Here Comes the Night (60 page)

THE EXCITERS
: Brenda Reid (lead vo), Carol Johnson, Lillian Walker, Herb Rooney (vo) with orch. arr. by Garry Sherman: tp; ts; bs; p; Eric Gale (g); g; el-b; dm; tamb; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Prod. by Bert Berns.

New York, April 1967

GARY (U.S.) BONDS
(Gary Anderson) (vo) with band (+ org) and bkd-vo as above (split session). A (Frank) Guida-(Doug) Morris-(Eliot) Greenberg Production. (Bert Berns present).

New York, April 1967

FREDDIE SCOTT
(vo) with orch. arr-cond. by Garry Sherman: tp, ts, bs, p, 2g, el-b, dm, tamb. Add prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo)-1. Prod. by Bert Berns.

A&R Recording Studios, New York, May 24, 1967

ERMA FRANKLIN
(vo) with p; 2g; el-b; dm; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Add org omit bkd-vo -2. Arr-cond. by Garry Sherman-1. Prod. by Bert Berns.

New York, June 1967

LORRAINE ELLISON
(vo) with orch. arr. by Garry Sherman: tp; tb; ts; bs; org; p; 2g; el-b; dm; strings; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Prod. by Jerry Ragovoy.

A&R Recording Studios, New York, June 1967

ERMA FRANKLIN
(vo) with orch. arr-cond. By Garry Sherman: tp; ts; p; 2g; Eric Gale (el-b); dm; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Prod. by Bert Berns.

New York, August 1967

DONALD HEIGHT
(vo) with orch. arr-cond. by Garry Sherman: tp; tb; ts; bs; org; p; 2g; el-b; dm; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Prod. by Bert Berns.

Century Sound Studios, New York, August 1967

VAN MORRISON
(vo) with Artie Butler or Paul Griffin (org-1,p-2); Al Gorgoni or Hugh McCracken or Donald Thomas (2g); Bob Bushnell or Russell Savakus (el-b); Herbie Lovelle or Gary Chester (dm); George Devens (tamb, cga, triangle); Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Myrna Smith (bkd-vo). Arr. by Garry Sherman. Prod. by Bert Berns.

Century Sound Studios, New York, September, 1967

VAN MORRISON
(vo) with Artie Butler or Paul Griffin (org-1,p-2); Al Gorgoni or Hugh McCracken or Donald Thomas (g, ac-g); Bob Bushnell or Russell Savakus (el-b); Herbie Lovelle or Gary Chester (dm); George Devens (cga, tamb); Cissy Houston, Dee Dee Warwick, Myrna Smith (bkd-vo -3). Arr. by Garry Sherman. Prod. by Bert Berns.

Incredible Sounds Studios, New York, November, 1967

FREDDIE SCOTT
(vo) with as, org, 2g, el-b, dm, fem-cho. Omit as, org-1. Prod. by Bert Berns & Freddie Scott.

New York, November 1967

ERMA FRANKLIN
(vo) with tp; tb, ts; bs; p; 2g; el-b; dm; tamb; prob. The Sweet Inspirations: Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, Estelle Brown (bkd-vo). Omit horns-1. Arr-cond. by Garry Sherman. Prod. by Bert Berns.

Bell Sound Studios, New York, November 1967

VAN MORRISON
(vo) with Al Gorgoni or Hugh McCracken or Donald Thomas (2g); Bob Bushnell or Russell Savakus (el-b); Herbie Lovelle or Gary Chester (dm). Prod. by Bert Berns.

Incredible Sounds Studios, New York, December 11, 1967

ABBREVIATIONS

ac-g = acoustic guitar, arr = arranged, as = alto saxophone, b = upright bass, BBadmo/dy/yr = Billboard advertisement date, BBmo/dy/yr = Billboard review date, bgo = bongos, bjo = banjo, bkd-vo = background vocal, bs = baritone saxophone, CBadmo/dy/yr = Cash Box advertisement date, CBmo/dy/yr = Cash Box review date, cga = congas, cl = clarinet, cond = conducted, COPmo/dy/yr = U.S. Copyright registration date, dir = directed, (E) = English/U.K. issue, el-b = electric bass, el-p = electric piano, (F) = French issue, f-h = french horn, fem-cho = female chorus, fl = flute, (G) = German issue, g = electric guitar, hca = harmonica, (J) = Japanese issue, LOCmo/dy/yr = Library of Congress registration date, mixed-cho = male and female chorus, orch = orchestra, org = organ, p = piano, perc = percussion, prob = probably, prod = produced, rel = released, s = saxophone, ss = soprano saxophone, tamb = tambourine, tb = trombone, tp = trumpet, ts = tenor saxophone, tu = tuba, v = violin, vb = vibes, vo = vocal, xyl = xylophone.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
HE NAME BERT
Berns first stood out to me reading Charlie Gillett’s landmark history of rock music,
The Sound of the City
, where I immediately recognized a common ingredient to the records Berns made that Gillett cited. I spent years looking for his name in the small print on 45 RPM records. Some of his best records were never hits. His music became a subject of fascination for me. I wrote an article in the
San Francisco Chronicle
in 1975 about Berns that attracted the attention of both Jerry Wexler, his mentor, and Ilene Berns, his widow.

Occasionally I would run into people who knew him and ask them about the man. Tony Orlando was one—I was following him around for another
Chronicle
article on the day of his return to performing after a year recovering from a dramatic breakdown, a big day in his life to be sure—and he introduced me to his friend, Brooks Arthur, who came to the Bay Area to spend the day with Tony. Brooks engineered many of Berns’s greatest records.

