10 Musicians Who Committed Real Crimes, Did Real Time - And Had Real Impact

One of the true originators of rock & roll, a pioneering guitarist and songwriter, and an icon of popular music, Chuck Berry was also an unscrupulous businessman, notoriously bad tempered and contrary - and rather tight-fisted when it came to money. The visceral, streamlined riffs of Johnny B Goode and Roll Over Beethoven will live down the ages, as will Berry’s ingeniously realised lyrics on tracks like You Never Can Tell, but he also once punched one of his greatest acolytes, Keith Richards, in the face simply for touching his guitar. Richards later called this Berry’s ‘greatest hit.'

Berry also had an extremely chequered history with the law. In 1944, before becoming a musician, he was convicted of armed robbery after trying to steal a car in Kansas City. He was released after serving two and a half years. Later, as a successful musician he was arrested and convicted of violating the Mann Act – which forbids transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. Berry had brought a 15 year old from Arizona, ostensibly to work in his club in St Louis checking hats. While some doubt was cast on his guilt – he claimed he believed she was 21, and his first trial collapsed after the judge made racist remarks – he served three further years in jail and was fined £10,000.

Later in life, as a world famous star, he was again in trouble – an accusation of tax evasion led to a further four month stint in prison. Berry died in 2017 with his peerless musical legacy intact, but the morals of his personal life and character very much up for debate.