Chuck also seemed like he was really aiming toward the big white teen audience. Could you talk about that some?

Well his type of music, I mean he's got it, he got into it, he got into it more and more and I think he become more popular in whatever I guess this is what was bringing him closer to, you know, the stardom that he was looking for. And, ah, I think he reached it.

Do you think he intentionally wrote songs that would appeal to white teenagers?

No I think he just wrote songs that he, ah, that, ah, that was, you know, that he could get together. They weren't particular aimed at no one, one race or people or no. 'cause you know when they first start out, Chuck was doing songs mostly about cars - "Maybelline" that was about a car and a woman and then he put "You Can't Catch Me" that was about a car and "Down Bound Train" and all this kind of stuff. It was mostly about vehicles. And then it wasn't later then he changed from that and started on girls like "Baby Doll" and all that kind of stuff. So actually it wasn't just aimed at one type of person or one goal. He was trying to reach everybody in his songs I think.

He also wrote some songs that had a bit of a racial message. When he sings "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" and "Johnny B. Goode", "Little Country Boy" really started out being a little colored boy. Do you think he was trying to get some kind of message across about the position of black people in the country in those days?

I, I doubt that seriously 'cause I don't know if you know it or not but "Johnny B. Goode" was wrote for me. Yeah, that was wrote for me. And the reason he was saying, Johnny B. Goode, on this big tour I was telling you about after we get through which would be like 9:30 or so at night whatever city we was in I always find out where there was jazz band or something playing. And after we finish I would go set in with these jazz bands so I could keep up my energy, I mean my image of being more than just one type of piano player. And I would fool around and get a laugh. And sometime I'd have to call back Chicago to Leonard Chess or somebody, wire me some money so I can catch a plane and catch up with the band. So he was saying, well why did you do this? Why don't you be, just be good, stay with the band. And the next thing I know he come out with the record "Johnny B. Goode". So that was actually written for me.

Let's touch on this Fats Domino idea, tell me about what he brought to this music and maybe you could demonstrate a little of his style and use his name.

Well actually I didn't know too many songs that Fats Domino put out except his "Blueberry Hill" and "Going Home Tomorrow" that was strictly blues you know. [plays piano] This is Fats Domino "Going Home Tomorrow" [plays piano]. And just the repeat of that over and over and over and his "Blueberry Hill" was the same thing. [plays piano] And as I said there wasn't too many up coming artists that's tried to copy his style of music, maybe his songs or whatever but his piano playing was kind of, it was kind of strenuous on the arms and I think only Fats Domino could play it and make it go over like it should 'cause I tried one or two of his songs and it just didn't work out and I had to keep my hands moving 'cause when you're doing this, you're straining your muscles, you're getting a ham, what they call a hamstring or _string or something. So but, ah, he has some, you know, he had some very good songs out and whatever. And his piano playing was noticed by everybody but it was just something that anybody couldn't copy. I know I couldn't. And I, my, my, well I had a couple influence piano players but they were blues such as Art Tatum one of my favorites and Oscar Peterson and I think only Fats Domino could play it and make it go over like it should 'cause I tried one or two of his songs and it just didn't work out and I had to keep my hands moving 'cause when you're doing this, you're straining your muscles, you're getting a ham, what they call a hamstring or _string or something. So but, ah, he has some, you know, he had some very good songs out and whatever. And his piano playing was noticed by everybody but it was just something that anybody couldn't copy. I know I couldn't. And I, my, my, well I had a couple influence piano players but they were blues such as Art Tatum one of my favorites and Oscar Peterson and people like that. So that's why I was more when, more of a jazz and RB quick than I was the type of music that Chuck was playing but this was where the money was coming in so I learned Chuck's music. And now when people ask me to play a Chuck Berry song, usually my band, my guitar player sings quite a few of Chuck's song so I can fulfill the requests of Chuck's numbers and still play what I want to play in the line of blues, the jazz, whatever. So this is what helping me out a lot.

What do you think Little Richard's unique contribution?

Little Richard was man I couldn't touch no kind of way. I mean the man is a great musician, he's a great entertainer, he has a beautiful personality and he is a personal friend of mine but to play some of his music, I could not do this because I, I never was close enough on him during the time of his playing that I could see where he was doing to even try to copy it, you know. But he's wonderful. Richard is alright. I'll always have a spot, you know, in my heart for the way that he, he come through as an entertainer. 'cause he, he was telling me the last time we talked, he was telling me about some of the hazardous things he went through. You know he changed over once into ministry and whatever and he, he came back to the blues, he say, well, you know, if I can get home back there to where he's better known as a musician.

What do you think was Chuck Berry's greatest contribution to this rock and roll music? What did he bring that wasn't there before? Why will he always be remembered?

Well I think he be remembered for, well, the, this types of songs that he put out. And that, I know he had three big hits: "Johnny B. Goode", "Maybelline" and, ah, this one I was "Sweet Sixteen". Now all the rest of his songs I thin sold pretty well but those three biggest hits. And, ah, the most white groups that I've been around while traveling all over the world, they play all of his st… all of his music, I mean all of his songs and whatever 'cause that's the first thing they ask me when like I go someplace and they furnish the band, first thing they want to know, what Chuck Berry songs that I'm doing because they play them all, you know. So I tell them, well we'll do a couple of them but you going to do Johnnie Johnson's songs on this show. So, I think that was a big influence of, of the songs that he put out, they were catching to the public, the lyrics and whatever. Now this one, "My Ding-a-Ling" you know they borrowed that one and, ah, one more he put out that they made, he made X rated songs like "Reeling and Rocking" he put some lyrics there that he could only do in a nightclub. So this was it.