Chuck Berry was born on October 18, 1926. There were many influences that berry had that formed his musical style. For example, Berry had the smooth vocal clarity similar to Nat King Cole. When Berry had played at his High School's student performance he chose to sing the song called "Confessin’ the Blues". After that successful performance he began to learn to play the guitar. Berry was taught some techniques from which his original sound came from by his friend named Ira Harris. In 1953 Berry joined a group called the Sir John’s Trio which later was renamed as the Chuck Berry Combo. Later on in 1955 when Berry went on a road trip to Chicago he found that his idol, Muddy Waters was at a club preforming. After the concert Berry asked about recording a record and from there he continued making hits successfully gaining popularity along the way. His popularity got him many television and movie appearances. Berry was able to break the color barrier due to his knowledge of the pop market so that he was playing to integrated audiences. Even in the 60s and 70s the Beatles and the Rolling Stones got some of their inspiration from Chuck Berry's music.