepared
for anything, anytime.

We rehearsed for 10 days.
This goes this and all.

There's a piano solo here,
and then you stop.

You get on stage, and boom !
Out the window. "Wing it."

You know, everybody's
looking at me on stage,

and once we get up there,
totally different arrangements--
some of them in different keys.

And I just looked
at them, and--

"Wing it, boys."
[ Laughing ]

[ Cheering ]
Ooh, that's nice.

"Almost Grown."
I'll try it.

**
[ Inaudible ]

Any-Anybody...

Go ahead.
Okay.

One more time !

* Well, I'm doin'
all right in school *

* They said
I broke no rules *

* I ain't never
been in dutch *
* Waa-do-day

- * I don't browse
around too much *
- * Waa-do-day

- * Don't bother me
Leave me alone *
- * Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa

* Anyway
I'm almost grown *
* Waa-do-day

* I don't run around
with no mob *
* Waa-do-day

* I got myself
a little job *
* Waa-do-day

* Gonna buy me
a little car *
* Waa-do-day

* Drive my girl
in the park *
* Waa-do-day

* Don't bother us
Leave us alone *
* Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa

* Anyway
we almost grown *
* Waa-do-day

* Ba-da da-da
da-da-da *

**

* Hey
Hey, hey, hey *

Come on, now.
Slow it down, fellas.

* Got my eye
on a little "goil" *
* Waa-do-day

* Ah, she's really
out this "woild" *
* Waa-do-day

* When she's taken
to a dance *
* Waa-do-day

* She's studied
Talks about romance *
* Waa-do-day

* Don't bother us
Leave us alone *
* Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa

* Anyway
we almost grown *
* Waa-do-day

**
Hey !

* You know
I'm still livin' in town *
* Waa-do-day

* Done got married
* Done got married
and settled down *
* Waa-do-day

* Now I really
have a ball *
* Waa-do-day

* Don't mess around
at all *
* Waa-do-day

* Don't bother us
Leave us alone *
* Whoa, whoa, whoa-oa

- * Anyway
we almost grown *
- * Waa-do-day *

**

[ Cheering ]

** [ Stops ]

[ Inaudible ]

He's the first songwriter/singer
that I know of.

Ah, there were others,

but not with that much
rhythm and that much--

The way the lyrics
rolled off the tongue,

the way they stabbed,
the way they cut...

and the way they sort of seemed
to lay there with the drums,
all the lyric.

It's just, a--
a free-form expression.

And he did the same thing
with the guitar that he did
with his voice and his writing.

You couldn't find
an earlier example of
a singer/songwriter/guitarist.

Before 1956 or '7, in--

a singer sung songs, and
a songwriter wrote them,

and the twain
never did meet.

And if there was a great song,
15 people did versions of it.

You had your so-called standards
because that was the way it is.

Some guy wrote the song,
and if it was a great song,
everybody recorded it.

But he put it back;
he did the troubadour.

And he can play 'em,
and he's the only one
who can play 'em like that.

Ladies and gentlemen,
here is a young girl--

she's a young girl to me;
she's quite a lady--

whom I met
at theMerv Griffin Show
in Hollywood when she began.

Let's start it
without any applause.

Come on out here,
Linda Ronstadt !

[ Cheering ]
"Back in the USA" !
Come on, darling !

[ Cheering ]

Gee, but you're pretty.

**

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Whoa, yeah
* Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah *

* Oh, well, oh, well
I feel so good today *

- * Uh-huh
- * Yeah, yeah, yeah

* We just touched ground
on an international runway *
* Uh-huh

I'll bet you did !
* Whoa, yeah

* Jet propelled back home
from overseas to the USA *

Sing the song !
* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* New York, Los Angeles
Oh, how I yearn for you *

* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *
* Yeah, yeah, yeah

* Detroit, Chicago
Chattanooga, Baton Rouge *

* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* God, I long
just to be at my home
back in old St. Lou *

[ Cheering ]

**

* Did I miss the skyscrapers
Did I miss the long freeway *

* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* From the coast of California
to the shores
of the Delaware Bay *

* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* You can betcha I never did
'til I got back to the USA *

* Whoa, yeah
* Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah *

**

* We're goin' out
for a drive and searchin'
for a corner cafe *

* Uh-huh, whoa, yeah
* Where hamburgers sizzle on the
open griddle night and day *

