It is always a sad occasion when a bona fide pioneer passes away, especially one who was once described by Bob Dylan – no mean songwriter himself – as the “Shakespeare of rock’n’roll”.

Whatever one thinks about the man’s Shakespearean tendencies (and, indeed, the less than savoury aspects of his personal life) there’s no doubting that Chuck Berry, whose death, at the age of 90, was announced on Saturday night by the St Charles County Police department, was fundamental to the development of the music form.

For many subsequent musicians, Berry was a visionary who formulated a new genre, and his influence on rock’n’roll and the notion of guitar-hero worship remains incalculable. He was also instrumental in breaking down racial barriers in the US, with music that made it possible for blues and R&B to be played on “white” radio stations across the country. Inevitably, tributes have poured in from across the world, with many internationally famous rock and pop musicians extolling the virtues of the man who effectively paved the way for their success.

Rory Gallagher

Indeed, Berry's influence on Irish musicians cannot be ignored. Rory Gallagher had cited Berry as being one of his primary musical heroes as he made the transition from playing in showbands to writing original material in the lead-up to forming Taste (indeed, in his solo years, Gallagher often performed Berry's classic rock'n'roll song Nadine). Gallagher was once quoted as saying of Berry: "He's the greatest, what can I say?"

You can join the dots from there to here – listening to Rory Gallagher was The Boomtown Rats’ Bob Geldof and U2’s The Edge. Even an Irish band as youthful as The Strypes can lay claim to being heavily influenced by Berry (“one of the most innovative musicians of all time”, the Cavan band tweeted at the weekend). And so it goes on. The rest, as they say, is a mixture of history and hearsay.

Certainly, Berry was no stranger to Ireland. His appearances included ABC Cinema, Belfast (1977); the Ballisodare Festival, Co Sligo (August 1981); the Grill Music Venue, Letterkenny, Co Donegal (March 2008); and – as far as we can ascertain, his final appearance in Ireland – the Academy, Dublin (July 2008).

Hail, hail rock’n’roll? A songwriting innovator who emphasised storytelling over doggerel? Another light goes out – that sky is getting darker and darker as the years pass.