Tammy Montgomery – “If I Would Marry You” (1964)īest known for her loving and soulful Motown duets with Marvin Gaye (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”), Tammy Montgomery recorded Bert Berns’ “If I Would Marry You” in New York at the tender age of eighteen. Rust’s parent label Laurie Records released “He’s So Fine” and “One Fine Day” the same year, and the Chiffons would become immortalized for helping to define the girl group sound of the era. But the best that the hapless Rust Records could do was #67 on the pop charts. Written with Carl Spencer and legendary soul singer, composer and producer Jimmy Radcliffe, “My Block” had all the trappings of a certifiable smash. Originally a girl group from the Bronx called The Four Pennies, Judy Craig, Patricia Bennett, Barbara Lee and Sylvia Peterson recorded Bert Berns’ “My Block” in March of 1963. Only the threat of a Southern Baptist boycott and the death of Bert Berns put stop to Lorraine Ellison’s 1967 masterpiece. Inspired by Reverend James Cleveland’s gospel classic “Peace Be Still,” Bert Berns convinced friend and collaborator Jerry Ragovoy to indulge his vision to remake “Heart Be Still” into the desperate autobiographical dirge that nearly took the world by storm. Of all the rare gems in the catalogue, Lorraine Ellison’s “Heart Be Still” provides deepest insights into the inner voice and soulful yearnings of its creator. Lorraine Ellison – “Heart Be Still” (1967) But following are a collection of songs by artists whose brief tenures with Bert Berns gave us only one jewel, but a crown jewel nonetheless. And wherever possible, we’ve included them in featured artist playlists on the site. The rare gems left by Bert Berns are found throughout his discography, from the entirety of the Hoagy Lands output to many lesser known Drifters and Van Morrison B-sides. Therein lies the true essence of the man and his music. But to fully appreciate the body of work created by Bert Berns, one must dig deeper than the classics. Several hundred demo 45s would be pressed, shipped and unceremoniously forgotten. 2 (Female Vocalists)īert Berns once said, “I’ll only record a song if I think it’s a hit.” He then followed by admitting that “some of my favorite songs only sold 30,000 copies or so.” For whatever reason, usually nothing more than lousy label promotion, a great many of Bert’s best work never made the hit parade.
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