Richard Berry & The Pharaohs

about

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs was a short-lived American band led by Richard Berry (1935-1997) that Berry formed at the end of 1954 after he left the Flairs to form his own group. In 1955, Berry was inspired to write a new calypso-style song, "Louie Louie". He took inspiration from a version of René Touzet's "El Loco Cha Cha" that Berry heard being played by a local Californian band called Ricky Rillera and the Rhythm Rockers, and he was also influenced by Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon". Richard Berry & the Pharaohs recorded and released the song on Flip Records in 1957, originally as a B-side. It became a minor regional hit in the US, and, when the group toured the US Pacific Northwest, several local R&B bands began to adopt the song and established its popularity. "Louie Louie" finally became a major hit when The Kingsmen's raucous version – with little trace of its calypso-like origins other than in its lyrics - became a US national, and then international, hit in 1963. The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics were widely misinterpreted as obscene, and the song was banned by radio stations and even investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The song has been recorded over 1,000 times, but, because Berry sold its copyright cheaply in 1959, he received little financial reward for its success for many years. While the title of the song is often rendered with a comma ("Louie, Louie"), in 1988 Berry told Esquire magazine that the correct title of the song was

top songs

albums

Have "Louie" Will Travel

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Born Bad - Vol. 4

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Flip Hits!

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Coffee And Cigarettes

Louie Louie

Somewhere There's A Rainbow

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Have Louie Will Travel

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You Heard It Here First

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Music From & Inspired By Animal House

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You Heard It Here First!

Savvy Sugar: The Pure Essence Of West Coast Rock & Roll

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Juke Box Hits Vol. II

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