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Yeah, the jukebox jumpin'
with the records
back in the USA *

Sing the song !
* Whoa, yeah
* Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah *

* I'm so glad
I'm livin' in the USA *

* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah *

* I'm so glad
* I'm so glad
I'm livin' in the USA *

Sing it again !
* Uh-huh
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Anything you want, we got it
right here in the USA *

* Whoa, yeah
* Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah *

* Well, I'm so glad
I'm livin' in the USA *

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* I'm so glad
I'm livin' in the USA *

* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah *

* Anything you want, we got it
right here in the USA *

* Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah *

* I'm so glad

* I'm so glad
* Yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah *

* I'm so glad

* I'm so glad
* Uh-huh
Whoa, yeah **

** [ Stops ]

[ Applause, Whistling ]

[ Chuck ]
I was tryin' to shoot
for the entire population...

instead of, shall we say,
the Neighborhood.

Muddy Waters-- I knew he was
dynamite in our neighborhood.
He's dynamite with me.

One of the most-loved
artists that I like.

But workin' for my father
in the white neighborhoods,
I never heard Muddy Waters.

I never heard Elmore James.
Howling Wolf, I never heard
of him.

I heard Frank Sinatra;
I heard Pat Boone--

Pat Boone doing Muddy Waters'
or whoever's number,
you know, selection.

But then I said,
"Why can't I do
as Pat Boone does...

"and play good music
for the white people...

and sell as well there as
I could in the Neighborhood ?"

And that's what I shot for
writing "School Days":
nice, nice music.

And, ah, it caught on.

[ Cheering ]
* They're really
rockin' in Boston *

* In Pittsburgh, PA

* Deep in the heart
of Texas *

* Around the Frisco Bay

* All over St. Louie
[ Cheering ]

* Way down
in New Orleans *

* Everybody wants
to dance with *

[ Audience ]
* Sweet little 16

* Sweet little 16

* Has just got to have

* About a half a million

* Famed autographs

* Her wallet filled
with pictures *

* She gets 'em
one by one *

* Becomes so excited

* Watch her, look at her
run, run, run *

* Oh, Mama, Mama

* Please may I go

* It's such
a sight to see *

* A good
rock 'n' roll show *

* Oh, Daddy, Daddy

* I beg of you

* Whisper to Mama

* It's all right with you

* 'Cause they'll be rockin'
onBandstand*

* In Philadelphia, PA

* Deep in the heart
of Texas *

* And 'round
* And 'round
the Frisco Bay *

* All over
* All over
St. Louie *
[ Cheering ]

* New Orleans

* Everybody wanna
dance with *

[ Audience ]
* Sweet little 16

* Sweet little 16

* She's got
the grown-up blues *

* Miniskirts
and hot pants *

* Sometimes she don't
even wear shoes *

* Oh, but
tomorrow mornin' *

* She'll have to
change her trend *

* And be Sweet 16

* And get back
in class again *

* 'Cause I'll be rockin'
onBandstand*

* Philadelphia, PA

* Deep in the heart
* Deep in the heart
of Texas *

* 'Round the F--
Frisco Bay *

* All over St. Louie

* Down in New Orleans

* Everybody wants
to dance with *

[ Audience ]
* Sweet little 16

Louder !
* Everybody wants
to dance with *

[ Audience ]
* Sweet little 16 *
Thank you !

** [ Stops ]
[ Cheering ]

** [ Humming ]

* Mabellene

This is my Ford,

my beautiful Ford,

one that
I couldafford.

Yeah, I love it.

Black windows.

I can hide anytime
I want to hide, you know,

when it's time to hide.

This is a '73.

When I went to sell it,
they only wanted to
give me $3,000 for it,

and it was worth ten,
so why sell it ?

This is a '77 I bought
in California, had it
all goosed up.

$4,000 ?
No. I kept it.

Other one's a '77.
'73, '75, '77.

None of 'em wanted
to give me what I wanted
for 'em, so they set here.

I'll let 'em
set 20 years.

Then I'll sell them
to you for $50,000.

