Richard Berry
If for no other reason than that he was the original writer and performer of "Louie Louie" (itself based on "El Loca Cha Cha" by Rene Touzet), Richard Berry holds a permanent place of honor in the history of rock & roll. Beyond that, though, Berry was an important, if secondary, figure of the early- and mid-'50s Los Angeles R&B scene. As a teenager with the Flairs and as a solo act, Berry recorded quite a few singles that demonstrated his versatility with ballads, novelty songs, and even Little Richard-styled numbers. His facility with deep-voiced comic material was a clear forerunner of the Coasters, and in fact he was the uncredited lead singer on Leiber & Stoller's "Riot in Cell Block #9," recorded by the Robins (later to mutate into the Coasters). He took another uncredited vocal as Ella James' deep-voiced sparring partner on "Roll With Me, Henry," one of the biggest R&B hits of the mid-'50s. Berry originally recorded "Louie Louie" in 1956; the record was a regional hit in several West Coast cities, but no more than that.
Berry's recording career petered out in the late '50s, though he remained an active performer. In the early '60s, several Northwest bands seized upon "Louie Louie" as cover material, scoring sizable regional hits; finally, in 1963 the Kingsmen broke the song nationally, reaching number two. In the decades since then, "Louie Louie" became one of the most oft-covered rock standards of all time; there probably exists well over 1,000 versions. The song was investigated by the FBI and inspired parades and campaigns to adopt it as the official song of the state of Washington. The original version ironically remains extremely difficult to find, appearing only on obscure compilations (the Berry version on Rhino's Louie Louie anthology is a re-recording). For Berry there was a happy ending -- in the late '80s he regained the rights to his song that he had lost many years ago.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Have "Louie" Will Travel
Blues - Released by ACE RECORDS on 13 Apr 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classics from Doo-Wop Soul Man Richard Berry
Soul - Released by Platinum Collection on 12 Jun 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pioneers of Rhythm & Blues Volume 5
Soul - Released by Johnny Otis World LLC on 1 Apr 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yama Yama! The Modern Recordings 1954-1956
Blues - Released by ACE RECORDS on 23 Feb 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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That'll Flat Git It, Vol. 26 Rockabilly from the Vault of Four Star Records
Alternative & Indie - Released by Bear Family Records GmbH on 29 Jul 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Richard Berry
Soul - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 23 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You Look so Good
Blues - Released by Beth Montana on 19 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louie Louie: the Best of
Rock - Released by Burning Fire on 29 Apr 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Have Love, Will Travel
R&B - Released by Sound and Vision on 19 Aug 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louie, Louie 1953 - 1962 Richard Berry (CD 1 (hoch geladen))
Rock - Released by Bamboodi on 15 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HOLD ME, THRILL ME, CHILL ME
Pop - Released by Bamboodi on 20 Dec 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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