In 1972 however Berry would have his greatest chart success ever with a song that he had been playing live for tears called My-Ding-A-Ling. Originally recorded on the 1968 Mercury release From St. Louis to Frisco under the title "My Tamborine", it became Berry's best selling single of all time and was the first and only time he reached number 1 on the national charts. It started yet another comeback which resulted in the recording of The London Sessions which included a live version of "Reelin' and Rockin" that reached number 27 and was Berry's last chart success. Two more unimpressive albums for Chess were followed by a moderately successful Atco release which combined with a seemingly never ending stream of greatest hits packages clearly demonstrated that Berry's recording career was over. Once again he found himself bucking a system that increasingly was demanding artistic conformity, his intense sense of independence led him to back away from the recording industry and his last record recorded in 1979 in Berry Park was delivered to Atco sight unseen.
Berry's adventures with the law were not quite finished yet, in 1979 he was found guilty of tax evation and served a brief prison term, his third and hopefully last. The 1990's were marred by the allegations of a number of women who accused Berry of videotaping them in the bathroom at Berry Park and also at his Wentzville restaurant. Nonetheless Berry continues to give live performances all over the country however erratic they may sometimes be. He is well known for walking into a club alone with his guitar, picking up the check, and performing live with a band of local pick up musicians who have never played together before and for whom the only thing you can assume thay have in common is that they have cut their Rock and Roll teeth learning Chuck Berry songs.
When Chuck Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, he was introduced by Rolling Stones Guitarist Keith Richard who said "It's difficult for me to induct Chuck Berry, I lifted every lick he ever played". Berry has a reputation for being difficult and unpredictable but however difficult and unpredictable he may be his influence on Rock and Roll music is enormous, how could it be otherwise, he invented it.
