Chuck Berry statue unveiled in St. Louis

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Rock ‘n’ roll icon Chuck Berry told the crowd on hand for the unveiling of a larger than life size bronze statue in his honor in St. Louis it was “an honor just to have you walk by.”

One of the most impressive 8-feet-tall bronze statues, Berry’s custom bronze statue currently sits in the city’s Delmar Loop. It was sculpted by Harry Weber and will be permanently located in a landscaped, tree-lined plaza in the Delmar Loop, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

“All of you wonderful people, it’s an honor to just have you walk by in this hot sun,” Berry said to the hundreds of spectators who gathered around him during the statue dedication.

The large bronze statue resulted from the efforts of Joe Edwards, Blueberry Hill owner and founder of the St. Louis Walk of Fame, and Charlie Brennan of KMOX-AM, who headed the campaign to raise money for the $100,000 project.

Shortly before the bronze dedication, Great Rivers Greenway held a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce the Centennial Greenway, which will be a $1.8 million, 20-mile bike and pedestrian pathway, part of which opened Friday and includes the plaza that features the large statue.

Other entertainment at the custom statue unveiling included performances by the Blues Plus band, the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church Choir and Show-Me Sound Drumline.

“Chuck Berry created a new music expression that inspired generations of young people to find their voice,” Weber said. “The bronze statue and Blueberry Hill are bookends to Chuck’s 50 years of rock and roll greatness. Thanks, Chuck, for providing the sound track to my youth.”

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