Chuck Berry in Memphis

by Chuck Berry

Overview

Chuck Berry in Memphis was the artist's first effort to record an album of new material under his contract with Mercury Records -- it followed a blatant cash-in attempt, Golden Hits, on which Berry had cut new versions of his classic Chess Records hits. Recorded over a three-day period in Memphis in March of 1967, the record features Berry mixing blues and pop with rock & roll. None of it is bad, though his version of the Nat King Cole hit "Ramblin' Rose" raised a few eyebrows. Much more encouraging were the bluesy "It Hurts Me Too" and "Back to Memphis," and the recut "Sweet Little Rock and Roller." The main problem with the record, however, was that it was too slick-sounding, especially when compared to Berry's classic Chess Records sides -- backed by the Memphis Horns and a contingent of the city's top session musicians, the resulting sides also lacked the inherent "dirtiness" of those earlier sides, as well as a measure of excitement. Still, it's not a bad album, and shows that as late as 1967, Berry was still serious about making records. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	07/28/2023
Label:	Elemental
UPC:	8435395503461
Rank:	38662

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chuck Berry   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Irving Melsher   Composer
Chuck Berry   Composer
James Hudson   Composer
Benny Goodman   Composer
Eddie Floyd   Composer
Russ Morgan   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Charlie Rich   Composer
Joe Sherman   Composer
Majek Fashek   Composer
London   Composer
Noel Sherman   Composer
Remus Harris   Composer
Gil Evans   Composer
Calvin Carter   Composer
Lionel Hampton   Composer
Bob Bell   Composer
Roy Branker   Composer
Joseph Daniel Sherman   Composer