New And Verified Information About Chuck Berry's 1960's Recording Sessions

In January we reported on new information gleaned from recording contracts used in the Johnnie Johnson v Chuck Berry court case. The January post covered recording sessions up to the end of 1958 and below is a continuation from 1959 to 1966.

The 17.2.1959 Session
The only variation is that Jasper Thomas is confirmed as the drummer instead of Fred Below

February 17, 1959; Ter-Mar Records Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Willie Dixon: double bass; Jasper Thomas: drums; Johnnie Johnson: piano; Harvey & The Moonglows (Chuck Barksdale, Harvey Fuqua, Marvin Gaye, James Nolan, Reese Palmer, Chester Simmons) and Etta James: vocal group

The 1960 Sessions
The discography previously listed all the 21 songs recorded in 1960 in two extensive sessions. The recording contract details show two sessions in March and April with only a proportion of the titles listed. The 1960 work has therefore been re-cast in four sessions, two as per the contract details and the other songs divided into two as per the matrix numbers.

The 12.2.1960 Session
The personnel is as previously listed but with only 'Drifting Blues', 'I Got To Find My Baby' and 'Don't You Lie To Me' attributed to the date. This session is not included in the contract session details.

February 12, 1960 Ter-Mar Records Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Matthew T Murphy: guitar; Reggie Boyd: electric bass; Odie Payne: drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano; Leroy C. Davis: tenor saxophone; unknown tenor saxophone; unknown vocal group ('Drifting Blues' only)

The 15.2.1960 Session
Again personnel is as before but with 'Diploma For Two', 'Little Star', 'The Way It Was Before' and 'Away From You' attributed to the date. The vocal group overdubbing was probably done in April hence the non-consequential matrix numbers. This session is not included in the contract session details.

Possibly February 15, 1960; Ter-Mar Records Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Reggie Boyd: electric bass ; Odie Payne: drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano; Leroy C. Davis: tenor saxophone; unknown tenor saxophone; overdubbed unknown vocal group.

The 29.3.1960 Session
The contract information confirms that the previously used session details are correct except the vocal group clearly heard on 'Jaguar And Thunderbird' is not listed. Titles recorded were 'Worried Life Blues', 'Our Little Rendezvous', 'Bye Bye Johnny', 'Run Around' and 'Jaguar And Thunderbird'

March 29, 1960; Ter-Mar Records Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/steel guitar ('Run Around' only); Matthew T Murphy: guitar; Willie Dixon: double bass; Odie Payne: drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano; unknown vocal group ('Jaguar And Thunderbird' only)

The 12.4.1960 Session
The contract information confirms that the previous session details are correct except for the addition of Walter Cole who is listed but with no instrument attributed to him. Walter Cole (aka Walter Champion, aka Walter "Chippy" Cole), was a bass player who recorded with other artists in Chicago in the early sixties and later joined the Treniers. Willie Dixon is also listed on the session so bass playing duties must have been split. Titles recorded were 'Down The Road Apiece', 'Confessin' The Blues', 'Sweet Sixteen', 'Thirteen Question Method', 'Stop And Listen', 'I Still Got The Blues', 'I'm Just A Lucky So And So', 'Mad Lad' and 'Cryin' Steel'. 'Thirteen Question Method' is not listed in the contract. The female vocalist on 'Stop And Listen' is not listed in the contract.

April 12, 1960; Ter-Mar Records Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/steel guitar ('Mad Lad' and 'Cryin' Steel'); Matthew T Murphy: guitar (except 'Mad Lad' and 'Cryin' Steel'); Willie Dixon; double bass; Walter Champion Cole: double bass; Odie Payne: drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano; unknown female vocal ('Stop And Listen' only)

The 19.1.1961 Session
The contract information lists Philip Thomas on drums instead of Ebby Hardy or Jasper Thomas as previously listed. Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake is the pianist rather than the previously noted Johnnie Johnson.

