Author: Morten Reff
Music Mentor Books (UK)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9547068-6-9
Music Mentor Books of York, England, are to publish an extensive reference work about rock'n'rolls most influential guitarist and composer, Chuck Berry.
Compiled by world-renowned Norwegian Berry collector and expert, Morten Reff, THE CHUCK BERRY INTERNATIONAL DIRECTORY will appear in four volumes. Each volume will be around 500 pages long and will retail for GBP 24.99 (approx US$ 50.00).
Volume 1 is scheduled for publication on April 15th, 2008, and will contain discographies for over 40 countries, plus dozens of rare label and sleeve illustrations: 1. USA Discography / 2. UK Discography / 3. International Discographies - Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, France, (West) Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Yugoslavia.
Volume 2 will be published later in 2008 and will contain details of bootlegs, radio albums, movies, TV shows, video and DVD releases, international tours, Berry's achievements and awards, his songs, roots and influence on other artists, tributes, Chuck Berry in print, fan clubs and websites, plus annotated discographies of keyboard wizard Johnnie Johnson and the ultimate Berry copyist, Eddy Clearwater: 4. Bootlegs / 5. Chuck Berry on the Radio (transcription discs, concept albums and radio spots) / 6. Rarest Berrys (your guide to the rarest Chuck Berry recordings) / 7. Chuck Berry in the Movies (movie appearances, movie soundtracks featuring Chuck Berry songs) / 8. Chuck Berry on TV (TV appearances, TV movies and series featuring Chuck Berry songs) / 9. Notable Video & DVD Releases (includes bootlegs and other rarities) / 10. International Tours (a huge listing of Chuck Berry's concert appearances outside the USA from 1956 to the present day) / 11. Songs (Chuck Berry songs in alphabetical order, strange Chuck Berry songs in BMI Files, Berry's Best) / 12. Achievements & Awards (UK hit singles and albums; UK hit singles and albums; Australian hit singles; Belgian hit singles; Canadian hit singles; French hit tunes; (West) German hit singles; Irish hit singles; Netherlands hit singles; New Zealand hit singles; Norwegian hit singles; Swedish hit singles; gold records; BMI songwriter awards; other awards and honours, postage stamps) / 13. Influence on Other Artists (Chuck Berry-derived stage names, song titles based on Chuck Berry lyrics, album titles based on Chuck Berry lyrics/records, songs with lyrics that mention Chuck Berry, songs with similar lyrics to Chuck Berry songs) / 14. Tributes (testimonials, tribute songs, tribute albums) / 15. Chuck Berry in Print (biographies, books with Berry content of special interest, newspapers and magazines, songbooks) /
16. Roots (songs that inspired Chuck Berry, songs covered by Chuck Berry, Berry and the Blues) / 17. Fan Clubs and Websites / 18. Johnnie Johnson (complete post-Berry sessionography/discography; solo releases; session work and guest appearances; Various Artists releases; videotapes, DVDs and movies) / 19. Eddy Clearwater (complete sessionography/discography).
Volumes 3 and 4 will be published in 2009 and consist of a massive listing of around 4,000 cover versions and some 800 soundalikes on record, in the movies and on TV that bear testimony to Berry's immense influence on Western popular music over the past half-century: 20. Cover versions (over 4,000 cover versions including many rarities) / 21. Cover Hits (covers of Chuck Berry songs that were hits) / 22. Soundalikes (over 800 soundalike recordings, including many rarities) / 23. No Chuck (songs that look like they might be by Chuck Berry, but are not) / 24. Cover Versions & Soundalikes in the Movies (cover versions of Chuck Berry songs in movies, Berry soundalike music in movies) / 25. Cover Versions on TV / 26. Chuck Berry Karaoke (singalongachuck).
Music Mentor Books is the publisher of "Long Distance Information - Chuck Berry's Recorded Legacy" (2001) by Fred Rothwell. His detailed blow-by-blow analysis of every Chuck Berry recording is acknowledged as the standard reference work on the man known throughout the world as Mr. Rock'n'Roll. The author presents this wealth of information and his enlightening critiques of Berry's recordings in a lightweight style tinged with humour that makes for a highly entertaining read. Illustrations including label shots, vintage ads and previously unpublished photographs.
The company is also the publisher of many other great music books. Here is some of them: ON THE ROAD - 26 HITMAKERS OF THE FIFTIES & SIXTIES TELL THEIR OWN AMAZING STORIES (Dave Nicolson), LET THE GOOD TIMES ROCK! - A FAN'S NOTES ON POST-WAR AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC (Bill Millar), ELVIS & BUDDY - LINKED LIVES (Alan Mann), ELVIS: A MUSICAL INVENTORY 1939-55 (Richard Boussiron), DAYNCE OF THE PECKERWOODS - THE BADLANDS OF TEXAS MUSIC (Michael H. Price), THE COMPLETE BO DIDDLEY SESSIONS (George R. White) and AMERICAN ROCK'N'ROLL - THE UK TOURS 1956-72 (Ian Wallis).
