From the Impact Series, Songs That Changed the World - featuring Chuck Berry: Maybellene was recorded on May 21, 1955 and is referred to as the birth of rock 'n' roll history. Berry took an old Western swing-style song, gave it an extra kick with his signature electric guitar licks, and renamed it Maybellene. Berry's guitar style influenced an entire genre of musicians and the song had a tremendous social and cultural bearing in the transitional environment of the 1950s.