News Archive

Chuck Berry appeared on "Tonight Show With Jay Leno"
Saturday, 30. August 2008 - 12:28


On August 29th 2008 Chuck Berry performed a fine rendition of "Johnny B. Goode"
on the "Tonight Show With Jay Leno". Berry last performed on the show in 2002,
together with Little Richard.

A video recording of yesterday's performance can be seen by clicking here.

Source: Wolfgang Guhl

Chuck Berry double-books again - European Tour put into question
Wednesday, 27. August 2008 - 18:48


Chuck Berry is scheduled to play 15,000-seat SAP-Arena in Mannheim
on November 22nd 2008. This obviously does not stop him to accept
a booking at B.B. King's Blues Club (capacity: 900) in New York, NY
on the same day.

This is not the first time Chuck Berry double-books a date. We recommend
to all fans to hold back on buying tickets for the European Tour
until it gets confirmed. The following is the tentative schedule:

09.11.08 - Istanbul, Turkey - Parkorman
10.11.08 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
11.11.08 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal
12.11.08 - Yekaterinburg, Russia - To Be Announced
13.11.08 - Moscow, Russia - To Be Announced
14.11.08 - Paris, France - Le Zenith
15.11.08 - Amiens, France - Zenith D'Amiens
16.11.08 - Villach, Austria - Stadthalle
17.11.08 - Salzburg, Austria - Salzburg Arena
18.11.08 - Innsbruck, Austria - Olympiahalle
19.11.08 - Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall
20.11.08 - Essen, Germany - Grugahalle
21.11.08 - To Be Announced
22.11.08 -
Mannheim, Germany - SAP-Arena
23.11.08 - Doncaster, England - Doncaster Dome

Little Richard to undergo hip replacement surgery
Wednesday, 27. August 2008 - 18:48


Little Richard is scheduled for hip replacement surgery
on September 2nd 2008.

He will spend a couple of weeks recovering before hitting
the road again.

Source: Timo Reijola

Cheyenne Productions Press Release
Saturday, 16. August 2008 - 18:50


CHEYENNE PRODUCTIONS PRESS RELEASE (August 16th 2008)

CHUCK BERRY BEING SUED BY HIS OWN AGENT

 

Cheyenne Productions' Patrick Rocher poses with Chuck Berry
(Photo Credit: Patrick Rocher)

Cheyenne Productions which in recent years has booked up to 80 % of Chuck Berry’s dates outside 
of the St. Louis area, resulting in literally hundreds of shows, announces today it is going to 
sue Chuck Berry for costs and expenses caused by the artist’s cancellation of three European 
dates in question.

Berry, who has spent three prison stays in his 81 year old long life, intentionally blackmailed 
his agent and local promoters, and gave false information to his fans via his own website. The 
legendary Rock’n’Roll icon, who won this year’s Golden Camera Award in Berlin, intentionally 
double-booked shows. While he was supposed to open his European Tour at a Private Function in 
Narbonne, France on July 5th, Berry at the last minute accepted a gig at International Achievement 
Summit in Kona, HI on July 4th for which he apparently received a sum twice as high as for his 
French gig which was supposed to be the start of a 13-date European Tour. On July 3rd Berry announced 
via his own website that he was going to cancel the first 3 European shows of his tour. Narbonne (France) 
on July 5th, Toulouse (France) on July 6th and Cordoba (Spain) on July 7th as he was mourning the 
loss of his brother, but quite obviously intentionally as Berry played the Hawaii gig on July 4th 
this was false information spread... Then, with the help of the cooperative local Spanish Promoter, 
his Agent Patrick rocher of Cheyenne Productions, rescheduled Cordoba to July 13. Berry eventually 
kicked off his European Tour on July 10th in Opatija, Croatia at a now reduced schedule of 11 gigs. 
Berry also played shows in Pamplona (Spain), the postponed gig in Cordoba (Spain), Sete (France), 
Newport (England), two shows at London’s (England) historic Hackney Empire, Dublin (Ireland) and 
a final show at Maryport Blues Festival (England) on July 25th at which he demanded to go on stage 
30 minutes before his scheduled time, forcing the festival to adjust its time schedule at the last 
minute. On his way back from Maryport to Manchester after the show Berry got into an argument with 
his own daughter over his own life-threatening driving style. Berry eventually asked his agent to 
drive the car at no more than 60 km/h (40miles/hour) on the highway. After a 4 hour drive and 200kms, 
the touring party arrived at their 5 star hotel in Manchester. The next morning (July 26th) Berry 
met up with Patrick Rocher of Cheyenne Productions at 7.45 pm in the hotel lobby as agreed. The 
crew was supposed to fly to Malaga (Spain) Berry to play a show at Classic Rock Festival with John 
Mayall and on July 27th and he was also scheduled to do a show at Carracedelo (Spain). Berry told 
his longtime agent he would not do the last 2 Spanish shows of the tour for unspecified reasons. 
That day Chuck Berry took a flight home to Chicago, IL; that evening he was spotted at Ameristar 
Casino in St. Charles, MO chatting to fans while thousands of Spanish fans waited for the Legend’s 
arrival that was not to be. Chuck Berry was fully paid upfront for 12 shows, before the tour, and 
unfortunately aslo for the cancelled shows in Toulouse, Malaga and Carracedelo. To this day he has 
not reimbursed his well known honourable Booking Agency, Cheyenne Productions, an agency which 
made it possible for Berry to play his most successful European Touring years during his 50+ years 
career. Cheyenne Productions has since then tried to reach Berry on several occasions. On each 
attempt the Rock’n’Roll pioneer has refused to talk about the issue but was only interested to talk 
about his next November 2008 tour, which seems now to be improbable. Last week, Cheyenne Productions 
reimbursed the local European Promoters on its own expenses. The agency which has lost more than 
150,000 USD due to Berry’s wrong activities sees no other choice but to sue Chuck Berry to claim 
legally for the money back.

