Ellie Greenwich
October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009
Ellie Greenwich was a prolific songwriter, writing or co-writing some of the most enduring pop songs of the ’60s and ’70s. Either on her own or with such songwriting partners as her one-time husband, Jeff Barry, Greenwich penned such gems as “Be My Baby” (The Ronettes), “Then He Kissed Me” (The Crystals), “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (Darlene Love), “Hanky Panky” (Tommy James & The Shondells), “River Deep, Mountain High” (Ike & Tina Turner), and “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” (Manfred Mann). In later years, Greenwich co-formed Tallyrand Music to publish her recent discovery, Neil Diamond. Ellie Greenwich died of a heart attack on August 26, 2009. She was 68 years old.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist
Berle Adams (Born Beryl Adasky)
June 11, 1917 – August 25, 2009
Berle Adams was a longtime music industry executive who, through his career was Vice President of MCA and co-founded Mercury Records. Adams began his career as an agent, representing such acts as Coleman Hawkins and Louis Jordan. He later formed his own agency as well as a couple of publishing companies. In 1945, he co-founded Mercury Records, quickly releasing hits by the likes of Vic Damone and Frankie Laine. In 1950, Lew Wasserman hired Adams at MCA where he stayed for the next two decades, working mostly in television. While with MCA, Adams formed Uni Records who signed the Who, Neil Diamond and Elton John to name a few. In 1971, Adams left MCA to work for the William Morris Agency. Berle Adams passed away on August 25, 2009 at the age of 92.
Larry Knecthel was a Los Angeles session keyboardist and bassist who played on hits by the likes of the Doors, Simon & Garfunkel and the Beach Boys. After spending a few years as part of Duane Eddy’s touring band in the early ’60s, Knechtel went to work in the studio with Phil Spector, adding his own mark to the legendary “wall of sound.” Knechtel also played on several Doors records since they didn’t have their own bassist. He joined the easy rock band, Bread in 1971. In later years, Knecthel did session work for producer Rick Rubin, most notably on albums by the Dixie Chicks and Neil Diamond. Larry Knechtel passed away in a Yakima hospital just two weeks after his 69th birthday.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist
Richard Manuel was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and singer who is best remembered as a long-time member of perhaps the greatest “back up” band in history, the Band. Manuel first started working with his former Band mates when, at just 17, he joined rockabilly great, Ronnie Hawkins’ backing band, the Hawks. About two years later, that unit morphed into the Band, which would count Manuel, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson as its most celebrated members. Manual mostly played piano in the group. When Bob Dylan decided to go electric during the mid ’60s, it was the Band he called to serve as his backing band. And when he went on hiatus after being injured in a motorcycle accident in 1967, the Band holed up in a big pink house in Woodstock, New York to record what would become their acclaimed debut album, Music From Big Pink. Manuel wrote its “Tears of Rage” (with Dylan), “In A Station,” “We Can Talk,” and “Lonesome Suzy.” The band continued to release respected albums and collaborate with other performers, all culminating in a remarkable “farewell concert” on Thanksgiving Day, 1976. In front of an unsuspecting audience, the Band gave the show like no other, sharing the stage with such invited guests and admirers as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Dylan, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison and more. Each artists’ performance was arguably the single greatest of their careers. The evening was captured on film by Martin Scorsese and released as The Last Waltz, considered one of rock music’s greatest concert films. Sadly however, Manual was a chronic substance abuser along the way. His inner demons finally got the best of him when, on March 4, 1986, he hung himself in his hotel room after a show. Richard Manual was 42 when he died.
Bert Berns was a prolific songwriter and record producer whose impact on popular music cannot be denied. His most celebrated songs as a songwriter include “Hang on Sloopy” (the McCoys), “Twist and Shout” (the Isley Brothers, the Beatles), “Tell Him” (the Exciters), “I Want Candy” (the Strangeloves, Bow Wow Wow), “Piece of My Heart” (Emma Franklin, Janis Joplin), and “Here Comes the Night” (Lulu, Them, David Bowie). He also produced such hits as Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” Them’s “Gloria,” and “Under the Boardwalk” by the Drifters. Berns also ran his own Atlantic affiliated label, Bang Records who was the one-time home to Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, the McCoys and many more. Bert Berns was just 38 when he died of heart failure on December 30, 1967.