On what would have marked Chuck Berry‘s 95th birthday, Dualtone Records has announced the release of Live From Blueberry Hill. The album, out on December 17th, captures the Father of Rock n’ Roll performing live at his favorite venue in 2005 and 2006. Along with the announcement, Dualtone has shared audio of “Carol / Little Queenie”.
Located in Berry’s hometown of St. Louis, Blueberry Hill became the genre-spawning artist’s favorite venue in the latter era of his career. By 1996, Berry had nothing left to prove to the world, and with the seminal recording of “Johnny B. Goode” included on the Voyager Gold Record and sent into space, he had nothing left to prove to the universe either. That same year, Berry made a seemingly innocuous comment to his friend Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill, saying, “You know, Joe, I’d like to play a place the size of the ones I played when I first started out.”
Edwards turned that wish into a reality with the construction of a new stage in Blueberry Hill known as The Duck Stage, named after Berry’s patented onstage move. Over 17 years, Berry performed on that stage 209 times, making it his all-time favorite venue. His performances served as pilgrimages for his many devoted followers, from Robbie Robertson (The Band) and Lemmy (Motörhead) to Lorde and Bob Costas. The ten-track Live From Blueberry Hill is culled from Berry’s performances between June 2005 and January 2006.
Related: Ten Great Performances Of “Johnny B. Goode” To Celebrate The Song’s Anniversary
The personnel for Berry’s Blueberry Hill performances changed over time but eventually solidified as the “Blueberry Hill Band”. Members included his family, longtime collaborators, and local stars of the St. Louis scene including daughter Ingrid Berry on harmonica, son Charles Berry, Jr. on guitar, bassist and bandleader Jimmy Marsala, pianist Robert Lohr, and drummer Keith Robinson. Together this lineup formed Berry’s most consistent band in his 60-plus year career.
Listen to a live recording of “Carol / Little Queenie” from Chuck Berry Live From Blueberry Hill, out on December 17th. Click here to pre-order and scroll down for a full tracklist and album artwork.
Chuck Berry — “Carol / Little Queenie”
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