His most prolific and successful period spanned the 1950s and early 1960s, during which time he recorded for Chess.

By 1960 he had released most of his hits, including "Maybellene", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Sweet Little Sixteen", and "Johnny B. Goode".

Legal troubles, resulting in his imprisonment in 1961, caused a reduction in his output, but his release in 1963, combined with an interest in his songs thanks to the British invasion, rejuvenated his career.

Berry's discography includes a large amount of unofficial live albums, as he performed without being signed to any label for most of his latter years, as well as a number of re-packaged or unofficial compilation albums, owing to Chess Records complicated ownership history.

Overseas, Berry's discography differed from that in the US, most notably in the UK, where his early work was released mostly by London Records until 1960, then Pye Records until 1965, before being issued directly by Chess or Mercury.