Six people, one job.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Charles Berry Jr. grew up in a home where music was everywhere.

His father was a professional singer, songwriter, guitarist, and touring musician. His mother maintained a vast record collection spanning thousands of 78s, 45s, and LPs. Together, they gave Charles an unusually broad musical education, teaching him both how music is created and that great music is never confined to a single genre.

Charles received his first guitar around age twelve, although at the time he was more interested in the way guitars looked than in learning to play one.

That changed much later. At age 39, Charles joined his father's touring band as second guitarist. He had never previously played in a band and describes the experience as the ultimate combination of taking your child to work and learning on the job.

With guidance from his father, his sister, and his father's longtime friend and bass player, Charles learned how to work as a professional musician while doing it on stages around the world. From 2001 through 2014, he toured internationally as a guitarist in his father's act. He also had the honor of participating in his father's final studio album, released in 2017.

The idea that eventually became What The Chuck! began after a concert promoter approached Charles about participating in a St. Louis concert series. Charles called his son Charlie, his nephew Jahi, and Keith Robinson, the drummer from his father's band. From there, the musicians who would complete the lineup came together. The group initially performed under the name Chuck Berry Forever before evolving into What The Chuck!

Their first performances began in 2021, and the mission has remained remarkably simple: keep the music alive.

Today, Charles brings decades of firsthand experience, family history, and an enormous sense of joy to What The Chuck! while continuing the musical education that began in his childhood home.

Jahi Eskridge is a St. Louis native, vocalist, and brass musician whose musical foundation began early with trumpet and trombone.

Growing up in the University City School District, Jahi performed in orchestra, jazz, and marching-band programs before continuing his musical development at Lincoln University of Missouri in Jefferson City.

His experience spans an eclectic cross-section of the St. Louis music community. Jahi has performed with groups including Big Brother Thunder and the Master Blasters, Kreative Pandemonium, Saint Boogie Brass Band, FatPocket, and What The Chuck!

That range of experience brings a distinctive energy to the What The Chuck! stage. As both a vocalist and horn player, Jahi connects the music's rock-and-roll foundation with the soul, brass, rhythm, and live-performance traditions that continue to shape St. Louis music.

As a grandson of Chuck Berry, Jahi's connection to the music is deeply personal. With What The Chuck!, he brings that connection into the present with energy, personality, musicianship, and an instinct for engaging the room.

Terrance Coleman is a St. Louis-born multi-instrumentalist, bassist, composer, and veteran performer whose musical roots run deep through the city's North Side and church traditions.

Raised in a home where music was a constant presence, Terrance learned to play guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards while growing up under the spiritual and musical influence of Bishop A.C. Coleman. During his teenage years, he performed in ensembles with his brother, Pastor Dr. Danny Coleman, and other talented young musicians from the community.

Terrance soon began performing with some of St. Louis' most respected artists, including Oliver Sain, Phil Westmoreland, Shirley Brown, Luther Ingram, and Fontella Bass. His career later took him to California, where he continued performing with leading musicians of the era before eventually returning home.

Back in St. Louis, Terrance helped form the band Physical Therapy, serving as a principal composer and creative force behind much of the group's original music. Today, he continues to write and perform with Physical Therapy and also serves as bassist for Ernie Isley and the Jam Band.

Terrance brings decades of musicianship, performance experience, and creative insight to What The Chuck!, helping carry the music forward with authenticity, power, and purpose.