[ Chuck ]
* I'm an all-American boy

**

* As I was motorvating

* Back in town

* I saw a Cadillac
sign say *

* "No Money Down"

* So I eased
on my brakes *

* Pulled up
in the drive *

* Gunned my motor twice

* Then I walked inside

* The dealer came to me

* Said
trade in that Ford *

* Put you in a car

* That'll tear up
the road *

* Just tell me
what you want *

* And then
sign that line *

* I'll have it
brought down to you *

* In 15 minutes' time

* I'm a get that car

* Yeah, and I'm gonna
head on down the road *

* Yes, then I won't
have to worry *

* With that broken-down,
ragged Ford *

* I want
a yellow convertible *

* Four-door De Ville

* With a continental spare

* And wire chrome wheels

* I want air-condition

* Automatic heat

* I want
a full Murphy bed *

* In my back seat
[ Cheering ]

* Shortwave radio

* TV and a phone

* 'Cause I like
to talk to my baby *

* When I'm out
ridin' alone *

* Yeah, and I'm gon'
head on down the road *

* Then I won't
have to worry *

* Oh, with that
broken-down, ragged Ford **

**

** [ Stops ]

[ Cheering ]

Probably, like most
musicians of my generation,

I first really heard Chuck Berry
through the Rolling Stones.

I think I learned
my first Chuck Berry lead
from Keith Richards, probably,

and, uh, that first
Rolling Stones record...

where I think
they had "Oh, Carol"...

and a few other
Chuck Berry songs.

And then from them I kinda went
back, and I got his records.

And I guess the funny
thing was...

I think that his influence
on my own writin' came out
more later on,

when I wanted to write the way
I thought that people talked.

'Cause that's how I felt.
That's how he writes.

You know, right before--

You know, if you listen
to one of his songs,

it sounds like
somebody's comin' in,
sittin' down in a chair...

and tellin' ya a story about
their aunt or their brother...

or describing some girl.

His descriptiveness
and his eye for detail--

like, uh,
like "Nadine," you know ?

* She was standin' on the corner
I saw her on the corner
She turned and doubled back *

* I started walkin' to
a coffee-colored Cadillac **

You know, it was like--
I've never seen
a coffee-colored Cadillac,

but I know exactly
what one looks like.
[ Laughing ]

**

* As I got on the city bus
and found a vacant seat *

* I thought I saw my future
bride walkin' up the street *

* Shouted to the driver,
Hey, conductor, you must *

* Slow down, I think I see her
Please let me off this bus *

* Nadine

* Honey, is that you

* Whoa, Nadine

* Honey, is that you

* Every time I see you
you got something else to do *

* I saw her from the corner when
she turned and doubled back *

* I started walkin' toward
her coffee-colored Cadillac *

* Pushin' through the crowd
tryin' to get
to where she's at *

* Campaign shoutin'
like a southern diplomat *

* Nadine

* Is that you

* Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Nadine *

* Is that you

* Every time I see you
You got somethin' else to do *

* You know

* She moves around like
a wayward summer breeze *

* Go, driver, go, go 'head
Catch her for me, please *

* Moving through the traffic
like a mounted cavalier *

* A-leanin' out the taxi window
tryin' to make her hear *

* Nadine

* Is that you

* Wow, Nadine

* Is that you

* Every time I see you, honey
You are up to somethin' new **

[ Cheering ]

Thelma, do you remember
that Sunday after church,

when Daddy and Mother came home
after they got through singin' ?

I didn't care about the singin'.
I was bouncing a ball,
and it went under the table.

I went under the table,
and instead of bending
to get the ball--

You scooted across.
I remember.
Yeah, yeah.

And when I scooted out
from under the table,
the big round table we have,

Mother says,
"Do that again."
Mm-hmm.

And every time company came,
I had to do that for Mother,
and they'd laugh and laugh.

It's just the entertainment,
I guess, in my blood.

Never came
into my mind again...

until I got
to the Paramount Theater
in Brooklyn.

In the middle
of "Mabellene,"

had nothing to do
but play a riff,

and just thought I'd go down
on my knees and play the riff
and scoot along.

And the people went--
the audience just went--

I said, "Ho ho ho,
I'll keep that in there."

I'd never met him.
Today he walked in the door.

And I went,
"Chuck Berry, my hero !"
It just came out.

* Go, Johnny
Go, go, go **

[ Lennon ]
I don't think there's any group
in the world, white or black--

but mainly the white kids were
really turned on by Chuck Berry.

Not one of us,
the Beatles, the Stones--

you name any top group,
they've all been
influenced by him.

His lyrics were
very intelligent lyrics.

