I started writing about bassists to work my way up to this unusual choice.
Chuck Berry is my #1 bassist because I believe he was the most important artist of the 20th century, and he played bass on the most important song.
By "important", I mean having the greatest influence on the greatest number of people. Picasso was a great artist, but most people probably couldn't tell his blue period from Duchamp's bathroom. I bet like McDonald's “served”, the number of people who recognize the guitar lick to "Johnny B. Good" and the vocal hook to "No Particular Place to Go" approaches the billions.
Chuck ain't McDonalds though. In songs like "Too Much Monkey Business" and "Roll Over Beethoven", he perfected the one-syllable-per eighth note vocal style. This delivery had ancestors in a country form called the talkin' blues, but only through Chuck it would eventually become rap. His punishing electric guitar rhythm set the stage for Ramones, his winding complex leads for Metallica.
On "Memphis" though, Chuck takes rock 'n roll, and uses it to invent 'rock'.
What's the difference? Musically, Chuck is still working the vein he started with "Maybelline", which was a re-working of Bob Wills' song "Ida May". As he put it in his autobiography, he was playing what he called 'hillbilly music' – white country – in the style of the current black R&B. Chuck invented mashup and remix culture.
Lyrically "Memphis" is a miracle. It's sounds like it's about a lost love, and it is, but there's a twist. Unlike the dance of the same time, this lyrical twist isn't a fad – even once you know the girl is his daughter, it's still worth repeated listens. "Memphis" is a poem by Chuck Berry, set to music by Chuck Berry. It's bittersweet and full of tiny detail, the groove moving the narrative along as much as the dance floor.
Rock was created when Chuck broke all the rules, in a simple and obvious way that everybody else could follow. Rock 'n roll songs were all about girls and cars – "Memphis" bent the form into a new shape, opened the possibility to how much more rock songs could be.
His legacy and importance were almost immediately drowned out, both by brilliant remixing formbenders like the Beatles and Dylan – neither of whom could have done their work in the late 60s without him – and primitive copycats in garages who only learned his lessons of power and volume.
But isn't that such a huge part of the act of service, in giving your creation to the world? If you make something really popular – like, internationally popular for decades – then some people are gonna do their own thing with it.
So it's no surprise Chuck plays a gnarly lead bass part on "Memphis" – he's got bassist mindset already. Serving the song more than himself.
Listen, dance, think, enjoy, go Johnny go!