Richard Berry (musician)

Richard Berry
Background information
Birth name	Richard Berry Jr.
Born	(1935-04-11)April 11, 1935 Extension, Louisiana, U.S.
Origin	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	January 23, 1997(1997-01-23) (aged 61) Inglewood, California, U.S.
Genres	Doo-wop R&B
Occupations	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Piano vocals
Years active	1950s–1996
Labels	Modern Flair RPM Crown Flip Happy Tiger Smash[1]

Richard Berry Jr. (April 11, 1935 – January 23, 1997) was an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including the Flairs and the Robins.

He is best known as the composer and original performer of the rock standard "Louie Louie". The song became a hit for the Kingsmen and others, and it is one of the most recorded songs of all time; however, Berry received little financial benefit for writing it until the 1980s, having signed away his rights to the song in 1959. He also wrote and released "Have Love, Will Travel" which has been recorded by many other artists.