In the '50s,
when people were just singin'
virtually about nothin',

he was writin'
social comment songs.

He was writin' all kinds
of songs with incredible meter
to the lyrics,

which influenced Dylan and me
and many other people.

The meter was tremendous.
He's the greatest rock 'n' roll
poet, and I really admire him.

Thank you,
ladies and gentlemen.

And now, at this time, I'd like
to introduce a young man...

who is the seat
of the greatest influence...

in rock music in the '60s.

Believe me,
has done not only my music...

but the world a great
tribute in rock music.

None other than
his son Julian Lennon
to do "Johnny B. Goode."

Come on, Julian.
[ Cheering ]

Look at him !
Ain't he like his pa ? Yeah !

**

Oh, yeah !

* Deep down in Louisiana
Close to New Orleans *

* Way back up in the woods
among the evergreens *

* There stood a log cabin
made of earth and wood *

* There lived a country boy
named Johnny B. Goode *

* Who never ever learned
to read or write so well *

* But he can play a guitar
just like a ring in a bell
Go, go *

- I hear you !
- * Go, Johnny, go, go

I hear you !
* Go, Johnny, go, go

- Sing the song !
- * Go, Johnny, go, go

Oh, yeah !
* Go, Johnny, go, go

- Oh, yeah !
- * Johnny B. Goode

* He used to carry his guitar
in a gunnysack *

* Go sit beneath the tree
by the railroad track *

* Old engineer would see him
sittin' in the shade *

* Strummin' with the rhythm
that the drivers made *

* People passin' by
They would stop and say *

* Oh, my, but that little
country boy can play *
Yeah, yeah !

* Go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go *

* Go, Johnny, go, go

* Go, Johnny, go, go

* Go, Johnny, go, go

* Johnny B. Goode

**

[ Cheering ]

[ Chuck ]
Sing the song, Julian !

* His mother said that someday
you will be a man *

- * You will be the leader
of a big ol' band *
- Yes, you will.

* Many people passin'
from miles around *
Yes, they will.

* To hear you play your music
'til the sun goes down *
Yes, you do.

* Maybe someday your name
will be in lights *
Oh, yeah !

- * Sayin'
Johnny B. Goode tonight *
- Sing the song now !

* Go
Go, Johnny, go, go *

[ Chuck ]
Come on, help the boy !
* Go, Johnny, go, go

* Go, Johnny, go, go
* Go, Johnny, go, go
Go, Johnny, go, go *

* Johnny B. Goode *
Oh, yeah !

John Julian Lennon !

[ Cheering ]

Tell Papa hello.
I will.

I'll tell you
what he says.

Well, we got in a fight.
That's when we become friends.

He whooped my butt.
[ Laughing ]

[ Interviewer ]
So why were you two fighting ?

He said he was
King of Rock 'N' Roll,
and I said I was.

And he said he was,
and he proved he was.

I didn't argue
with him no more.

What do you think was
distinctive about Chuck's--

Talent.
God-given talent.

Charisma.
He has a certain--

Chuck Berry is the greatest--
He's the Hank Williams
of rock 'n' roll.

Chuck was aware of what
the Grand Ole Opry was.

We talked about that when we
first met. He listened to
the Grand Ole Opry in St. Louis.

My first impression
of Chuck was that, uh,

he was a black
country singer, sort of.

It was rhythm and blues,
but it wasn't so
rhythm and blues at the time.

Uh, sort of
with a country flavor.

That may sound
very strange, but it was--
I still feel that way.

I still feel
very strongly that...

Chuck might have been
a mixture of...

first rock 'n' roll,
rhythm and blues
and then some country.

[ Chuck ]
* Long-Distance Information
Give me Memphis, Tennessee *

* Help me find the party tried
to get in touch with me *

* She could not leave
her number, but I know
who placed the call *

* My uncle took the message
and he wrote it on the wall *

* Help me, Information
Get in touch with my Marie *

* She's the only one
who'd phone me here
from Memphis, Tennessee *

* Her home is on the south side
high up on a ridge *

* Just a half a mile
from the Mississippi Bridge *

* You know
the last time I saw Marie
she was waving me good-bye *

* With Hurry Home drops
on her cheek and that trickle
from her eye *

* Marie is only six years old
Information, please *

* Try to put me through to her
in Memphis, Tenne-- *

* Oh, help me, Information
More than that I cannot add *

* Only that I miss her
and all the fun we had *

* We were pulled apart because
her mom did not agree *

* And tore apart our happy home
in Memphis, Tennessee **

[ Cheering ]

[ Cheering ]

[ Clapton ]
If you want to play
rock 'n' roll...

or any upbeat number,
and you wanted a guitar ride,

you would end up playing
like Chuck, or what
you learned from Chuck.

