A Glimpse Inside

In his autobiography Chuck Berry wrote about his months in a federal prison for tax evasion back in 1979, and mentioned some shows that he did there for the inmates-- one with just him and his guitar, one for visiting children, and another with fellow inmates as a backup band. Not long ago a friend in Sweden pointed out that there were snapshots of concerts at Lompoc on myspace. I contacted the photographer and got permission to post some of his photographs. I think they offer a glimpse into the quieter Chuck Berry-- a man generous enough to entertain and listen to his fellow inmates. He gets lots of crap about being a hard guy to get along with. He also must be one of the most approachable and available rock and roll stars of all time.

These pictures look like they were taken near his release, with the faithful Jimmy Marsala on bass.