There aren't many giants of music still striding the earth. With the death of Chuck Berry another titan has left the stage. Out of that remarkable explosion of new sounds in the fifties he is one of the few who remains fresh and vital today. Swing, boogie, jazz and a whole heap of country were fused to become a new strand in the DNA of rock. Popular music was becoming more vigorous, more virile, good-humoured and irreverant. More fun, in short. Chuck Berry embodied that spirit with his infectious guitar riffs, great songs (no one else could write such cleverly constructed lyrics and have them sound so spontaneous and natural), and that irrepressible grin. While it's sad to read of his passing, seeing his name automatically brought memories of good songs, good times and got my fingers itching to play my guitar. That can't be a bad legacy for anyone.