Chuck Berry Stole His Act From a White Teenager

When talking about the origins of Rock N' Roll, and all the stealing that went on, it's important to remember that Chuck Berry stole his act from a white teenager named Marty in 1955. His cousin Marvin Berry was playing the Enchantment Under the Sea dance at Hill Valley when Marty got locked in his trunk by a couple of bullies. Marvin hurt his hand opening the trunk and was unable to continue the show, but Marty offered to play with the all African-American band (clearly a forward thinker for his time) and boy did he put on a show. Someone was even able to capture the whole thing on video!




Please excuse the shaky camera, let's just pretend it's a tasteless Michael J. Fox tribute and not a lack of technical ability mixed with the desire to skirt copyright laws. This scene from Back to the Future works on a few levels. It shows the Elvis-esque idea that the most marketable thing in the 1950's would be a white guy who plays black music. It also plays with the concept that white music was stolen from black musicians if this black musician, in fact, stole it from this white musician...who was actually just stealing it from a black musician. Basically, Chuck Berry stole this routine from himself. The whole Back to the Future trilogy is filled with these kind of head exploding paradoxes. In fact, Marty would return to this dance in BTTF2 and watch himself perform from the rafters.

Maybe most important in this whole scene is the finale where Marty moves past Chuck Berry and starts emulating his modern rock idols. Earlier in the film he uses a Van Halen tape and a pair of headphones as a kind of aural weapon against a young man. He uses the abrasive guitar shredding to convince him he's an alien who can melt his brain. These kids in 1955 think they enjoy Rock N' Roll now, but will grow up to not understand this music that brought their dancing to a halt. Their kids, however, are going to love it. It shows Rock N' Roll is always changing and, when it's at its best, is something that gets the youth on their feet and parents scratching their heads.