Richard Berry (musician)

Richard Berry (born April 11, 1935 in Extension , Louisiana , † January 23, 1997 in Inglewood , California ) was an American singer and songwriter , who in the 1950s in the genres of rock 'n' roll and rhythm and blues was successful. His best-known piece is the rock 'n' roll classic Louie Louie .

Life

Berry's family moved to Los Angeles when he was a toddler. As a teenager he sang in local doo-wop groups such as The Penguins , The Cadets , The Chimes and, from 1953, with The Flairs . The Flairs recorded the song She Wants to Rock , which was produced by Leiber and Stoller . They also produced the group The Robins and had Berry sing the lead vocals on their hit Riot on Cell Block # 9 - without credit as he was under contract with another record label . Berry's distinctive bass was subsequently used on a number of recordings by other singers and groups, including Etta James , The Crowns and The Dreamers , which later became The Blossoms . In late 1954, Berry formed his own band, The Pharaos , but continued to work with other groups as a singer and songwriter.

In 1955 he wrote Louie Louie , inspired by his collaboration with the Latino group Rick Rillera and The Rhythm Rockers, in particular their version of the song El Loco Cha Cha by René Touzet . Another source of inspiration was Chuck Berry's composition Havana Moon . The Flairs first recorded Louie Louie in 1956. Other groups also played the song, the most successful cover version came in 1963 from The Kingsmen . The text was temporarily classified as obscene, and there was even an FBI investigation. To date, Louie Louie has been recorded over 1,000 times. However, Berry had no financial success with it as he sold the copyright cheaply in 1959.

Other pieces Berry wrote include Have Love, Will Travel , later a hit for The Sonics , and Crazy Lover , on the Rollins Band's 1987 debut album . In February 1996 Richard Berry appeared for the last time at a benefit concert. He died of heart failure in 1997.

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personal data
SURNAME	Berry, Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American singer and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH	April 11, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH	Extension , Louisiana
DATE OF DEATH	January 23, 1997
Place of death	Inglewood , California