Chuck Berry v the IRS

Chuck Berry v the IRS

From Today In History with The Retrospectors by The Retrospectors

June 11, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 1399

About this episode

The episode explores Chuck Berry's legal troubles, particularly his tax evasion case and its implications.

It was the THIRD time behind bars for legendary rock n’ roller Chuck Berry when he was found to have dodged $110,000 in income tax on 11th June, 1979. He insisted on being paid cash-in-hand for his sometimes shambolic personal appearances, and his propensity for stashing it was so well-known that in Australia the authorities introduced limits on the amount of cash that could be transited across their border, specifically in response to him once stuffing $50,000 in his guitar case. In this episode, Rebecca, Arion and Olly dig deeper into some of Chuck Berry’s former convictions; take a disturbing peek into his home video library; and reveal the true origins of the ‘duck walk’... Content Warning: detail of underage, exploitative and non-consensual sexual acts Further Reading: • The New York Post on Berry’s scandalous sex life (2017): https://nypost.com/2017/03/21/the-dark-past-of-chuck-berrys-scandal-filled-sex-life/ • Inc. on why Berry’s ‘musical genius was also his financial undoing’ (2017): https://www.inc.com/jay-jay-french/how-chuck-berrys-musical-genius-was-also-his-financial-undoing.html • Chuck Berry’s duck walk - a compilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwZcLpYPKoI…

People in this episode

Hosts: Rebecca, Arion, Olly

Topics covered

  • Chuck Berry
  • tax evasion
  • rock music history
  • legal issues
  • cultural impact

Keywords

  • Chuck Berry
  • IRS
  • tax evasion
  • rock n' roll
  • legal issues
  • music history
  • duck walk

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Post, Inc.

Books & works: duck walk

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