Watch Chuck Berry Rock the Grammys with Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood
Chuck Berry was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1984 Grammy Awards.
The actual award was handed to Berry by Stevie Ray Vaughan and George Thorogood, who—along with Stray Cats' Brian Setzer—were considered the mid-Eighties' more high-profile young roots-rocking guitarists to have taken a page or two out of Berry's book.
The evening's festivities also included a performance of "Maybellene," which you can check out below (top video). Berry launches into a top-notch duck walk at 1:28, escorts Vaughan to the stage at 1:41 and is joined by Thorogood at 1:45. At 1:58, the younger guitarists kick off a quick Berry-inspired jam as Berry avoids the spotlight and hangs out by the amps.
The late Arturo Toscanini and Charlie Parker also received Lifetime Achievement honors that night, and—and you can see in both clips—John Denver was there too.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.