Support for the agency also comes from longtime fans such as Wolfgang Guhl from Germany, 
who edits the longest running Chuck Berry website www.chuckberry.de, having himself seen Chuck Berry 
70 times in concert: “It is well known that Berry is a difficult character, by mistreating his own agent, 
promoters, medias and fans and on top of that using his own brother’s death as an excuse for his own management, 
he reaches an absolute low-point in his career which I & many other fans cannot accept. A great Chuck’s follower 
” Niek van de Klundert from Holland who has seen Berry on countless occasions adds: “It is a shame for 
a legend like Chuck Berry to end his career on such a sad note.”

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES CHEYENNE PRODUCTIONS CAN BE REACHED AT:

CHEYENNE PRODUCTIONS
Patrick Rocher
ChuckBerryconcerts@msn.com
CHEYENPROD@msn.com
tel 1 702 562 4103
fax 1 702 562 4001
US cell (1) 928 254 0665
European cell (33) 6 70 58 2302
South American cell (598) 98 61 70 50
skype # CHEYENPROD1

Cheyenne Productions sues Chuck Berry
Wednesday, 13. August 2008 - 23:03


Cheyenne Productions sues Chuck Berry

Cheyenne Productions has reimbursed local promoters of Chuck Berry in Toulouse, Malaga and Carraceldo
on its own expense. Chuck Berry, who at this point still does not want to cooperate, will as of
today be sued by his longtime agent Cheyenne Productions for all costs and damages caused by the
cancellation of European shows in July 2008.

Little Richard releases new record
Tuesday, 12. August 2008 - 19:52


Don Imus Unleashes The Imus Ranch Record

Vince Gill, Big & Rich, Dwight Yoakam, Levon Helm, Lucinda Williams, Little Richard, 
Willie Nelson, Delbert McClinton, Randy Travis, Patty Loveless and More Record 
Country Hits and Classic Standards for Children with Cancer 
Available September 16th From New West Records

Last update: 2:57 p.m. EDT Aug. 11, 2008
LOS ANGELES, Aug 11, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Don Imus today announced the September 16th release 
of The Imus Ranch Record (New West Records) a 13-track album featuring eight Grammy(R) Award winning performers. 
The CD will benefit the Imus Ranch, a working cattle ranch run by Don and Deirdre Imus, which hosts children 
who are afflicted with cancer or other serious blood diseases.
The album boasts eight Grammy(R) Award winning artists including Patty Loveless, singing the Stevie Nicks penned 
"Silver Springs," Dwight Yoakam putting his signature sound to "Give Back The Key To My Heart," and Lucinda 
Williams singing "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys" which was made famous by Waylon Jennings. 
Big & Rich cover the Beastie Boys classic "Fight For Your Right To Party" playing with the lyrics to work in 
a line about the Ranch. Little Richard, Delbert McClinton, Willie Nelson and Randy Travis all recorded standards.
The compilation was produced by Imus along with Kyle Lehning (Randy Travis, George Jones) and Tracy Gershon 
(well known A & R executive). Imus selected each song and matched it to a specific artist. 
A complete list of the tracks follows:
    Tracks & Artist List:
    1.  Silver Springs -- Patty Loveless
    2.  Lay Down Sally -- Delbert McClinton
    3.  Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys -- Lucinda Williams
    4.  You Better Move On -- Levon Helm
    5.  Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs -- Raul Malo
    6.  I Ain't Never -- Little Richard
    7.  I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore -- Randy Travis
    8.  You've Got To Fight For Your Right To Party -- Big & Rich
    9.  What A Difference A Day Makes -- Willie Nelson
    10. Give Back The Key To My Heart -- Dwight Yoakam
    11. What Happened -- Bekka Bramlett
    12. Welfare Music -- John Hiatt
    13. A Satisfied Mind -- Vince Gill

Source: Timo Reijola

Chuck Berry shows in Istanbul & Boleslawiec have been cancelled!
Monday, 11. August 2008 - 18:27


Due to contractual reasons the following shows have been cancelled:

15.08.08 - Istanbul, Turkey - Parkorman
16.08.08 - Boleslawiec, Poland - Blues Rock Festival

Refunds available at point of purchase. An official statement
from local promoters will follow shortly.

