Richard Berry (musician)
| Richard Berry | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Berry, Jr. |
| Born |
April 11, 1935 Extension, Louisiana, United States |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Died | January 23, 1997 (aged 61) Inglewood, California |
| Genres | Doo-wop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1950s–1996 |
| Labels | Modern (Flair, RPM, Crown), Flip, Happy Tiger, Smash, others |
| "Louie Louie" | ||||
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| Single by Richard Berry | ||||
| A-side | "You Are My Sunshine" | |||
| B-side | "Louie Louie" | |||
| Released | April 1957 | |||
| Format | Vinyl single | |||
| Recorded | 1957 | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:09 | |||
| Label | Flip 321 | |||
| Writer(s) | Richard Berry | |||
| Richard Berry singles chronology | ||||
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| Note: Flip 321 re-released later in 1957 with "Louie Louie" as A-side with "Rock, Rock, Rock" B-side.
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Richard Berry, Jr. (April 11, 1935 – January 23, 1997) was an African-American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including The Flairs and The Robins.
He is best known as the composer and original performer of the rock standard "Louie Louie". The song went on to be a hit for The Kingsmen, becoming one of the most recorded songs of all time; however, Berry received little financial benefit for writing it until the 1980s, having signed away his rights to the song in 1959. In that same year, he wrote and released "Have Love, Will Travel", which has been covered by many artists.
Berry was born in Extension, south of Monroe, Louisiana, and moved with his family to Los Angeles as a baby. As a child he suffered a hip injury and had to walk on crutches until he was six. His first instrument was the ukulele, which he learned while attending a summer camp for crippled children.
Berry attended Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, and along with many other pupils practised singing vocal harmonies in the corridors.
He began singing and playing in local doo-wop groups, recording with a number of them including The Penguins, The Cadets and the Chimes, the Crowns, the Five Hearts, the Hunters, the Rams, the Whips, and the Dreamers, an otherwise all-female quartet from Fremont High. He then joined The Flairs (who also recorded as the Debonaires and the Flamingoes) in 1953.
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