re: If you liked the Muscle Shoals Documentary... Jerry Wexler Discussion

In the Music Book thread. I mentioned this:



It's a bio of legendary cult figure Bert Berns (1929-1967), writer of "Twist & Shout", "Hang On Sloopy", and "Piece Of My Heart".

quote:

---

Here Comes The Night goes into considerable detail about the role of organized crime in the music business, through the career of Berns and his connection to shadowy figures like the notorious Morris Levy of Roulette Records and his associates, Sonny Franzese and the Pagano Brothers of the Genovese mafia family. The book details how Berns got the latter (inadvertently, the author claims) to lean on Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records so Berns could get out of a contract, a la Johnny Fontane.

---

Bert Berns with the Atlantic Records braintrust: Jerry Wexler, Berns, Nesuhi Ertegun, Ahmet Ertegun




Bert Berns with Van Morrison at a recording session for Van's album Blowin' Your Mind.