The status of Chuck Berry's European Tour November 2008
remains "tentative" until further notice.

UPDATES
Saturday, 09. August 2008 - 12:00


UPCOMING CHUCK BERRY EUROPEAN DATES CHANGE STATUS
FROM "CONFIRMED" TO "TENTATIVE"!

JERRY LEE LEWIS TOUR INFORMATION 1988 UPDATED!
THANKS TO THOMAS RUND!

The Future Of Chuck Berry's European Touring Business
Tuesday, 05. August 2008 - 18:29


After countless attempts to reach Chuck Berry Patrick Rocher
finally succeded to talk to Chuck Berry yesterday.

First of all Chuck Berry does not want to reimburse his longtime agent.
But he made him the offer to deduct the stolen money from his
fees of November Tour. Certainly a serious business man would
transfer the money back immediately, but this is still better
than going through a court battle which can take up to three years.
November Tour is therefore confirmed, but further tours are
very unlikely to happen as this behaviour is no basis to work on.

A statement and/or apology was at no point offered by Chuck Berry.

As of now it is unsure what will happen to dates in Istanbul & Boleslawiec (August 2008)
and Toulouse (March 2009). To keep track with this and latest developments
on November Legends Of Rock'n'Roll concerts featuring Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis
and Little Richard visit www.chuckberry.de.

The Chuck Berry International Directory Volume 1 out now!
Tuesday, 05. August 2008 - 18:29


This title is for the heavyweight Berry fan. It contains everything you ever wanted to know about Chuck Berry, in four enormous volumes compiled by the world-renowned Norwegian Berry collector and authority, Morten Reff. It is comprehensively annotated, with dozens of illustrations of rare record labels and sleeves, previously unpublished photos, etc. This volume contains: USA Discography; UK Discography; International Discographies (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, France, (West) Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Yugoslavia).

Order now at www.amazon.co.uk!

Added to Recommended Berry Material

Source: Morten Reff

House Of Rock
Tuesday, 05. August 2008 - 18:29


House of rock

By Jake Wagman
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
08/04/2008

ST. LOUIS — The Guitar King's old home may not be palatial, but it could soon be historic.

A local preservation group is working to put a house once owned by Chuck Berry — the St. Louis native 
considered by many the father of rock 'n' roll — on the National Register of Historic Places.

The shotgun-style cottage at 3137 Whittier Street is no Graceland. It features a simple white 
awning against sturdy red brick and a narrow porch.

The original fixtures were stripped long ago. At the moment, it's unoccupied, a victim of rising 
foreclosure rates long after Berry sold it.

It was, however, Berry's home from 1950 to 1958, a time when he recorded hits that made him rock royalty: 
"Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," and "Johnny B. Goode."

Legally, a place on the National Register would not do much to protect the modest house. It still 
could be torn down or sold. Yet landing on the prestigious list could spur preservation by making 
certain tax credits available.

If nothing else, it would help cement Berry's place as one St. Louis' most famous residents.

"Something very important happened there," said Lindsey Derrington, a researcher with the Landmarks 
Association of St. Louis, which prepared the nomination to the National Register. "That's a piece 
of our musical history."

Berry bought the home shortly before the birth of his daughter, Darlin, he says in his autobiography. 
The family lived in the basement so they could rent the upstairs for extra income.

On Friday, Berry — who still performs but seldom makes public appearances otherwise — visited the house, 
taking a trip down memory lane.

"Oh, yeah," said Berry, wearing a captain's hat and bolo tie. "I remember it well."

Berry, still spry and sinewy even as an octogenarian, gave the house a once-over. Everything except the 
tree in front, planted after he left, looked pretty much the same, he said.

He recalled how much he bought it for in 1950 — $4,500 — and the work he put in.

"I had that awning put up," said Berry, which would explain the faded "B" on the exterior.

The house is in the section of the city known as the Greater Ville, just a duck walk away from where 
other African-American entertainment pioneers — Redd Foxx, Tina Turner — also called home.

Some on Whittier Street today still remember Berry's time there, but the details — Did he drive a Cadillac? 
Or a motorcycle? — have evaporated into neighborhood lore.

