Russell Byrd

about

Bertrand Russell Berns (8 November 1929 – 30 December 1967), most commonly known as Bert Berns as well as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. A pioneer of sixties rock and soul, Berns made several notable contributions to popular music, including "Here Comes the Night", "Piece of My Heart", "Hang on Sloopy", and "Twist and Shout". He died of heart failure at age 38. 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. 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", written by Berns and Phil Medley. 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

top songs

albums

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The Roots Of Northern Soul - 40 Original Classics

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Testify

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The Sue Story

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Northen Soul Experience the Original Hits

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Phil Spector: The Early Productions

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Land Of 1000 Dances, Vol. 1

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Get On The Right Track: Mod R&B, Jazz & Ska

Land of 1000 Dances

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Boys of Northern Soul, Vol. 2

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The UK Sue Label Story Volume 3 : The Soul of Sue

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Sue Records' Greatest Hits

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Bert Berns Story - Volume One

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