Here is a portion of what Billboard said of Berry's passing at age 90: On this sad day, music fans are uniformly hailing Chuck Berry, who has passed away at the age of 90, as the godfather of rock. That's a far cry from the response the St. Louis singer-songwriter received 62 years ago when he made his debut with "Maybellene" on Chess Records. The response to his revolutionary sound was positive at the time, but also a tad condescending. At the very least, it was clear the grown-ups didn't get it.
"Berry socks across an amusing novelty with ace showmanship and expressive good humor," the review in the July 23, 1955 issue of Billboard reads. "The tune has a catchy rhythm and a solid, driving beat. Fine jockey and juke wax." (The last sentence just means it should be good fodder for radio and jukeboxes.)