'Cause there is very little,
actually, other choice.

There's not a lot of other ways
to play rock 'n' roll other
than the way Chuck plays it.

If you try to play
all the double-string stuff,

it's really full,
you know ?

If you give me a break
in a fast, you know,

and I start
playing single lines,
it doesn't sound right.

It just doesn't sound right.
It sounds thin or something,
or too "fiddly."

Explain.
You know, like to go--

** [ Playing Single Notes ]

It would be okay,
but it wouldn't be as good as--
** [ Layering Notes ]

Really, for me anyway.

So he's really laid the law down
for playing that kind of music.

**

* Tell me who's
the girl standing over
by the record machine *

* Lookin' like a model
on the cover of a magazine *

* She's too cute
to be a minute over 17 *

* Meanwhile I was thinkin'

* She's in the mood
No need to break it *

* I got a chance
I'll take it *

* If she can dance
we can make it *

* Come on, Queenie
let's shake it *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

Come on,
everybody say "Go !"

* I said go, go, go
little Queenie *

* I said go, go, go
little Queenie *

* There she is again
standin' over by
the record machine *

* Lookin' like
a model on the cover
of aOuimagazine *

* You know she's too cute
to be a minute over 17 *

* Meanwhile I was
still thinkin' *

* If it's a slow song
we'll omit it *

* If it's a rocker
I'll try to get it *

* If it's good
you all gonna admit it *

* Well, come on then
Let's get with it *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

Go, Keith, go !

My man, all right !

* There she is again
standin' over by
the record machine *

* Lookin' like
a model on the cover
of aOuimagazine *

* You know she's too cute
to be a minute over 17 *

* One more time
I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie *

* I said, go, go, go
little Queenie **

I remember Alan Freed
tellin' me about...

somebody throwin'
bricks through his windows
with a note wrapped around.

Tied around, and tellin' him
that he's gonna get run out
of the neighborhood...

because he defied
the system.

The community tradition.

He defied them,
and then our good friend,
Dick Clark,

came up with the television
thing and started to puttin' us
thing and started to puttin' us
American Bandstand.

We had something to sing,
but we couldn't dance.
No, you couldn't dance.

We couldn't participate
in the audience.

Because if you're in the
audience, he'd let you out.

The station was owned
by people, I think,

that prohibited him
to go that far with us.

Why was it done ?
Answer that for the record.

Why was it done if
he didn't want it to be done ?
He was the master of ceremonies.

I say this:
It was still
a little Jewish boy...

that got it over the country
with Alan Freed.

Amen. Amen.
He still got it over
the country.

And he did a good job.
I love you, Alan ! Alan !

- You're darned right.
- It wasn't anything
we were doing so wrongly.

It was just that people
was so slow...
You were black !

to accept change.
You was black !

Tell him again.
Will you tell him, man, again ?

You was black,
and they didn't want that
black image over their kids.

You was a hero.
The kids was lookin' up
to you.

- They didn't want
their kids lookin' up--
- What kids ? What kids ?

They didn't want the white kids
lookin' up at this big ol'
greasy black guy,

uh, uh, out of Georgia,
out of Mississippi
or out of Chicago.

They want their kids
to see a smooth white boy
looking pretty and all dudey.

And lookin' "rootie."
You know ?

And so here's a black
out there singing' and screamin'
and beamin' and steamin'.

They said, no, no, no !

And now,
ladies and gentlemen,
here's the young fella--

As a matter of fact,
he's right at the age
I was when I started out.

A beautiful, mellow,
ripe 29-ish, you know.

And a matter of fact,
this dude even looks like me.
Let's bring him out.

Robert Cray !

Robert's gonna do
"Brown-eyed Handsome Man" !

Yo !

