Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 - December 30, 1967) (a/k/a Bert Russell and Bert Berns) was one of the great American songwriters and record producers of the 1960s. A pioneer of sixties rock and soul, Berns' contributions to popular music are among the most significant of his generation. His untimely death from heart failure at age 38 put a stop to a remarkable run of success as songwriter, producer and record label chief. November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... A songwriter is someone who writes either the lyrics or the music for songs. ... In the music industry, record producer designates a person responsible for completing a master recording so that it is fit for release. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and mostly distributed commercially. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Born in the Bronx, New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants, Berns contracted rheumatic fever as a child, an illness that would mark the rest of his life. Turning to music, he found consonance in the sounds of his African American and Latino neighbors. As a young man, Berns danced in mambo nightclubs, and made his way to Havana before the Cuban Revolution. The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ... Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which may develop after a Group A streptococcal infection (such as strep throat or scarlet fever) and can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... The word Latino derives from the Spanish word Latinoamericano and is generally applied to inhabitants of Latin America and their descendents living outside of Latin America. ... For other uses, see Mambo (disambiguation). ... Aerial view of Havana Havana (Spanish in full: San Cristóbal de La Habana, usually shortened to just La Habana; UN/LOCODE: CU HAV) is the capital of Cuba and, with a population of 2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Shortly after his return from Cuba, Berns began a seven-year run from an obscure Brill Building songwriter to the chief of his own record labels. His first hit record was "A Little Bit of Soap" performed by The Jarmels in 1961. One year later, the Isley Brothers recorded "Twist and Shout." During these years, Berns wrote and produced records for a wide range of labels, including Wand, United Artists, Capitol, Laurie, MGM, Big Top, Old Town, Roulette, and Atlantic Records. In 1963, Berns would replace Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as the staff producer at Atlantic, where he produced such acts as Solomon Burke ("Cry To Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love"), The Drifters ("Under The Boardwalk" and "Saturday Night at the Movies"), Barbara Lewis ("Baby I'm Yours" and "Make Me Your Baby"), Little Esther Phillips ("Hello Walls"), Wilson Pickett and LaVern Baker. Berns was also one of the only American record producers to travel across the Atlantic to London, where he produced a number of British Decca artists such as Them ("Here Comes The Night," "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Gloria"), and Lulu. The Brill Building (1930- ) in the United States is located at 1619 Broadway, in New York City, New York, just north of Times Square. ... The Isley Brothers are an American pop, R&B, funk and soul group who began their musical career in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley & Jerry Leiber Jerry Leiber (Born April 25, 1933) and Mike Stoller (Born March 13, 1933) are among the most important songwriters and music producers in post-World War II popular music. ... Solomon Burke (born March 21, 1940 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a soul and country music pioneer and member of the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... The Drifters were a long-lived American doo wop/R&B band, originally formed by Clyde McPhatter (of Billy Ward & the Dominoes) in 1953. ... Esther Mae Jones (1935-1984) who performed as Little Esther and as Esther Phillips, was an American singer; she performed in the pop, country, jazz, and rhythm and blues fields, including soul music. ... Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B and soul singer. ... LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 - March 10, 1997) was an American singer, originally billed as Little Miss Sharecropper, then Bea Baker. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ... Them can refer to: the name of a former band, starring Van Morrison. ... Lulu on the cover of her 2002 album Together Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie OBE (born 3 November 1948), best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer and songwriter most known for the 1960s international hit record To Sir, With Love. A native of Glasgow, Lulu shot to...

In 1965, Bert Berns formed his own record labels, Bang Records and Shout Records. Bang was home to such artists as The McCoys ("Hang On Sloopy"), The Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"), Van Morrison ("Brown Eyed Girl") and Neil Diamond ("Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry"). Berns formed Shout as an outlet for his R&B passions, recording Freddie Scott ("Are You Lonely For Me Baby") and Erma Franklin ("Piece of My Heart"). Bang Records was created by Bert Berns in 1965 together with his partners from Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun, Neshui Ertegun and Jerry Wexler (Gerald). ... Shout Records was a subsidiary of Bang Records, active between 1967 until 1972. ... The McCoys are pop group started in Union City, Indiana, USA in 1962. ... Hang on Sloopy is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is also the official rock song of the state of Ohio, USA. It was written by Wes Farrell and Bert Russell and is named for Dorothy Sloop, a singer... George Ivan Van Morrison (born August 31, 1945) is a singer and songwriter from Belfast, Northern Ireland. ... Essential Neil Diamond album cover. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Major solo artist that started off as a writer for Columbia Records with Carol King and Gerry Goffin. ... Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938–September 7, 2002) was an American soul, rhythm and blues, and pop singer. ...

Bert Berns' death in the last days of 1967 marked an end to the golden era of rock and soul music. One of his last songs, "Piece of My Heart", was originally recorded that year by Erma Franklin, covered shortly later by Big Brother and the Holding Company (fronted by then-unknown Janis Joplin), and whose chorus was the basis of Alive and Kicking's 1970 one-hit wonder single "Tighter, Tighter". Piece of My Heart is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns. ... Big Brother and the Holding Company was a rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the psychedelic music scene that also produced the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. ... Janis Joplin on the cover of her posthumously released live album In Concert Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter with a distinctive voice. ... Alive N Kickin’ (known originally as Alive and Kicking) is a Brooklyn band led by singers Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder, known mainly for their 1970 hit “Tighter, Tighter” which reached number seven in the United States charts. ... In the music industry, a one-hit wonder is an artist who is generally known for only one hit single. ...

Selected writing credits

• "A Little Bit Of Soap" The Jarmels (1961)
• "Twist And Shout" The Isley Brothers (1962)/The Beatles (1963)
• "Cry To Me" Solomon Burke (1962)
• "Tell Him" The Exciters (1962)
• "Cry Baby" Garnet Mimms (1963)/Janis Joplin (1971)
• "One Way Love" The Drifters (1963)/Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers (1964)
• "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" Solomon Burke (1964)/Wilson Pickett (1967)
• "Baby Let Me Take You Home" The Animals (1964)
• "Here Comes The Night" Them (1965)
• "I Want Candy" The Strangeloves (1965)/Bow Wow Wow (1982)
• "Hang On Sloopy" The McCoys (1965)
• "Down In The Valley" Otis Redding (1965)
• "I'll Take Good Care Of You" Garnet Mimms (1967)
• "Are You Lonely For Me Baby" Freddie Scott (1967)
• "Piece Of My Heart" Erma Franklin (1967)/Janis Joplin (1969)

External link

• Official Bert Berns Website

Selected discography

• The Heart and Soul of Bert Berns (2003) a CD encompassing some of Berns' best work.