Chuck Berry's Guitar Strings?
LIMOH
Back in 1974, my older brother worked the backstage crew when Chuck Berry
appeared at SUNY Fredonia. After the show, he found a set of used Gibson
guitar strings on the table Chuck had used for his quick tune-up.
He took them home and gave them to me. Barely twelve years old and stupid, I
immediately wrote on the packages things like "Chuck Berry's guitar strings?"
and "These were found at..." but I did save them and keep them in good shape
for all these years.
Interestingly, I backed Chuck up at a concert in 1983, but never got to talk to
him - as he's the kind to show up, walk onstage, do his gig, and split. I
didn't even get to see what kind of strings he was using, let alone ask him if
the souvenir I had at home belonged to him.
So, it's still a mystery, but, in all likelihood, these were his strings.
There was another guitar player that night (in the back-up band) but he didn't
use the same dressing room as Chuck.
Now I've got these strings and I know that having them is not like having Paul
McCartney's Hofner bass or Elvis's cape, but they seem to have an "energy"
around them. Not in a spooky way or anything. They just seem to exude rock
and roll - as Chuck did in his heyday.
Anyway, if you just happen to be a Chuck Berry fanatic, maybe you can confirm
the authenticity of these strings. They're Gibson Mona-Steel Strings and I've
got the G, E, D, and A, each in individual packets inside a plastic sleeve.
Remember, the year was 1974.
Thanks!
Bob Clayton
>I've
>got the G, E, D, and A, each in individual packets inside a plastic sleeve.
As an aside, can anyone help me find a source for mona-steel strings? A
sidekick of mine uses them on his L-00 and J-200 Gibsons, and says that Gibson
has stopped making them.
Thanks
Bob C.
Quality music since 1963.
Jon Riley
news:20000317122416...@ng-cd1.aol.com...
I've
> got the G, E, D, and A, each in individual packets inside a plastic
sleeve.
>
I'd be interested to know what gauge they are.
JR
Mike_McK
li...@aol.com (LIMOH) wrote:
> Interestingly, I backed Chuck up at a concert in 1983,
> but never got to talk to
> him - as he's the kind to show up, walk onstage, do
> his gig, and split. I
Was this as big a nightmare as I'd heard? I had a friend who
backed him up once, and he said that every once in a while,
Ol' Chuck would get tired of the key he was in. So, he'd
just change keys in the middle of verse, then eyeball the
rest of the guys, so the audience would "know" who screwed
up.
Mike
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Dan Stanley
> > Interestingly, I backed Chuck up at a concert in 1983,
> > but never got to talk to
> > him - as he's the kind to show up, walk onstage, do
> > his gig, and split. I
>
> Was this as big a nightmare as I'd heard? I had a friend who
> backed him up once, and he said that every once in a while,
> Ol' Chuck would get tired of the key he was in. So, he'd
> just change keys in the middle of verse, then eyeball the
> rest of the guys, so the audience would "know" who screwed
> up.
He learned that from me.
SDan
LIMOH
Madison Square Garden in NY and never even saw him before or after the gig.
His line was "If you don't know my songs, you shouldn't be in the music
business!"
I spent about three weeks memorizing "Chuck Berry's Great 28." Fortunately,
I'm a drummer, so I had the easiest gig. Once he got on stage, all the
arrangements from the records went right out the window, though. I couldn't
tell WHAT song we were playing most of the time, but the crowd was going wild!
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Twang
Les Cargill <lcar...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:38D842DF...@worldnet.att.net...
>
>
> RonSonic wrote:
> >
> > Mike_McK <mckernam...@viagate.com.invalid> wrote in message
> > news:04c6bcff...@usw-ex0108-061.remarq.com...
the
> > show he did in St. Louis at the Fox Theater. Keith Richards directed
the
> > band and played rhythm. Anyway Chuck tried to mess with him too. You
can't
> > fuck Keef up, no matter how hard you try, not even Chuck Berry.
>
> Yeah, but Chuck made him blush. Given Keef's history, that's gotta be
worth
> something. Chuck was jacking with him severely. Wish I'd a taped that. You
> cannot buy entertainment like that.
>
> Chuck Berry is an amazing human being.
> Les Cargill
Yeah. I have that on tape around here. It's incredible. All the mistrust and
cutting... chucks clearly a product of his times in some ways.
Twang
still. only two pics on the music room wall.. chuck and bb.
RonSonic
Mike_McK <mckernam...@viagate.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:04c6bcff...@usw-ex0108-061.remarq.com...