**

* Arrested on charges
of unemployment *

* He was sittin'
in the witness stand *

* The judge's wife phoned
the district attorney *

* Said free that
brown-eyed man *

* You want your job
You better free
that brown-eyed man *

* Flyin' across the desert
in a TWA *

* I saw a woman walkin'
across the sand *

* She'd been walkin' 30 miles
en route to Bombay to meet
a brown-eyed handsome man *

* Her destination was
a brown-eyed handsome man *

* Way back in history
'bout 3,000 years *

* In fact, ever since
the world began *
What happened, Bobby ?

* There's been a whole lot
of good women sheddin' tears *

* About a brown-eyed
handsome man *

* A lot of trouble
* A lot of trouble
He's a brown-eyed
He's a brown-eyed
handsome man *

Everybody !
** [ Instrumental ]

* I know Venus
was a beautiful lass *

* She has the world
in the palm of her hand *

* She lost both arms
in a "wrastling" match *

* To win a brown-eyed
handsome-- *

* She fought and won herself
a brown-eyed handsome man *

* 2-3, the count, nobody on
He hit a high fly
to the stands *

* Roundin' third
and headin' for home *

* It was a brown-eyed
handsome man *

* That won the game, it was
a brown-eyed handsome man **

** [ Instrumental ]

Robert Cray !

Robert Cray,
ladies and gentlemen !

Fran, how long have you
been working with Chuck ?

Now I've been with him
just a little over 30 years.

30 years ?
Just a little over 30 years.
Not very long.

I started to say
'til Tuesday.
30 years and three weeks.

I've been here
since Tuesday.

How'd it start ?
Casual Introduction.
That's all.

He needed a secretary
and I needed a different change.

I was looking for change.
You came to hear the music
at a rock and roll show.

Yes, so we went
and saw Chuck Berry,
and I left the next day.

I was 21,
and I was here a year,

and we had
already established
our offices, a nightclub.

We were owning
and operating
two corporations.

That was a terrible load
on a 21-year-old.

They didn't know
what I was either.

They didn't know
if I was white or black.

A lot of 'em thought
you were my wife.

Yes, a lot of 'em thought
I was his wife.
They still do.

They don't know,
and they wouldn't ask.
They were too polite.

I have been married
since October the 28th--

It's hard for a man
to remember these things.

October 28, 1950-- 1948...

until, I guess,
it'd be about 2000...

before I even think
of separating.

But for all rock and roll
stars who go on the road,

they've got 40 million girls
out there screaming and
yelling for them.

Is that hard ?
Is what hard ?
Well, I'll tell you this.

No, it's not hard if you have
a conviction at your home.

If you keep
the home fires burning,
you do what you wanna do.

And as I always said,
use discretion.

Be sensible about it.
Keep the home fires burning.

My name is
Themetta Silks Berry,

and I have been married
to Charles Berry for 38 years.

We have had
a wonderful marriage.

We love each other as much
as we did the day we met.

You'd been married
about five years before--
[ Chuck ] Baby, that's enough.

[ Man ] I remember him
growing up as a young man
with a mechanical mind.

He stayed busy
all the time.

And I would say he would be,
in effect, a very unique person.

I'm a beautician by trade,

and Charles was interested
in that type of thing,
and it influenced him.

He went to the same school I did
and graduated and everything,

and he started doing
some of the heads on tours
when he would go on tours.

So he had a lot of fun
doing that, and I had a lot
of fun asking him about it.

And he would try to do his hair
and I would see little flaws
that he would make.

I guess the thing I remember
most about Chuck was...

he was a deep thinker
and he loved to hear
and play the blues.

[ Lucy ]
Chuck was a very
loving brother.

He used to go to bed
at 9:00 every night,

and every day, my mother
fed him Bulgarian buttermilk.

That's the reason why he's got
so much energy today.

**

* Run into a throw
Hard workin' at the mill *

* Never fail in the mail
Boy, you get a rotten bill *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

* Salesman talkin' to me
tryin' to run me up a creek *

* Say you can buy it
Go on, try it
You can pay me next week *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

* Blonde haired, good-lookin'
Tryin' to get him hooked *

* Want him to marry
get a home and settle down
and write a book *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

Go, Keith, go, go , go !

