Died On This Date (January 23, 1997) Richard Berry / Gave Us “Louie Louie”
themusicsover Richard Berry
April 11, 1935 – January 23, 1997
Richard Berry could rightfully be called a “one-hit wonder,” but oh, what a hit it was! After a few years working with a few different doo-wop acts, Berry sat down in 1955, and wrote “Louie Louie,” a song that would later be recorded by the Kingsmen and become synonymous with drunken frat parties. It was also a foundation upon which garage rock was built. The song has been recorded over 1000 times, but unfortunately, Berry sold away his rights to it in 1959. He was, however, able to collect a significant amount in royalties during the mid ’80s and again in the early ’90s. Berry’s health began to decline in later years, and on January 23, 1997, he died of heart failure at the age of 61.
What You Should Own
Carl Perkins was a rockabilly icon whose early successes helped raise Sun Records to its legendary status. He and label mates, 
Patti McCabe was a singer who released a handful of hits during the late ’50s as part of the all-girl trio, the Poni-Tails. Formed in a Cleveland-area high school, the group, made up of McCabe, Toni Cistone and Karen Topinka (who was replaced by LaVerne Novack), were soon signed by ABC/Dunhill Records who began releasing their singles in 1958. Their biggest was “Born Too Late” which reached #7 in the U.S. and #5 in the U.K. By 1960, the girls had released six singles, four of which charted in the U.S. or U.K., but they decided to call it quits and each left the music business. Patti McCabe died of cancer on January 17, 1989.
In a perfect world, you wouldn’t need to tell you who Moon Mullican was. As a singer, songwriter a pianist associated with country music, what he was doing would be called rock ‘n roll some ten or so years later. By combining elements of hillbilly, jazz and blues, he created a sound and a fury that was a direct influence on Jerry Lee Lewis, 