January 19, 1961; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Reggie Boyd electric bass: Philip Thomas: drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano

The 3.8.1961 Session
The contract information lists Abe Locke and John W Jackson as the saxophonists in place of the previously noted Leroy C Davis. Abe Locke was a well respected musician best known as a member of Howlin' Wolf's band. He recorded with Wolf, Buddy Guy and Eddy Clearwater amongst many Chicago blues artists. John Jackson was a tenor player who also recorded with blues harpists, James Cotton and Little Mac Simmons. Martha Berry is not listed in the contract details, possibly because she was not a musicians union member. The matrix numbers are attributed differently on the contract but in the discographies I use the numbers as printed on the Chess singles. 'Come On' was initially titled 'Everything Is Wrong'.

August 3, 1961; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/overdubbed guitar ('Come On' and 'All Aboard' only); Matthew T Murphy: guitar; Reggie Boyd: electric bass; Philip Thomas, drums; Ellis 'Lafayette' Leake: piano; Abe Locke and John W Jackson: tenor saxophones (except instrumental version of 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man'); Martha Berry: second vocal ('Come On', 'Man & The Donkey' and 'Go Go Go' only)

The 7, 8 & 9.1.1964 Session
This extended session was previously listed as 15 & 16 November 1963 with 14 January 1964 given as an alternative date. The contract information confirms the January 7, 8 & 9 1964 dates with the 14 Jan date being the date the contract was officially signed. The contract confirms Louis E Satterfield was on bass instead of the previously listed Reggie Boyd and that George Patterson and Rubin Cooper Jr played the saxes, not James Robinson and Leroy C Davis, as previously noted. Strangely no drummer or pianist is listed in the contract information. Louis Satterfield went on to become a renowned musician (bass and trombone) playing with dozens of artists in many genres of music including the infamous 'Electric Mud' and 'Electric Wolf' albums. George Patterson and Rubin Cooper went on to record with Fontella Bass amongst many other artists..

January 7, 8 & 9, 1964; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/overdubbed guitar ('The Things I Used To Do' only)/double-tracked vocal ('You Never Can Tell' and 'Lonely All The Time' only); Louis E Satterfield: electric bass; Odie Payne: drums; Johnnie Johnson: piano; George Earl Patterson and Rubin Cooper Jr: tenor & baritone saxophones (except 'The Things I Used To Do' and 'The Little Girl From Central')

The 16.12.1964 Session
The contract details show no significant variations to the previously published information. There is a clear mistake in the matrix numbers with matrix 13627 used twice. So the numbers from the Chess files reproduced in The Chess labels: A Discography, compiled by Michel Ruppli are preferred. The backing band was that of Jules Blattner, a solid Berry fan who cut a spirited version of 'No Money Down' and the Berry-like 'Crazy Stockings'.

December 16, 1964; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/overdubbed guitar ('Dear Dad' and 'I Want To Be Your Driver' only); Jules M Blattner: guitar; William L Bixler: bass; Howard Jones: drums; Brian J Hamilton: tenor saxophone (except 'His Daughter Caroline', 'Dear Dad' and 'I Want To Be Your Driver').

The 1, 2 & 3.9.1965 Sessions
The contract information shows a different group of musicians to that previously published. Instead of Chuck Bernard, bass, Jasper Thomas, drums and Johnnie Johnson, piano the line-up is Bryce Roberson, Walter Ben Ruffin and Sonny Thompson with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield overdubbed at a later date so not listed in the contract. The most significant musician is Sonny Thomson, pianist, songwriter, band-leader and producer with an extensive discography of his own but also renowned for his work as a producer for King Records and his association with blues guitarist Freddie King. Bass player Bryce Roberson was also a studio engineer at Chess and recorded with several Chess notables including Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Fontella Bass and Billy Stewart. The song 'My Mustang Ford' is not listed in recording contract details. Matrix 14156 (originally allocated to the unissued 'Lovin' You In Vain') was later re-allocated to 'My Mustang Ford' which could indicate that 'Mustang' was recorded at a separate date. The 2 September date is repeated for the 3 September which is wrong if the matrix numbers are followed. There is also some reallocation of matrix numbers. Matrix 14163 originally attributed to 'Untitled Instrumental' was reallocated to 'Welcome Back Pretty Baby' and matrix 14162 attributed to 'Forgive Me' (unissued) was reallocated to 'Right Off Rampart Street' which is not mentioned in the contract.

