"Sock It to Me"

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:00:56 -0400, Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM> wrote:

>What I go by is what I think when I first hear a record by a person. I
>blush to admit it, but when I first heard Chuck Berry, I thought that
>he was some white, rock-a-billy stud, an amazing error, considering
>that Chuck and I both grew up in St. Louis, we both lived there at the
>beginning of his career, and he still maintains a home there.

Considering that his first hit, "Maybellene", was a rewrite of the old
hillbilly tune "Ida Red" (recorded by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
inter alia), I wouldn't be surprised if he was at first hard to categorize
for many listeners.

So are there any noticeable St. Louis-isms in Chuck Berry's songs?  I've
always wondered if, say, "gunny sack" ("Johnny B. Goode"), "juke joint"
("School Days"), "wiggles like a glow worm" ("Roll Over Beethoven"), or
"blowin' like a hurrican" ("Rock and Roll Music") were hallmarks of AAVE
in the St. Louis region.



--Ben Zimmer