Michael Gray’s magisterial obituary of Chuck Berry (20 March) mentioned that he had topped the charts in 1972 with the smutty My Ding-A-Ling – an atypical Chuck Berry song to say the least. This brought to mind the time I saw Berry at the Apollo, Glasgow in 1972. The audience was split vociferously between those who had come to see him do endless encores of My Ding-A-Ling and those, like me, who wanted to hear the real Chuck Berry. The febrile atmosphere was reminiscent of the famous Bob Dylan Manchester Free Trade Hall concert in 1966 when Dylan was loudly accused of being “Judas”. Like Dylan, Berry rose above the clamour: he got on with playing his guitar and singing his songs in his own inimitable way. He was sublime. Thanks for the memories, Chuck.
Mike Pender
Cardiff
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