Chuck Berry or Chuck Barris?

Chuck Barris was the host of "The Gong Show".

Source: https://www.brooklynvegan.com

(may be subject to copyright)

It was a mix-up that turned into a joke that ended in a bit of irony.

When I was a kid, I used to watch "The Gong Show" on television, and it always made me laugh, especially the Unknown Comic.

One day, I heard about this pioneer of rock ‘n roll who had recorded classics such as “Johnny G. Goode” and paved the way for the likes of Elvis Presley. His name was Chuck Berry.

I thought to myself, “The host of the Gong Show can’t be that old.” Why didn’t he ever play on "The Gong Show"? Was he afraid of getting the gong?

Soon, I would learn there really were two separate, but well-known, performers with similar names but much different acts.

Coincidentally, they were again linked in my mind, when they died four days apart in 2017.

So, here’s a little bit about Chuck Barris and Chuck Berry.

The Gong Show

Chuck Barris hosted "The Gong Show". The concept was simple – three celebrity judges would preside as amateur acts would perform. If a judge thought an act was particularly bad, they could ring this giant gong and the performer would stop. Usually, the judge made a show of it before hitting the gong. Afterwards, the judge explained why they gonged the artist.

My favourite act by far was the Unknown Comic. His jokes were terrible but he kept coming back. His gimmick was that he wore a brown paper bag over his head, so he really was unknown. And he always got the gong. He was kind of like Charlie Brown and the football. He always thought he would kick it and Lucy always pulled it away before he could, sending him reeling.

Barris also created "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game".

Chuck Berry was a rock and roll icon
with songs such as "Roll Over Beethoven"
and "Johnny B. Goode".

Source: https://www.brooklynvegan.com

(may be subject to copyright)

Rock and Roll icon

Chuck Berry performed for seven decades, starting in the 1950s when he was one of the pioneers of rock and roll. His hit singles are legendary, such as “Roll Over Betthoven”; “Maybellene”; and of course “Johnny B. Goode".

My outstanding memory of Chuck Berry in the 1980s is from the movie “Back to the Future”. At the pivotal high school dance, it is Chuck Berry’s fictional cousin Marvin and his band playing the music. When Marty McFly electrifies the crowd with his guitar work, playing “Johnny B. Goode”, we see Marvin on the phone telling his cousin Chuck about this new music.

Chuck Berry was also one of the original artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when it opened in 1986.

Parting thoughts

Chuck Berry died on March 18, 2017. Three days later, Chuck Barris died on March 21, 2017.

Once more, I thought I had misheard the news when Barris died, and they were still eulogizing Berry.

So, even in death they will be inextricably linked, at least in my mind.