September 1, 1965; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/overdubbed guitar ('My Mustang Ford' only); Bryce Roberson: bass; Walter Ben Ruffin: drums; Sonny Thompson: piano

September 2, 1965; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Bryce Roberson: bass; Walter Ben Ruffin: drums; Alfonso 'Sonny' Thompson: piano

September 3, 1965; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar/overdubbed guitar ('Ain't That Just Like A Woman' only); Mike Bloomfield: overdubbed guitar ('It Wasn't Me' only); Bryce Roberson: bass; Walter Ben Ruffin: drums; Alfonso 'Sonny' Thompson: piano; Paul Butterfield: overdubbed harmonica ('It Wasn't Me' and 'Sad Day, Long Night' only)

The 13.4.1966 Session
The previously listed trio of Bernard, Thomas and Johnson are yet again replaced by Louis Satterfield on bass, Sonny Thompson on keyboards and, this time, Maurice White on drums. They are further augmented by two guitarists Pete Cosey and Bryce Roberson with unknown saxes overdubbed later so not mentioned in the contract details. Maurice White was a renown session drummer at Chess and Vee Jay in Chicago who later founded and fronted Earth, Wind & Fire. Likewise Pete Cosey was a well respected guitarist cutting with other artist at Chess, before moving into the jazz field, recording with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.

April 13, 1966; Ter-Mar Recording Studio, 2120 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Pete Cosey: guitar; Bryce Roberson: guitar; Louis E Satterfield: electric bass; Maurice White: drums; Sonny Thompson: piano (on 'Viva (Viva) Rock And Roll' and 'Lonely School Days') and organ (on 'Ramona, Say Yes' and 'His Daughter Caroline'); unknown: overdubbed saxes (on the LP version of 'Ramona, Say Yes')

The 20 & 21. 9.1966 Sessions
These were the first recording sessions Chuck made for Mercury Records and the contract information lists no variation in the session personnel from earlier discographies. Quincy Macon is listed as O T Macon in error. On the second session matrix 38880 is designated to 'Mother's Rule' in the recording contract details which is an alternative title for 'Laugh And Cry' which was re-designated with the matrix 39069. The last five titles of the second session are not listed in the recording contract details but are listed as recorded on this date in Berry's biography. Long-time musical associates of Berry, Johnnie Johnson and Ebbie Hardy are back in the fold together with three newcomers. Sax-man Big Joe Enlow (or Enloe) recorded later with St Louis blues-man Tommy Bankhead, but it seems that these were the only recordings made by Quincy Macon and Forrest Frierson.

September 20, 1966; Technisonic Studio, 1201 South Brentwood Avenue, Clayton, Missouri
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Quincy Macon: guitar; Forrest Frierson: bass; Ebbie Hardy: drums; unknown: tambourine ('My Tambourine' only); Johnnie Johnson: piano/organ ('Campus Cookie' only); Carey 'Big Joe' Enlow: tenor sax (except 'Laugh And Cry')

September 21, 1966; Technisonic Studio, 1201 South Brentwood Avenue , Clayton, Missouri
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Quincy Macon: guitar; Forrest Frierson: bass; Ebbie Hardy: drums; Johnnie Johnson electric piano/organ ('Maybelline' only); Carey 'Big Joe' Enlow: tenor saxophone ('Johnny B Goode' and 'Rock 'n' Roll Music' only)

The 26 & 27. 10.1966 Sessions
The contract for these two sessions confirms the information in the discography is correct. The new musician, drummer Eugene Washington was a long-standing member of Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm who recorded extensively with Ike and his numerous vocalists between 1955- 1958.

October 26 & 27, 1966; Technisonic Studio, 1201 South Brentwood Avenue, Clayton, Missouri
Chuck Berry: vocal/guitar; Forrest Frierson: bass; Eugene Washington: drums; Johnnie Johnson: electric piano