Charles Edward Anderson Berry, was born in Saint Louis, Missouri, October 18, 1926, is a black American singer-songwriter-guitarist who has been one of the most important influences in the development of rock music. From 1955, the year of his first hit, "Maybellene," Berry's music has characteristically combined blues tunes with wry, country-influenced narratives describing teenage frustration, young love, and fast cars. Such Berry songs as "Roll Over, Beethoven"(1956), "Rock and Roll Music" (1957), "Sweet Little Sixteen" (1958), and "Johnny B. Goode" (1958) have become classics of the rock genre.