"I'd see him coming and going in and out of the house," said Gloria Reeves, 71, whose family has lived 
on Whittier since 1949.

Still, it doesn't appear he spent much time in the neighborhood. When Berry wasn't touring, he was working 
nights at venues such as the Cosmo Club in East St. Louis. But neighbors did hear him on the guitar, 
practicing his signature country-meets-rock sound.

"You would hear music coming up from his basement," recalled Gwendolyn "Genie" Hodges, 70, who lived on 
the street at the time.

On July 28, the city's Preservation Board unanimously backed the home's inclusion on the National Register. 
The state preservation board, which also must support the bid, has the nomination on its agenda for 
a meeting Friday.

Final federal approval, though, could be tricky.

A spokeswoman for the National Park Service, which administers the historical register, says the listing 
does not typically recognize individuals who are living or still working.

Berry, 81, is both.

The St. Louis Landmarks Association is hoping to work around that by showing Berry's "reputation is 
thoroughly established" and that the songs he recorded while living on Whittier have been woven into 
the fabric of American culture.

In other words, that Berry is a living legend.

The argument is an easy one to make for Joe Edwards, owner of Blueberry Hill, where Berry still performs 
each month in a venue — the Duck Room — named for his trademark gait.

"Worldwide, he's probably better known than anybody else in St. Louis," Edwards said.

Berry still calls the area home, splitting his time between Ladue and "Berry Park," his Wentzville retreat.

Back on Whittier Street, his old home now is in the hands of a Utah real estate company, Kimber Investments, 
that specializes in foreclosure properties.

Company official Josh Gomm said he heard from a neighbor about the house's lineage but wasn't sure whether 
to believe it.

Now that he knows more, Gomm said he's open to selling it to someone who will appreciate its value.

"I'm not a Chuck Berry fan," Gomm said. "But if somebody out there really wants the house, I would love 
to have them have it."

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

B.B. King releases new album
Tuesday, 05. August 2008 - 18:29


B.B. King is set to release a new album - "One Kind Favor" Features Classic Blues Songs

Santa Monica, California, July 22, 2008 – The King of the Blues is set to release a new album featuring covers 
of old blues songs from B.B. King’s early influences. With production by T Bone Burnett (Robert Plant & 
Alison Krauss, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello) the set revisits the music that influenced B.B. in the 1950s, 
the beginning of King’s extraordinary professional journey that, literally, changed the texture of modern 
blues playing. One Kind Favor will be released on Geffen Records August 26th.

Recorded at The Village Recorder in Los Angeles, CA One Kind Favor is meant to sound like an album recorded 
in the 50s. To get this sound Burnett and King replicated the kind of blues band King had back in the day 
bringing in some of the greats – Dr. John on piano, Nathan East on stand up acoustic bass and Jim Keltner 
on drums, to name a few. Studio conditions of the time were reproduced. The result is a vintage sounding 
album filled with the songs that influenced King in his early days as an artist.

The full track listing for One Kind Favor, along with the name of the artist who originally recorded the track, 
is:” See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” (Lemon Jefferson), “I Get So Weary” (T-Bone Walker), “Get These Blues Off Me” 
(Lee Vida Walker), “How Many More Years” (Chester Burnett), “Waiting For Your Call” (Oscar Lollie), 
“My Love Is Down” (Lonnie Johnson), “The World Is Gone Wrong” ( Walter Vinson, also known as Walter Jacobs, 
and Lonnie Chatmon, core members of the Mississippi Sheiks), “Blues Before Sunrise” (John Lee Hooker), 
“Midnight Blues” (John Willie “Shifty” Henry), “Backwater Blues” (Big Bill Broonzy), “Sitting On Top Of 
The World” (Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon) and “Tomorrow Night” (Lonnie Johnson).

In other B.B. news, on September 13th King– one of the few musicians in the world to be so honored – will preside 
at the opening of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in his hometown of Indianola, MS. Also in 
September B.B. King will begin hosting his own weekly radio show on XM Radio on their newly relaunched blues 
channel “BB Kings Bluesville” (XM 74).

For more than 60 years, Riley B. King - better known as B.B. King - has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. 
Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over 50 albums, many of them classics, won 14 Grammy® Awards, 
been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of the Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award 
and the NARM (National Association of Recording Merchandisers) Chairman’s Award, among many other awards. In a 
special ceremony at the Library of Congress, Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington presented B.B. with a 
“Living Legend” medal in honor of his achievements as a musician and ambassador for the blues. After 10,000 concerts, 
B.B. King continues to bring his music to audiences around the globe spending the better part of each year on the 
road with his beloved guitar, “Lucille.”

Source: The Official B.B. King Website