Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1)

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1) | 12 juin 2012

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1) (Los Angeles)

Personnel :

Richard Berry (Lead)

Godoy Colbert (First Tenor)

Robert Harris (Second Tenor)

Noel Collins (Baritone)

Discography :

Ricky & The Pharaohs (1)
1956 - Teenager's Love Song / Watusi (Class 202)

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1)
1956 - Louie Louie / You Are My Sunshine (Flip 321)
1956 - Take the Key/ No Kissin' and A-Huggin' (Flip 318)
1957 - Louie Louie / Rock Rock Rock (Flip 321)
1957 - You're the Girl / You Look So Good (Flip 331)
1958 - Besame Mucho / Do I, Do I (Flip 339)
1959 - Have Love- Will Travel / No Room (Flip 349)
1960 - I'll Never Ever Love Again / Somewhere There's A Rainbow (Flip 352)
1961 - You Look So Good / You Are My Sunshine (Flip 360)

Trudy Williams (bb The Pharaohs)
1958 - You’re My Boyfriend / A Foolish Little Girl (Flip 340)

Biography :

Richard parted ways with Modern Records after frustations over songwriter royalties. Waiting for his Modern contract to expire, he signed with Max Feirtag's fledgling Flip label, but still seemed hesitant about a solo career. He used an already existing group called the Pharaohs for his new recordings on Flip, trying out a new, Latin influenced sound.

Richard Berry

Stacked away on the flip of the first Flip single by Richard Berry and the Pharaohs ("You Are My Sunshine", Flip 321) was a little ditty called "Louie Louie", a calypso-styled song that Berry had based on "El Loca Cha Cha" by Rene Touzet. It would be an exaggeration to say that "Louie Louie" went unnoticed at the time of its release in March 1957.

It sold well enough to be reissued as the A-side, with "Rock Rock Rock" on the reverse, later in 1957. But his future wife Dorothy wanted an expensive wedding ring and Berry decided to sell the rights to "Louie Louie" and three other songs to Max Feirtag for $ 750. In 1958 Trudy Williams (of The Six Teens) recorded “A Foolish Little Girl” and “You're My Boyfriend”, backed The Pharaohs.

Richard Berry

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 # 2. In the decades since then, "Louie Louie" became one of the most oft-covered rock standards of all time; there probably exist well over 1,000 versions.

Songs :
(Update By Hans-Joachim)

Ricky & The Pharaohs (1)


Teenager's Love Song                          Watusi

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1)


Louie Louie                 Have Love Will Travel               You Look So Good


Take the Key                   Rock Rock Rock        Somewhere There's A Rainbow


You Are My Sunshine               You're the Girl       No Kissin’ And A Huggin’


I’ll Never Ever Love Again         Besame Mucho              Do I, Do I, Do I


No Room                     I'll Never Ever Love Again