Chuck Berry: Museum Resources

Chuck Berry was the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Museum celebrates his legacy with a number of artifacts illustrative of his career.

Check out highlights of his collection below from the Museum's new Spotlight Exhibit on Chuck Berry. You can also find more Chuck Berry artifacts and resources at our Library & Archives. Click here for a photo slideshow of the rest of his collection.

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"Sweet Little Sixteen" sheet music, 1958

Collection of Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry's skillful wordplay is evident in all of his songs, including in "Sweet Little Sixteen." The fact that teenagers would be interested in buying sheet music indicates Berry's popularity among youth of the 1950s.

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Chuck Berry ensemble, 1944

Cleveland, Ohio

Collection of the Chuck Berry

Shown here in 1944 with one of his musical permutations, Chuck Berry has been an active musician since singing in his church choir as a young boy.

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Chuck Berry photograph, 1982

Courtesy of a Private Collector

Chuck Berry is much admired by his peers, including by Johnny Cash and Bob Hope, shown here on New Year's Eve in 1982.

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Orange Suit, 1987

Collection of Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry wore this suit in a 1987 promo shoot and on a later tour.

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Chuck Berry prop bells, 1972

Collection of Chuck Berry

"My Ding-a-ling" was Chuck Berry's only hit to top the pop charts. Berry used these bells as a prop during his tour promoting the single in 1972.

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