Chuck Berry Honored at ACM Awards, Not So Much at MLB Opener
The late, great Chuck Berry has been receiving tributes right and left following his passing on March 18, but Sunday night (April 2) proved to deliver a particularly interesting couplet of recognition for the rock ‘n’ roll icon.
At the 52nd annunal Academy of Country Music Awards, held in Las Vegas, the show opened up with a montage of expected Nashville artists, but then segued quickly into an unexpected performance by the show’s hosts Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan, accompanied by the Eagles’ Joe Walsh, in a rollicking performance of the Berry classic “Johnny B. Goode.”
Related: Rolling Stones Pay Tribute to Chuck Berry: ‘Your Music Is Engraved Inside Us Forever’
As Bryan pointed out after the performance, Berry “influenced every form of music — including country” – a statement that had the audience roaring in approval.
Related: Celebrities Pay Tribute to Chuck Berry
A bit east of Las Vegas, however, things weren’t going quite as well. Berry’s daughter Ingrid, who had been tapped to sing the National Anthem at the St. Louis Cardinals/Chicago Cubs opener (Berry was a native of St. Louis) gave a performance that garnered mostly negative reviews. While some called it “beautiful,” far more were shaking their heads.
The late Chuck Berry’s daughter Ingrid delivered a beautiful rendition of the national anthem. #STLCards #Cubs pic.twitter.com/SQuLOTGDvb
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) April 3, 2017
No disrespect to Chuck Berry. All disrespect to Chuck Berry’s daughter, haven’t heard an anthem butchered that bad in years.
— Josh Sadlock (@JoshSadlock) April 3, 2017
Chuck Berry’s daughter just Leslie Nielsen’d that National Anthem.
— Marc Taylor (@TheLollipopking) April 3, 2017
Chuck Berry daughter just ruined opening day lmao
— Colton griffey (@ThirdBaseCrew) April 3, 2017
If we had to bet, we’d bet on Luke, Dierks, and Joe’s version to win in this particular unexpected coincidental clash of the Berry tributes.
The 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were aired live from Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena April 2.
