He Sang in the Church Choir
Before Berry became the “Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” he got to experience his first taste of performing at the age of six when he started singing at St. Louis’ Antioch Baptist Church, where his father was a deacon. Berry’s childhood was characterized by racial segregation. Until the age of three, he had never even seen a White person.
Chuck Berry Age 3. Source: Twitter
And it was only because the fire department had responded to a call from his community. Berry later admitted what he thought in those early days. “I thought they were so frightened that their faces were whitened from fear of going near the big fire,” he told The New York Times. “Daddy told me they were White people, and their skin was always white that way, day or night.”