Rebirth in America

The three members of Chuck Berry's band lived in a small hotel in New York. It was a dingy, dark little hotel located in an alley.

They chose to stay in this place simply because they had no money, and the price of this hotel was very cheap, only US$2 per person per day. But even so, the money in their pockets has almost been spent.

It was now their second day back from Carpenter Records. They had just gotten up and hadn't had breakfast yet.

I was so busy yesterday that when I returned to the hotel, I went to bed without even taking a shower. The hot water supply in this hotel is only from 9 to 10 pm. There is no water at other times, not even running water.

Before going to bed, they tried their best to create their own songs. However, Chuck's magic power seemed to run out all of a sudden. He wrote many songs, but the results were not satisfactory. Every time I write it halfway, I feel that this song is no different from the previous songs, but the lyrics have been changed, and I really can’t find the feeling I had in the recording studio.

"Damn it! I obviously got inspired after listening to the Carpenter Brothers' songs."

Chuck just felt like his mind was in a mess and he couldn't write anything. As for the other two partners, they knew nothing about songwriting and couldn't be of much help.

"What should we do! Don't we still have a week? Just write it before then." Johnson, the pianist, started to panic.

"Chuck! Chuck! We only have one dollar now, one dollar in total. This is not enough for us to stay in New York for a week." Drummer Bee said sadly.

Pianist Johnson also looked at Chuck, waiting for his answer. Now they were really at the end of their rope.

The three of them have always followed Chuck's lead, and they will do whatever Chuck says. He came to New York to try his luck this time because of his caution. It was Chuck who organized them in the factory and formed such a band.

Chuck touched his chin, thought for a moment and said, "Bring me the money!"

Drummer Bee gave the money to Chuck and asked, "Shall we go have breakfast now? It's too early."

Chuck ignored him, walked to a phone booth, and put his remaining $1 into the slot.

Seeing this situation, drummer Bee and pianist Johnson rushed over to try to stop Chuck. They shouted: "Don't mess around!"

"Chuck! You're crazy!"

"Ahhh! This is the only dollar left. My delicious breakfast and my beautiful life have been wasted by you."

Chuck closed the phone booth door forcefully, and all he said was: "What a waste!"

Drummer Bee and pianist Johnson could only stare at Chuck inside, helpless. Now they can only pray that Chuck has not gone crazy, but can actually find someone to help. However, they all knew that Chuck, like themselves, was a stranger in New York, so how could any relatives or friends suddenly appear?

"Hello? Operator, please help me find Alex Carpenter. Yes, that's Alex from the Carpenter Brothers."

After Chuck finished speaking, he patiently waited for the voice on the phone to ring.

"Hello? Who's looking for Alex?" a boy's voice said.

Chuck was overjoyed, and he quickly said: "It's me, I'm Chuck! Are you Alex?"

The boy paused, then replied, "I'm sorry, but my brother just went out. He's not home."

Chuck's heart almost sank to its lowest point, and he subconsciously asked: "Your brother? Then you are Richard?"

"Yes, I am Richard. Mr. Chuck, what do you want?"

Chuck felt that if he couldn't find his brother, he could find his younger brother. So he said: "That's it, we would like to ask for advice on how to write new songs. I wonder if you can help? We are now at the Haoyou Lai Hotel on Lane 11, Queen Street, New York."

Richard said with some embarrassment: "I, I still have to go to school. Also, unlike my brother, I can go out at will."

Damn, I almost forgot about that. Chuck thought to himself.

"Mr. Chuck, do you have anything else? If not, I will hang up." Richard said.

Chuck's brain was thinking quickly, and he quickly asked: "Do you know where your brother went?"

Richard paused and said, "I don't know where he went. However, it seems that he was often seen by the fountain in New York's Central Park. Maybe he is taking a walk somewhere now."

Chuck said happily: "Thank you! Thank you!"

He hung up the phone and pushed the door open. The friend outside quickly gathered around.

"How's it going? Have you found anyone?" Drummer Bi said.

Chuck waved his hand and said loudly: "Let's go to Central Park."

A group of three people came to Central Park in New York. In addition to having more trees and more grass, Central Park in this era already had the general appearance of later generations. This is also a very relaxing place.

Alex was indeed wandering around Central Park at this time, but he was not sitting alone on a chair by the fountain as usual. When he went out, he was disguised, wearing sportswear and a baseball cap. At first glance, I thought he was a middle school student skipping class, but there was no way to connect him with Rayleigh in the movie.

The Carpenter brothers are very famous, but they have been exposed relatively rarely, and not many people know them.

He ran out on the pretext of exercising. Staying at home was a waste of time anyway.

Central Park is one of his favorite places. Sometimes, when he is thinking, he will come here unknowingly. Looking at the scenery and tourists around him, he would feel like he was in a movie.

After the three Chucks arrived at Central Park, they realized that the place was too big and it was very difficult to find someone. Especially after he couldn't find anyone next to the fountain, even Chuck was a little panicked.

"Alex! Alex!" Chuck suddenly shouted loudly, causing everyone around him to look sideways.

Cha grabbed the other two people and said: "You also shout after me, I go in this direction, Johnson goes in that direction. And you go in that direction. If you don't find it, go back to this place and wait for the others."

He directed his two companions, shouting as they walked, not believing that they could not find anyone.

Alex was immersed in the beautiful scenery when he was interrupted by a shout.

"What bastard is calling me!" Alex stood up quickly, thinking that he had been recognized.

When he saw a black guy shouting and looking around.

"I seem to have seen this person somewhere, in a recording studio. Oh, it turns out to be Chuck's partner." With the help of perfect memory, Alex recognized the person as the pianist Johnson.

The behavior of the three Chucks has attracted the attention of others, and some people are planning to call the police. Those people think that these three niggas are disturbing public order.

A white man couldn't help but stepped forward and stopped Chuck: "Hey, nigger! What do you call your ghost? Get out of here, this is not where you come from."

Chuck looked at the man angrily, but he said nothing.

"I, we are looking for someone." Drummer looked at the white man with some worry and said in a low voice.

At this time, the pianist Johnson had not gone far. He realized that something was wrong, so he hurried back.

"Looking for someone? No matter what you're looking for, get out of here! This park is not for you dirty niggas."

When the white man refused to give up and planned to take action. A child's voice stopped him.

"Sir, please forgive me! They are here to find me. Let's leave now, leave now!"

It was Alex who spoke. Seeing that things were about to get worse, he hurried over. Black people in this era were very discriminated against by white people. There were many places where black people were not allowed to enter, and there were even cases where white people executed black people privately. Racial conflicts are very acute and can cause riots if you are not careful.

With Alex's intervention, the white man could only restrain himself slightly and just cursed and walked away.

After Chuck saw Alex, he suppressed the anger in his heart.

He smiled and said to Alex: "Thank you for your help!"

Alex shook his head, said nothing, and pulled them aside.

Chuck explained his purpose, then looked at Alex, waiting for his answer.

"How do you want me to help you? Write songs together?" Alex asked.

"Yes, I know I'm not mature enough when it comes to creating music." Chuck replied, and he added after thinking for a while: "Actually, the most important thing is that we have no money now. We have to ask you to borrow some money. Come to the rescue.”

Alex laughed, knowing that Chuck was very smart and quick to adapt. However, he also understood that Chuck was also very sincere, so he said without thinking, "No problem, let's go find a place now and chat and write."

They found a coffee shop, which was owned by a black man. The customers were all black. When Alex walked in, everyone looked at him, as if wondering how a white kid could come here. When the three Chucks also came in, they withdrew their gaze.

"Have a cup of coffee without sugar," Alex said to the waiter. After finishing speaking, he said to the other three people: "What do you want to drink? I'm treating you, you're welcome."

"I want a cup of coffee and milk tea!"

"I want coffee and milk tea too!"

"One cup of milk, add three tablespoons of sugar."

After Chuck and the others had finished ordering, Alex chatted slowly with them. At this time, he really realized that Chuck was a lean man, with not much flesh on his face, almost skin and bones. From the chat, Alex learned details about Chuck.

Chuck was born in 1926 in San Jose, a small town in California's Santa Clara Valley. It was the most difficult period of the Great Depression in the United States. Chuck's parents moved to St. Louis with their remaining child. At the age of six, Chuck began singing in the choir at a Baptist church.

"Haha, I didn't give a shit about this bullshit choir at the time." Chuck would speak unabashedly, especially when he was in the mood.

He continued: "I thought at the time, what's so good about singing? I might as well learn two skills. So when I was a teenager, I learned cosmetology and hairstyling. I studied it at the Polo Beauty School and got a diploma. I got a professional degree. At that time, I thought I would definitely enter a barber shop or beauty salon, but I didn’t expect to be locked up for several years before I came out.”

Alex asked curiously: "Why should I imprison you?"

Drummer Bee and pianist Johnson laughed heartily as they listened. Chuck shook his head, picked up the cup and took a big sip.

Pianist Johnson knew that Chuck was embarrassed to say it, so he explained: "Chuck is so courageous that he actually participated in an armed robbery. Fortunately, he was young, otherwise he wouldn't have been sent to a juvenile detention center for a few years. "

Alex sweated after hearing this. What kind of awesome people are these? They dare to commit armed robbery as teenagers. They are so crazy and ruthless!

Chuck licked his lips and said, "No matter what, the three years I spent there were not in vain. I learned a beautiful guitar, and now that I think about it, it's really my fate. After I came out, I found that St. Louis was everywhere. There were people playing rhythm and blues. When I heard it, hey! Isn’t this what I was playing in there? So I got together with those people and had a bite to eat. However, precisely because of this, I didn’t Go ahead and rob."

After hearing this, Alex nodded to show his understanding. The status of black people is low, and many people become homeless because they cannot find jobs. These people either beg or steal or rob. There are many black people like Chuck who have the experience of stealing, and it is not uncommon.

Chuck said viciously: "If you hadn't come out just now, I might have killed that bastard long ago."

Drummer Bee and pianist Johnson both nodded in agreement. Fighting was common for people like them. Especially after conflicts with white people, scuffles were commonplace.

"Then what if you encounter the police?" Alex frowned and said.

"Police? That depends on the situation. If the situation is not good, of course we have to run away. If there is a chance, we will fight them fiercely." Chuck said nonchalantly.

Alex didn't expect that they turned out to be such lawless guys. No wonder many white record companies don’t like signing black singers. It turns out there are various problems.

Chuck suddenly put his hands on the table, looked directly at Alex and said: "Boss! As long as you are willing to help me this time, I will recognize you as the boss! I have no other skills, but I still have some ability to recognize people. . As soon as I saw you, I knew that you didn’t discriminate against us black people like other people. Don’t look at those white people joking with you on the surface, but in fact they have scolded me countless times in their hearts. These people , duplicity, and very discriminatory towards us black people.”

Alex was stunned, not expecting Chuck to say these words. He didn't immediately agree to Chuck, nor did he reject him. He said, "You have quite a lot of confidence in me."