** [ Instrumental ]

* Same thing every day
gettin' up and
goin' to school *

* No need of you complainin'
Your objection's overruled
Yeah *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

* Pay phone, something wrong
dime's gone *

* We'll mail
I oughta sue the operator
She's tellin' me a tale *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

* A friend of Yokohama
been fightin' in the war *

* Army bunk, army shower
army clothes, army car *

* Too much-- whoa

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in *

* Workin' in the fillin' station
Too many tabs *

* Wipe the windows
check the tires
check the oil, no gas *

Hah !
* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much
monkey business *

* Too much monkey business
for me to be involved in **

Chuck has had a couple
of run-ins with the law
and had problems.

Come on, come on.
No, I don't want it.

I don't want to hear about it.
I don't wanna hear about it.

We'll talk about that
at the proper place,
not over the desk here.

* Ridin' along
in my automobile *

* My baby's beside me
at the wheel *

* I stole a kiss
a the turn of a mile *

* My curiosity runnin' wild

* Cruisin' and playin'
the radio *

* With no particular
place to go *

* Ridin' along
in my automobile *

* I was anxious to tell her
the way I feel *

* So I whispered
softly and sincere *

* She leaned and put something
in my ear *

* Cruisin' far
and drivin' slow *

* With no particular
place to go *

** [ Instrumental ]

* Ridin' along the Kokomo

* With no particular
place to go *

* The night was young
and the moon was gold *

* We both decided
to take a stroll *

* Can you imagine
the way I felt *

* I couldn't unfasten
the safety belt *

* Ridin' along
in that calaboose *

* Still tryin'
to get that belt loose *

* All the way home
I held a grudge *

* The safety belt
just wouldn't budge *

* Cruisin' and playin'
the radio *

* With no particular
place to go *

One more, one more !

** [ Instrumental ]

That's all, folks !

Ladies and gentlemen,
"Wee, Wee Hours"
with Eric Clapton !

Man of the blues !

**

* In the wee wee hour

* That's when
I think of you *

* In the wee wee hour

* That's when
I think of you *

* You say again
I wonder *

* If our love
was ever true *

Yeah, yeah, yeah !
Sing the song, Eric !

* In a wee little room

* I sit alone
thinkin' of you *

* In a wee little room

* I sit alone
and think of you *

* I wonder if
you still remember *

* All the little things
we used to do *

Johnnie Johnson !

** [ Instrumental ]

* One little song

* For a fading memory

* One little song

* For a fading memory

* Of the one
I really love *

* The only one for me *

** [ Instrumental ]

[ Chuck ]
Take another one !
Take another one !

How 'bout it ?
How 'bout it ?

Is he all right ?

Eric Clapton,
ladies and gentlemen !
Man of the blues !

[ Chuck ]
And now !

Fantastic !
She's Fabulous !

Tremendous !
Powerful ! Dynamite !

Lady of the blues,
Miss Etta James !

Come here, baby !

This is my girl !

* Just let me here some
of that rock 'n' roll music *
* Hey

- * Any old way
you choose it *
- * One more time

* It's got a backbeat
you can't lose it *
* Go ahead, baby

* Any old way
you choose it *
* Yes, darlin'

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *
* Uh-huh

- * If you wanna dance
with me *
- * Yeah

* If you wanna dance
with me *

* I have no kick
against modern jazz *
* All right

* Unless they try
to play it too darn fast *
* Know what you mean

* And change the beauty
of the melody *
* Yeah

* Until it sounds
like a symphony *
* Yeah, I got it

* That's why I go
for that rock 'n' roll music *
* Don't blame you

* Where any old time
you use it *
* You can feel it

* It's got a backbeat
You can't lose it *
* I know what you mean

* Any old way
you choose it *
* Anytime

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *
* Put it on

* If you want
to dance with me *

* If you want
to dance with me *

* Way down south
they gave a jubilee *

* The country folks
they had a jamboree *

* They're drinkin' home brew
from a wooden cup *

* And started playin'
"All Shook Up" *

* I started that
rock 'n' roll music *
* Again

* Or any old way
you choose it *
* One more time

* It's got a backbeat
You can't lose it *
* Twist the thing

* Or any old way
you choose it *
* Sing the song

* It's gotta be
rock and roll music *
* Say it again

* If you want
to dance with me *

* If you want
to dance with me *

* Don't care to hear them
do the tango *

* I'm in no mood
* I'm in no mood
to do the mambo *

* It's way to early
for the congo *

* So keep a-rockin'
that piano *

* So I can hear
that rock 'n' roll music *

* Any old way
* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's got a backbeat
* It's got a backbeat
You can't lose it *
* Yeah, yeah

* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *

* If you want
to dance with me
Yeah, yeah, yeah *

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *

* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *

* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *

* Eh-eh, eh-eh,
eh-eh-eh-eh *

* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's got a backbeat
You can't lose it *

* Any old way
* Any old way
you choose it *

* It's gotta be
* It's gotta be
rock 'n' roll music *

* If you wanna dance
with me *

* If you wanna dance
with me *

* If you wanna dance
with me **

Etta James ! Etta James !