> In article <20000317122416...@ng-cd1.aol.com>,
> li...@aol.com (LIMOH) wrote:
>
> > Interestingly, I backed Chuck up at a concert in 1983,
> > but never got to talk to
> > him - as he's the kind to show up, walk onstage, do
> > his gig, and split. I
>
> Was this as big a nightmare as I'd heard? I had a friend who
> backed him up once, and he said that every once in a while,
> Ol' Chuck would get tired of the key he was in. So, he'd
> just change keys in the middle of verse, then eyeball the
> rest of the guys, so the audience would "know" who screwed
> up.
Hell, he tried to pull that shit on Keef. You gotta watch the video of the
show he did in St. Louis at the Fox Theater. Keith Richards directed the
band and played rhythm. Anyway Chuck tried to mess with him too. You can't
fuck Keef up, no matter how hard you try, not even Chuck Berry.
Ron
Les Cargill
Yeah, but Chuck made him blush. Given Keef's history, that's gotta be worth
something. Chuck was jacking with him severely. Wish I'd a taped that. You
cannot buy entertainment like that.
Chuck Berry is an amazing human being.
>
> Ron
--
----
Les Cargill
http://home.worldnet.att.net/~lcargill
Pickin'
just relying on those at the other end of a contract to supply an amp and a
group... Sure is an "easy" way to go if you can get away with it... and he
can.
Hell, I saw him in a zebra skin coat, drive up in a green caddie convertible
with Missouri plates with a blond and a brunette, and a guitar/case. Hollywood
Palladium (long gone), Los Angeles. Did his show. Left. He was very kind to a
young kid who asked him to sign a show poster that had been ripped off a
telephone pole.
Inspirational.
Keith was going for the original record sound... Chuck couldn't care less. He
had done that already.... Fly free and easy Mr. Berry. Even in shows with the
lousiest bands there were moments of superb genius that made it all worthwhile
and mandatory.... The extended blues thang he did in Nadine, with that
terrible band that he had to tell to just stop playing, in Long Beach, Ca., in
that long gone funky theater, with Albert Collins as opener, always stuck with
me. Thanks, Mr. Berry.
Twang wrote in message ...
>
>Les Cargill <lcar...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
>news:38D842DF...@worldnet.att.net...
>>
>>
Tom Yost
>
>... still. only two pics on the music room wall.. chuck and bb.
>
What? No Head or Munkey ??
Twang
Tom Yost <t...@gSePsApMac.com> wrote in message
news:38DA5B...@gSePsApMac.com...
> somebody said:
> >
> >... still. only two pics on the music room wall.. chuck and bb.
> >
>
> What? No Head or Munkey ??
I thought Head was a movie by the Monkees?
hmm. maybe I'm getting out of touch.
Twang!
jan kosters
to Bb, glad that Keef refused, it would have become a potential screw up. I
admire berry that he can shift keys so easily without even looking, to me he's
the king of the fretboard.
jan
RonSonic wrote:
> Mike_McK <mckernam...@viagate.com.invalid> wrote in message
> news:04c6bcff...@usw-ex0108-061.remarq.com...
> > In article <20000317122416...@ng-cd1.aol.com>,
> > li...@aol.com (LIMOH) wrote:
> >
> > > Interestingly, I backed Chuck up at a concert in 1983,
> > > but never got to talk to
> > > him - as he's the kind to show up, walk onstage, do
> > > his gig, and split. I
> >
> > Was this as big a nightmare as I'd heard? I had a friend who
> > backed him up once, and he said that every once in a while,
> > Ol' Chuck would get tired of the key he was in. So, he'd
> > just change keys in the middle of verse, then eyeball the
> > rest of the guys, so the audience would "know" who screwed
> > up.
>
> Hell, he tried to pull that shit on Keef. You gotta watch the video of the
> show he did in St. Louis at the Fox Theater. Keith Richards directed the
> band and played rhythm. Anyway Chuck tried to mess with him too. You can't
> fuck Keef up, no matter how hard you try, not even Chuck Berry.
>
> Ron
Lincoln
remember him on the tonight show years ago making changes during the
song and Doc and the band having to follow.
From what I gather, Chuck has no desire to follow a set format. He
doesn't do it just to fuck with people, he just thinks everyone should
follow him regardless of where he goes.
I do like his business approach though. Drive in, go get the cash,
play, drive away.
Either it was HHR&R, or in a book I read, but he said he would walk in
and get $11,000 from the promoter, and give $1,000 back after the show
if the band and the amp was OK.
Lincoln
Ron Thompson
> Lincoln
You ever play with Steve Perry?
--
rct
The opinions above are mine and mine alone.