Though Berry may not have been as dominant a figure in rock in the 1950s as Presley, his records and, particularly, his songs represented virtual blueprints for untold thousands of rock musicians who followed him to the scene.

It's hard to imagine a rock musician who didn't have a Berry song in his repertoire during some point in his career….

Berry's success as a writer was based on both his simple, yet highly infectious melodies and the extraordinary universality of his lyrics. Though several of his songs ("Memphis," "You Never Can Tell") touch on adult themes, it was Berry's ability to capture the language and attitudes of teenagers that first propelled him to stardom.

While Berry's tunes never really dealt in serious social comment, there was a bit of gentle "get off my back" sentiment directed at parents and others in authority in several of his songs. (p...