Happy (belated) Birthday, Chuck Berry, who turned 83 yesterday.

The Great Twenty-Eight
	Artist: Chuck Berry

Happy Birthday Chuck Berry!

Chuck Berry (Chess Box)
	Artist: Chuck Berry

It's the first day of school here in Nashville tomorrow, and I'm sending my little girl to the 3rd grade. Summer definitely went by too quickly. Got a favorite song about school?

I just know that, 1,000 years in the future, some kid is going to be toolin' 'round Saturn, just killin' time cruisin' the rings in his gravitically powered spacecraft, and she'll dial this one up and think, "This RAWKS!"

Bobby Troup wrote "Route 66" in 1946 and the first version was Nat King Cole's (same year), although Perry Como followed a dozen years later. Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones had hit versions and dozens of other artists have done it as well, from Tom Petty, John Mayer, Manhattan Transfer, Them, Natalie Cole, Brian Setzer Orchestra and Asleep at the Wheel to the Andrew Sisters (with Bing Crosby), Buckwheat Zydeco, and The Cramps. Depeche Mode released their cover of "Route 66" at the end of 1987 as a non-LP b-side of "Behind the Wheel," (from Music For the Masses). Martin Gore sang lead instead of Dave Gahan (although Dave usually does it live when they perform it). The b-side was as popular as the a-side and there are countless remixes that combine the two. Our version tonight was remixed by The Beatmasters:

Jailhouse Rock

Wikipedia:

According to Rolling Stone magazine, "it was Elvis who made rock 'n' roll the international language of pop." A PBS documentary described Presley as "an American music giant of the 20th century who singlehandedly changed the course of music and culture in the mid-1950s."[43] His recordings, dance moves, attitude and clothing came to be seen as embodiments of rock and roll. His music was heavily influenced by African-American blues, Christian gospel, and Southern country.

Presley sang both hard driving rockabilly, rock and roll dance songs and ballads, laying a commercial foundation upon which other rock musicians would build their careers. African-American performers like Little Richard and Chuck Berry came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among mass audiences of white teenagers. Singers like Jerry Lee Lewis, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and others immediately followed in his wake. The Beatles superstar John Lennon later observed, "Before Elvis, there was nothing."