Before The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and generations of guitar heroes, there was a young musician from St Louis whose songs helped change popular music forever. Today marks 100 years since his birth.
If you’ve ever danced to Johnny B. Goode, sung along to Roll Over Beethoven or watched a guitarist duckwalk across a stage, you’ve experienced a little of Chuck Berry’s extraordinary legacy.
Born on October 18, 1926, Charles Edward Anderson Berry became one of rock ‘n’ roll’s great pioneers, combining rhythm and blues with sharp storytelling, an infectious guitar sound and a stage presence nobody could ignore.
His breakthrough came in 1955 with Maybellene, followed by hits including Rock and Roll Music, Sweet Little Sixteen and Johnny B. Goode.
The teenagers in his songs wanted fast cars, romance and freedom. His music captured the excitement of a generation discovering its own soundtrack.
John Lennon once famously suggested that if rock ‘n’ roll needed another name, you could call it Chuck Berry.
Berry died in 2017, aged 90, but his influence lives on in almost every electric guitar riff that followed.
On October 18, 1967, Disney released The Jungle Book, introducing cinema audiences to one of its most beloved animated adventures.
There was Baloo the bear, the wise panther Bagheera, the fearsome Shere Khan and young Mowgli, trying to find his place in the jungle.
And who could forget The Bare Necessities?
The film was the last animated feature personally supervised by Walt Disney, who died in December 1966, before its release.
For generations of Australian families, it became a childhood favourite, enjoyed at the cinema and rediscovered through television screenings and home video.
On October 18, 1922, the British Broadcasting Company was formed, laying the foundations for what would become the BBC.
Its first daily radio broadcasts began the following month, opening a new chapter in news and entertainment.
The organisation would eventually bring some of Britain’s best-loved programmes into Australian living rooms, from Doctor Who to Dad’s Army.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova turns 70 today.
Born in Prague in 1956, she became one of the sport’s greatest champions, winning 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including nine Wimbledon crowns.
Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, famous for Bloodsport and Timecop, turns 66, while Zac Efron, who found fame in High School Musical, turns 39.
Were you a Chuck Berry fan, or did The Jungle Book provide some of your favourite childhood movie memories? We’d love to hear which songs or scenes have stayed with you.
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