Keith Richards !
Give her a big hug !

Oh ! Wow !

As long as the music
has something do
with your walk of life,

I think the people
will listen.

And so that's why
I wrote about schools.

Half of the young people
go to school.

And, uh,
and I wrote about life.

Half of the people have cars.
I wrote about cars.

And most of all the people,
if they're not now,
they'll soon be in love.

And those that have loved,
and are out of love...

remember love
so I write about love.

So I wrote about all three,
and I thought I hit a pretty
good capacity of the people.

**

* Up in the mornin'
and off to school *

* Teachers are teachin'
the golden rule *

* American history
and practical math *

* Study hard
and hope to pass *

* Workin' your fingers
right down to the bone *

* And the guy behind you
won't leave you alone *

* Soon as three o'clock
rolls around *

* You finally
lay your burden down *

* Close up your books
Get out of your seat *

* Down the halls
and into the street *

* To the corner
and round the bend *

* Right the juke joint
you go in *

* Drop the coin
right in the slot *

* Gotta hear somethin'
that's really hot *

* With the one you love
you're makin' romance *

* All day long
we've been wantin' to dance *

* Feelin' good
from head to toe *

Everybody repeat after me.

* Hail, hail rock 'n' roll

* Delivery me from
the days of old *

* Long live rock 'n' roll

* The beat of the drums
loud and bold *

* Rock, rock
rock 'n' roll *

* The feeling is there
body and soul *

Come on up here, Ingrid.
Come on !

Come on up here, Etta !

Come on, Julian !

-Let me hear you say "Yeah" !
- Yeah !

* We're gonna say bye-bye

* Bye, bye, bye

* Bye, bye, bye

* Bye, bye, bye, baby *

One word from
Keith Richards !

Good night,
ladies and gentlemen.
Good night, Chuck.

[ Keith ]
I'm walkin' out of this gig
feelin' very happy.

And for the band !

[ Keith ]
I wanted to serve Chuck up
with a good band, and I did it,

and that was my gig,
no matter what happened.
[ Laughing ]

Hail ! Hail !
Rock 'n' roll !

We said this
months ago over here,
this isn't going to be easy.

We knew that
this is gonna go on
until it's finished.

And it was even
going on onstage.

Uh...

But you cannot--
I cannot dislike
the guy, even so.

He gives me more headaches
than Mick Jagger,
but I still can't dislike him.

I can't.
I mean, I love him,
and I love his family.

I've done what
I wanted to do for him.

He's a good man, cool.

Now I'm gonna sleep
for a month.

Chuck Berry,
when he's remembered,

what do you want
people to say ?

I'll tell you what.
I could say--

I won't know.
It is out of my department
after I'm gone.

But whatever it be,

I just hope it's real
and it's a fact which
will be the truth.

That's it.
I hope they'll
just speak the truth.

Be it pro, con,
bad, good.

I was going
to say black and white,
but it wouldn't be right.

[ Keith ]
He decided to write a book,
make a movie,

and he opened the door
and he thought he could
just let a few people in,

and goddamn it,
the whole world came in.

He thought he could control
how many came in,

but suddenly the outside world
flooded in,

and that's maybe what's
so intriguing about him.

The more you find out about him,
the less you know about him.

A little dream castle.
The shades are all drawn.

* A little dream castle

* With everything gone

* It's lonely and silent

* The shades are all drawn

* And my heart is heavy
as I gaze upon *

* A cottage for sale

* The lawn we were proud of

* Is glowing in hay

* Our little dream garden

* Has withered away

* Where you planted roses

* The weeds stand to say

* A cottage for sale

* Through every
single window *

* There's empty space

* When I reach
that window *

* There's empty space

* They key's in the mailbox

* The same as before

* But no one is waiting
for me anymore *

* The end of my story
is told on the door *

* A cottage for sale

* Oh-oh

* It's just a cottage

* For sale *

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