The official Chuck Berry documentary Chuck Berry; The Original King of Rock 'N' Roll comes to video-on-demand platforms this month after a summer at online film festivals and drive-in events. The film will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 27.
The film was directed by Jon Brewer, who's previously worked on films about BB King, Nat King Cole and Jimi Hendrix, as well as Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story and Guns N’ Roses: The Most Dangerous Band In The World.
The trailer (see below) features appearances from the likes of Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Keith Richards, Nils Lofgren, Steve Van Zandt, Johnny Rivers and Gary Clark Jr. as well as Berry's widow Themetta “Toddy” Suggs.
"I got through to the family and talked to his widow, who was very charming,” Brewer tells Below The Line. “She had never done an interview before because [Berry] wouldn’t let her do it. Then, we built the story. When a man is dead, you have to create the story and find it within actions he has done and did.
“He created the teenager. If you think back on it, it was cars and soda parlours and hanging out in what was then the ‘hood. It was always these wonderful stories that he told. That went down very well – a lot of kids related to his lyrics."
Chuck Berry; The Original King of Rock 'N' Roll is available on Amazon, Availtin, Cool Nerd Kiosk, Direct TV, Dish, Doc N Roll, Fandango, Google Play, inDemand, iTunes, Sling TV, Tubi, Vimeo, Vudu and Xbox.
