A new feature length documentary on the life and influence of Chuck Berry, who died March 18, 2017, at age 90, is on the way. The film, approved by the rock ’n’ roll pioneer’s widow, Themetta, is simply titled Chuck Berry. It had its premiere on October 4 at the Nashville Film Festival.
The film, from the U.K. company Cardinal Releasing Ltd., includes interviews and archival footage with such classic rock stars as Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Joe Perry, and many more.
Also featured are George Thorogood, Johnny Rivers, Nile Rodgers, Steve Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Gary Clark, Jr., and more.
Themetta Bailey, Ingrid Berry, and Charles Berry, Jr., are also prominently featured.
The film was directed and produced by Jon Brewer, whose previous documentary subjects include Nat King Cole and B.B. King.
There’s no word yet on when the film will be shown in theaters.
Watch the trailer for Chuck Berry: The Original King of Rock and Roll
Berry was also portrayed (by rapper Mos Def) in the film Cadillac Records, the story of Chicago’s Chess Records, for which Berry recorded all of his major hits.
Related: Dave Edmunds shares his Chuck Berry stories
Berry, one of the initial inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was the subject of one previous film, 1987’s Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll. That film documented the planning of a pair of 60th birthday concerts in Berry’s hometown of St. Louis, and featured appearances by Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Linda Ronstadt, Julian Lennon, Etta James, Robert Cray and Berry’s longtime pianist Johnnie Johnson.
Watch Chuck Berry and Keith Richards perform “Nadine” in 1987’s Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll
Related: Listen to many great Chuck Berry cover versions
Berry’s final album simply titled Chuck, his first collection of new material in nearly four decades, was released shortly after his passing.
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