Former hairdresser, Charles Edward Anderson Berry (born St. Louis October 1926) asked Muddy Waters after a gig how to get started and was told to take his music to Phil and Leonard Chess. In early 1955 he had a country sounding song called "Ida Red" that was good enough provided the title didn't sound like the name of a chicken, though where the name "Maybellene" came from wasn't clear. The single Maybellene / Wee Wee Hours - Chuck Berry (Chess. recorded May 1955) was a huge hit that had one more suprise for Chuck when he got his cheque for royalties: he found he was sharing the proceeds with Alan Freed, a New York dj he'd never met. The Chess label (like other labels at the time) knew the costs of having radio plays and hit records.
STAR BLUES on 10th april 2011 went to the Chess anthology "Chuck Berry: His Best, Vol.1" issued by MCA as part of their Chess Masters series.
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