mick laBriola

Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include “Twist and Shout“, “Piece of My Heart“, “Here Comes the Night“, “Hang on Sloopy“, “Cry to Me” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love“, and his productions include “Baby, Please Don’t Go“, “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Under the Boardwalk“. Berns, who had a history of cardiac trouble as a result of his heart being damaged from rheumatic fever contracted during childhood, died in his New York apartment of heart failure on December 30, 1967, aged 38.