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| Bert Berns
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Before becoming one of the era's preeminent songwriter/producers, Bert Berns made a serious attempt at becoming a recording artist in his own right. Performing under several pseudonyms, Berns loved to get behind the microphone, going so far as to perform under the name Russell Byrd on a lost episode of American Bandstand in the summer of 1961. [read more] |
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| Hoagy Lands
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Hoagy Lands was said to have been Bert Berns' personal favorite vocalist, and is the only recording artist to work with Berns from his first sessions in 1960 to the last days of his life in 1967. Despite the lack of commercial success and almost total obscurity, many in the know believe that the Bert Berns / Hoagy Lands collaborations made for some of the very best music of the era. [read more] |
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| The Exciters
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The Exciters hold a special place in the Bert Berns repertoire - and in his heart - as they were the only group to work with Berns from the beginning of his career to the very end. And the Exciters' enduring classic "Tell Him" marked both Berns' arrival as one of the great songwriters of the era and the beginning of an important relationship with Leiber and Stoller (who produced the track). Berns loved the quartet so much that they were the only group to record for both his Bang and Shout record labels, and he made some of his best records with the Exciters in those final days. [read more] |
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| Garnet Mimms
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Though not as widely known as many of his contemporaries, Garnet Mimms – with the guidance and direction of Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns – made soul ballads that are as brilliant as any to come from the golden age, best evidenced by the transformational hit “Cry Baby.” And though the occasional Berns / Ragovoy collaboration can be found throughout their respective discographies, their finest and most consistent work together is found in the music of Garnet Mimms. [read more] |
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| Freddie Scott
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According to soul aficionados, Bert Berns' Freddie Scott LP "Are You Lonely For Me" is one of the greatest albums released during the golden age of soul. Brought to Berns' Shout Records label by close friend and artist manager Carmine "Wassel" DeNoia, Berns took Freddie Scott into the studio and made some of the best work of their lives. The title track "Are You Lonely For Me Baby" went straight to number one on the R&B charts for four weeks, and Freddie Scott was voted Number One Newcomer in Cashbox Magazine. Only the death of Bert Berns prevented the world from truly knowing and appreciating the "distinctive, powerful and extremely soulful tenor" of the great Freddie Scott. [read more] |
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