The prospect of making money always attracted the Chess brothers’ interest, and the same may be said of their star performer, Chuck Berry. In 1956 Berry’s music was still stigmatized as “race music,” not to be played on white rock and roll stations. But a novelty tune might just scrape through, and why not hop on the latest craze, Calypso? Hence “Havana Moon.” It didn’t achieve the breakthrough figures enjoyed by Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O,” but it’s not exactly shabby either. And while Belafonte inherited his Calypso roots from his parents, Berry had to make his out of whole cloth.
