re: I waited for a few days after Chuck Berry's death, is he the father of Rock and Roll?

Bill Haley & His Saddlemen - "Rock The Joint" (1952)

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This has the same melody as "Rock Around the Clock"

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Speaking of which:

The Maddox Brothers And Rose - "Hangover Blues" (1952)

Can't have a grandfather without a grandmother

Ya know, Bill Haley was one I forgot about, he was just ahead of Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard etc. so maybe he should be the father of rock and roll, wait let's not forget about Les Paul, he was the original guitar slinger who could swing and add a little rock and roll in to boot!

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the guitar player threw down on the same solo he used on "Rock Around the Clock"

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In 1952, Cedrone played lead guitar on Haley's version of "Rock the Joint", and his swift guitar solo, which combined a jazz-influenced first half followed by a lightning-fast down-scale run, was a highlight of the recording. (Haley's piano player, Johnny Grande, later described this solo as a "gimmick" that Cedrone often used.)

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According to the book Rock Around the Clock by Jim Dawson, Cedrone had been unable to attend the session rehearsal and was uncertain what to play for the first instrumental break in the song. One of the Comets (accounts differ as to exactly who) suggested Cedrone repeat the solo he'd played on "Rock the Joint". Although Danny's wife Millie and daughter Marie recall an informal rehearsal at their home in South Philadelphia after dinner where the two men ran through a few solos, and the Rock The Joint break was one of them. The resulting solo, which was smoother than the previous recorded version, is widely considered one of the greatest rock and roll guitar solos of all time.

Cedrone was paid only $21 for his work on the session, as at that time Haley chose not to hire a full-time guitarist for his group.

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On June 17, ten days after this session, Cedrone died of a broken neck after falling down a staircase (some sources say he died of a heart attack).

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The other grandfather:

Hank Williams - "Move it on Over" (1947)

This has the same melody as "Rock Around the Clock"

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Charley Patton - "Going To Move To Alabama" (1929)

Play at 1.5 speed

This is a good place to heartily recommend this book for those ITT who haven't already read it a dozen times like I have.

The final chapter on Esau Smith is worth twice the price you might pay for a copy all by itself.

Probably, based on the number songs he wrote at the time and have since been covered by amateur and professionals.

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Yeah, I'm also a fan of Nick Tosches. Have you read Country: The Biggest Music in America?

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Oh yeah, many years ago, although I don't own a copy - I'll probably find a copy somewhere and re-read it. More recently, Where Dead Voices Gather was also very good, essentially a sequel of C:TBMIA that focused almost exclusively on the saga of Emmett Miller.

And I'm proud to say I'm actually mentioned in Hellfire - not individually, but in a group description...on page 251 of the paperback edition, to wit:

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On the evening of April 1, he walked onto the stage of the Old South Jamboree in Walker, Louisiana, and he beheld those who had assembled before him: whoremongers and idolaters, Saducees and freethinkers, dick-sucking blondes and slaves of mammon - all manner of filth born of the flesh of woman.

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I'm assuming I would have fit in at least one of the categories (but I am compelled to point out that I'm not, nor have ever been, a blonde...)

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Anyone who's ever picked up a guitar is playing some Chuck Berry licks whether they know it or not.

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You might even say, "All of Chuck's children are out there playing his licks."