The first music I remember, with the exception of nursery rhymes perhaps, is that which populated my father's modest but exquisite collection of vinyl LP's.
They were housed at floor level, somewhat coyly, in a large faux-wooden cabinet against which our dining room table and chairs stood.
I would sit beneath the table, aged around 8 years old, thumbing through the original Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones LP's, more often than not reaching for a particular single; that of Chuck Berry's much loved 'Johnny B. Goode'.
I vivdly recall placing it on my Dad's record player, a wonderful object, encased in wood and metal, encapsulating all the glorious physicality of vinyl.
The song also plays a prominent part in one of my all-time favourite films, Stephen Spielberg's sci-fi adventure 'Back to the Future', Michael J Fox memorably playing an over enthusiastic version on stage at a 1950's high school dance.
Whether it was my prior love for the film that made me seek out that record among the dusty sleeves, I can't be sure, but the memories of both the film version and Berry's itself are so intwined now as to make no difference.
Friends were infuriated by tuneless renditions in the playground and who knows how many times I pretended to be Marty McFly, tennis racket in hand, duck walking my way across the living room floor?
It was the first song with which I was completely obsessed. The perfect introduction to the excitement of rock 'n' roll.
They were housed at floor level, somewhat coyly, in a large faux-wooden cabinet against which our dining room table and chairs stood.
I would sit beneath the table, aged around 8 years old, thumbing through the original Jerry Lee Lewis, Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones LP's, more often than not reaching for a particular single; that of Chuck Berry's much loved 'Johnny B. Goode'.
I vivdly recall placing it on my Dad's record player, a wonderful object, encased in wood and metal, encapsulating all the glorious physicality of vinyl.
The song also plays a prominent part in one of my all-time favourite films, Stephen Spielberg's sci-fi adventure 'Back to the Future', Michael J Fox memorably playing an over enthusiastic version on stage at a 1950's high school dance.
Whether it was my prior love for the film that made me seek out that record among the dusty sleeves, I can't be sure, but the memories of both the film version and Berry's itself are so intwined now as to make no difference.
Friends were infuriated by tuneless renditions in the playground and who knows how many times I pretended to be Marty McFly, tennis racket in hand, duck walking my way across the living room floor?
It was the first song with which I was completely obsessed. The perfect introduction to the excitement of rock 'n' roll.
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