Johnny B. Bad: Chuck Berry and the Making of Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll

· Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Bill Andrew Quinn
Audiobook
6 hr 15 min
Unabridged
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More
Want a 37 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline. 
Add

About this audiobook

Thirty years ago, Chuck Berry starred in the seminal music documentary Chuck Berry: Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll, which profiled the legend during a star-studded concert celebrating his sixtieth birthday. Now, on the heels of Berry's death, comes the complete story behind one of America's most enduring and embattled icons.



Compiled as an oral history by the film's producer, Stephanie Bennett, Johnny B. Bad combines interviews from the film's participants, including its music director—Keith Richards. These unique interviews and accounts paint a vivid and multifaceted picture of the artist. Berry was at once a witty, articulate genius, now widely considered the godfather of rock and roll; a shrewd businessman, who had no trouble endlessly renegotiating contracts and refusing to perform until additional cash was gathered up; and also a convicted criminal, who in addition to serving time in prison for transporting a minor across state lines for "immoral purposes" had also been accused of sexual assault and sued in civil court for installing cameras in the restroom of the Southern Air, a restaurant he owned in Wentzville, Missouri.

About the author

Stephanie Bennett's association with the music business started in the 1970s with the creation of Delilah Books, the first publisher of rock and roll books. In the 1980s, she created Delilah Films, where she produced many critically acclaimed music and concert documentaries. In total she has produced over thirty films. Robbie Robertson was born on July 5, 1943 in Toronto, Canada. He is most known for his work as lead guitarist for the music group "The Band", which began the Americana music genre. As a songwriter, Robertson wrote "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Broken Arrow" among many others. His talent was recognized when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He also worked as a soundtrack producer and composer when he teamed up with Martin Scorsese on the fims: The Last Waltz, Raging Bull and Casino. He also became an author with his titles Testimony and Hiawatha and the Peacemaker. Bill Andrew Quinn, a nationally recognized commercial and promo voice actor, has been narrating audiobooks since 1993. When not behind the microphone, Bill can be found doing research for his radio show The Bill Andrew Quinn Radio Hour X2, watching his beloved St. Louis Cardinals on the MLB Network, or sampling craft beer. Eric Patrick Clapton (born March 30, 1945) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Because of this, he was also coined with the nickname "Clapton is God" in graffiti on the wall at an Islington Underground station in 1967. The phrase began to appear in other areas throughout the mid-1960s. Clapton grew up with his grandparents in Surrey, England. He studied at the Kingston College of Art but was dismissed because his focus was more on music than art. At age 17 he began playing with bands. Two of his most popular recordings were "Layla", recorded while he was a member of band Derek and the Dominos; and Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", recorded by band Cream. Following the freak accident which killed his son Conor in 1991, Clapton's grief was expressed in the song "Tears in Heaven", which featured in his Unplugged album. Clapton has been the recipient of 18 Grammy Awards, and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2004, he was awarded a CBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers. Clapton was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 as a member of the rock group, Cream. In 2015, Clapton's autobiography (entitled Clapton: The Autobiography) became listed on the New York Times bestseller list. It was originally published in 2007.

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.