In 2000, Berry’s longtime piano player sued him, claiming he never got any credit for songs he had co-written. Even though the case was dismissed, a St. Louis lawyer decided to investigate further.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Art of Fugue is a work of high art. But in keeping with the late works of artists such as Shakespeare, Beethoven and Goya, it contains elements of pathos, humour, gravity, exuberance and tragedy.
Chuck Berry has died age 90, rightly remembered as the legend who shaped rock and roll. But his misdeeds can’t be ignored in the rush to glorify an icon.
For couples, families or friends who share a significant song, the effects of music can be powerful and persistent, lasting well into old age, even piercing through dementia.
Children with difficulty singing can be labelled as ‘nonmusical’ by parents, teachers and pop culture. This toxic idea of ‘talent’ can deprive people of music’s benefits for the rest of their lives.
Unlike vision or touch, sound is much more difficult to control or avoid; music in particular spills across thresholds and intrudes into situations where it is unwelcome.
The recently deceased funk drummer Clyde Stubblefield created arguably the most sampled drum track in the history of popular music – but he rarely got the credit, or the payment, he deserved.