I met Cassandra Berns, his grown daughter, at a performance by Big Brother and the Holding Company in San Francisco in 1994 when Melissa Etheridge was going to sit in with the band and sing three songs as a kind of audition for a film under preproduction at the time on the life of Janis Joplin. The producers had paid a lot of money for the rights to the Berns song “Piece of My Heart” and were probably even going to use the song’s title for the movie. Cassandra’s brother Brett Berns was sick that night at his hotel room, but when we did finally meet some
weeks later, the idea for the book was born in a memorable night playing those old 45s and staying up way too late talking.

Most of the interviews for this book were conducted in New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles between May and November 1998. The actuarial tables have been cruel to this generation since then. Among the losses—Ellie Greenwich, Gene Pitney, Phil Ramone, Red Schwartz, Ray Passman, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Jimmy Jones, Jerry Leiber, Jerry Ragovoy, Tom Dowd, Hal David, Herbie Wasserman, Paul Griffin, Erma Franklin, Paul Marshall, Sid Bernstein, Linda Laurie, Berns’s niece Robin Levine, all these and more.

Many people went above and beyond in assisting. Richard Gottehrer conducted a memorable tour of the hallways of 1650 Broadway and the neighborhood. Jerry Leiber kept inviting me back, took me to dinner at Lawry’s, and was his magnificent self on all occasions. Wassel (Carmine DeNoia) was a gracious host at many dinners and always an entertaining, congenial companion. Solomon Burke met me at his “office,” Jerry’s Deli in the Valley, and Jeff Barry spent all afternoon sitting around the pool at the Sunset Marquis. Doug Morris cleared his schedule to talk Berns and fondle old 45s. Phil Ramone canceled his interview midsession to schedule another, longer interview. Ellie Greenwich spent months avoiding a meeting, but when she finally invited me over, she spent the rest of the day reliving events and revisiting feelings she would have rather not. Berns’s old pals Ray Passman and Paul Colby made major contributions. Ilene Berns gave me six hours of passion, fury, and offense taken at forty-year-old insults as fresh as if they had been delivered only the week before.

Neil Zusman served as investigator, administrative assistant, driver, and confidant during the New York stage of the project. “Moist” Paula Henderson, the world’s sexiest baritone sax player, transcribed the interviews and already had Betty Harris records in her collection. The late, great Pat Baird at BMI provided a lot of encouragement, support, and photos. John Ingrassia at Sony Music took time to help.

Interviews included Solomon Burke, Betty Harris, Garnet Mimms, Charles Thomas, Ben E. King, Barbara Lewis, Sarah Dash, Wilson Pickett, Freddie Scott, Rick Derringer, Erma Franklin, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Tom Dowd, Brooks Arthur, Phil Ramone, Artie Butler, Garry Sherman, Jerry Ragovoy, Ray Passman, Paul Colby, Ilene Berns, Ersel Hickey, Mickey Lee Lane, Dion DiMucci, Don Drowty, Cornelia Medley, Sylvia and Al Levine, Robin Levine, Carmine DeNoia, Burt Gordon, Bob Feldman, Richard Gottehrer, Juggy Murray, Cissy Houston, Peter Sullivan, Julie Rifkind, Roy Rifkind, Bob Rolontz, Bob Altschuler, Miriam Bienstock, Juggy Gayles, Sammy Vargas, Janet Minto, Paul Marshall, Felix Cavaliere, Jimmy Jones, Carole King, Bob Crewe, Seymour Strauss, Irv Hertzog, Hy Weiss, Marcy Burke, Peter Anders, Ritchie Cordell, Richie Barrett, Johnny Otis, James Johnson, Marv Schlacter, Gil Hamilton, Wally Roker, Hal David, Doug Morris, Jack Hooke, Bertha Morris, Howard Storm, Rita Brookshire, Artie Resnick, Red Schwartz, Ed Silvers, Lennie Bleecher, Tony Powers, Gene Pitney, Grelun Landon, Herb Cox, Ray Smith, Linda Laurie, Bob Johnston, Beverly Warren, Brenda Reid, Kenny Hamber, Artie Wayne, Tami Lynn, Andrew Loog Oldham, Ren Gravatt, Billy Fields, Herb Wasserman, Joan Wile, Nik Cohn, Seymour Stein, Joshie Jo Armstead, Joseph Shefsky, Paul Griffin, Morty Craft, David Kapralik, Kenny Rankin, Sid Bernstein, Patricia Mellin, Fred Gershon, Chris Huston, Beverly Lee, Valerie Simpson, Eric Burdon, and Burt Bacharach.

The British Berns Bureau, Rob Hughes and Mick Patrick, blazed many trails, conducted a number of interviews, and were key conspirators. Their Ace Records collections (
The Bert Berns Story
, Vols. 1 & 2) remain the definitive set. The Rob Hughes sessionography is the single greatest work of Berns scholarship.

Many fellow journalists generously shared information. Jerry Capeci gave me a Gangster 101 tutorial over lunch in Brooklyn. Tony Scherman had done a lot of spadework on the Brill Building; his files
were invaluable. The late, great Alan Betrock was a huge supporter; his papers led to the discovery of the Berns demo tapes. Ned Sublette, Cuban music’s greatest historian, has cheered the project along from those first days in New York. Many others helped: Fred Dannen, John Jackson, John Broven, William Knoedelseder, Dan Moldea, Richard Ben-Veniste. Bill Bastone showed me the FBI files on Tommy Eboli. Some old-hand FBI agents remembered the record business: John Pritchard, Joe Spinelli, Victor Guerrero.