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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Louie, Louie
Modern Jazz - Erschienen bei CHILLS´N FEVER am 02.06.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louie Louie
Jazz - Erschienen bei Black Sheep Music am 21.05.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louie Louie
Soul - Erschienen bei Dance Plant Records Inc am 03.01.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Teenager's Love Song
Soul - Erschienen bei Vintage Jukebox am 08.12.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jelly Roll & Rock
Soul - Erschienen bei Excess Music am 01.07.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Richard Berry
Soul - Erschienen bei Vintage Jukebox am 18.12.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Greatest Hits
Pop - Erschienen bei Vintage Jukebox am 08.06.2018
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THIS IS THE NIGHT FOR LOVE
Pop - Erschienen bei Bamboodi am 19.12.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Richard Berry - Greatest Hits (Best Value Music)
Blues - Erschienen bei Best Value Music am 20.01.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Have 'Louie' Will Travel
Rock - Erschienen bei Crazy Warthog Media am 01.01.2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -