Cool Cuts
Thursday May 11th, 2017 with Chris Sharp
An exploration of producer Bert Berns career 1960-1967

Bert Berns, born November 8, 1929 was a songwriter/producer who was involved in the making of several of the best remembered pop/soul hits of the 1960's. Songs like Hang On Sloopy, Piece Of My Heart, Twist and Shout and many others are directly attributable to the talents of Bert Berns. Berns heart was weakened as a child from contracting rheumatic fever, later in life many of his lyrics would be driven by the specter of an early death which hung over Berns like a shroud in the last year of his life (as he continued to drink, smoke and work long hours).Berns developed an interest in mambo and salsa music in his late teens, worked in the music business in the early 50's (with little success) relocating to Cuba during the mid 1950's and returned to New York after the Cuban revolution to work at the Brill Building as a songwriter. Incorporating Cuban rhythms and Bo Didley drumbeats with gospel influences he was soon working as a producer and scored a hit under the name of Russell Byrd in 1961. He worked with an incredible number of artists and also started up a few record labels including Bang Records. He wrote or produced (or both) all the songs listed below between 1960 and 1967 before his death on December 30, 1967 of heart failure. Many of his pop/soul songs went on to become hits for performers in mainstream rock and pop. Bert Berns was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.