The recently announced archival Chuck Berry album Live from Blueberry Hill was released today on CD and digital formats.
The album features 10 performances recorded between July 2005 and January 2006 at the shows that the legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and his backing band played regularly at the Blueberry Hill restaurant and club near his hometown of St. Louis.
Live from Blueberry Hill boasts renditions of many of Chuck’s most famous tunes, including “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Sweet Little Sixteen,” “Around and Around” and, of course, “Johnny B. Goode.”
Berry’s backing group at the Blueberry Hill shows included his daughter Ingrid on harmonica and his son Charles Berry Jr. on guitar.
In a new interview with the St.Louis Post-Dispatch, Charles says the album is “a serious bonus prize for us and for any fan of my father,” adding, “My whole family is very excited for there to be a non-bootleg release of the Blueberry Hill recordings.”
Chuck’s son notes that his father and the band were in great form at the concerts and that the recordings are “real deal, high quality.”
During his later years, Berry performed 209 times at Blueberry Hill’s The Duck Room, named after Chuck’s famous “duck walk” stage move.
“Out of all the places Dad liked to play, Blueberry Hill was his favorite,” Charles tells the newspaper. “He loved it. We all loved it. It’s an intimate venue, and he could just relax and do what he wanted.”
Regarding whether there are plans for more archival releases, Charles says, “I can’t reveal. But there’s always the possibility of something new and exciting.”
Vinyl versions of Live from Blueberry Hill will be released on April 15, 2022, and can be pre-ordered now.
Berry died in 2017 at age 90.
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