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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Len Barry| image = Len Barry.jpg| caption =| image_size =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Leonard Borisoff| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1942|6|12 West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|West Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States | death_date =| origin =| instrument =| genre = Pop music|Pop , Blue-eyed soul | occupation = Singer , songwriter | years_active = 1958& ndash;82| label = Brunswick Records|Brunswick , RCA Records|RCA , Decca Records|Decca | associated_acts = The Dovells | website =| current_members =| past_members =| notable_instruments = Len Barry (born Leonard Borisoff , June 12, 1942, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|West Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States ) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1050984/ IMDb.com is a retired United States|American singer|vocalist , songwriter and record producer .
Career
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Barry had little thought of a show business career while still in school. Instead, he aspired to become a professional baseball player upon his graduation. It was not until he entered military service and had occasion to sing with the Army bands, and was so encouraged by the response of his soldier audiences, that he decided to make music a career.cite web|url= http://blip.tv/file/4517402 |title=Len Barry ("1-2-3") denies involvement in murder and talks about white racism suffered as a non-African American soul singer in the 1960& #39s. Part 1 of his interview on "The Strange Dave Show" & #124; The Strange Dave Show on Blip |publisher=Blip.tv |date=2010-12-15 |accessdate=2011-12-30
Upon his discharge from military service, Barry returned home to Philadelphia and joined The Dovells as their lead singer. His is the lead voice on their best selling Gramophone record|records " Bristol Stomp ", " Hully Gully (song)|Hully Gully Baby " and " You Can't Sit Down ", among others. "Bristol Stomp" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc .cite book | first= Joseph | last= Murrells | year= 1978 | title= The Book of Golden Discs | edition= 2nd | publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd | location= London | page= 134 & 186 | isbn= 0-214-20512-6 Barry also made film appearances with The Dovells in films such as '' Don't Knock the Twist , as well as guest appearances on United States|US television on Dick Clark|The Dick Clark Show , Shindig , and Hullabaloo . Soon after leaving the group, Barry sound recording and reproduction|recorded his first solo (music)|solo single (music)|single "Lip Sync".
As a predominately blue-eyed soul singer, he recorded two hit record|hits in 1965 for Decca Records in the US and released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom|UK : " 1-2-3 (Len Barry song)|1-2-3 ", and "Like a Baby", both of which made the Top 40|Top Ten of the UK Singles Chart .cite book | first= David | last= Roberts | year= 2006 | title= British Hit Singles & Albums | edition= 19th | publisher= Guinness World Records Limited | location= London | isbn= 1-904994-10-5 | page= 43 Those songs also peaked at #2 and #27 on the United States|U.S. Billboard Hot 100 record chart|chart respectively. "1-2-3" sold over one and three quarter million copies, and gave Barry his second gold disc. Both "1-2-3" and "Like a Baby" were composer|composed by Barry, John Medora|John Madara and David White (musician)|Dave White , one of the original Juniors from Danny & the Juniors . Barry also cover version|covered " Treat Her Right (song)|Treat Her Right " by another blue-eyed soul act, Roy Head and the Traits.
In 1969 Barry and Madara record producer|co-produced The Original Version: Journey To The Moon LP for Buddah Records . According to Madara, " Neil Bogart wanted to be the first record company out with authentic conversations with the astronauts and others, including President Richard Nixon|Nixon , using original music that we composed." http://www.forgottenhits.com/john_madara_remembers_ Forgottenhits.com Barry used Madara's studio band (including Daryl Hall of future Hall & Oates fame) that would become Gulliver : ( Tim Moore (singer, songwriter)|Tim Moore (guitar), Tom Sellers ( bass guitar|bass ), Daryl Hall ( keyboard instrument|keyboards ), Jim Helmer ( drum s) and named them the 'Sound of Genesis' for this album. Sellers arrangement|arranged it and it was billed as being recorded live on Earth, in Space and on the Moon. According to Madara, this album "was approved by NASA , who sent in the tapes every day to us of the moon flight, which we used on the LP."
Barry, obsessed with Native Americans in the United States|Indian culture, then went on to write and produce " The Electric Indian|Keem-O-Sabe " (which his longtime friend, sometime manager, and America's first club disc jockey|DJ Alan White called the first disco hit record), and was later instrumental in the creation of the Disco#Early history|Philadelphia disco sound . http://www.lenbarry.com/bio.htm Lenbarry.com Again, Sellers arranged it and the future Gulliver performed it (this time as The Electric Indian) in conjunction with two musicians, Bobby Eli (guitar) and Vincent Montana, Jr.|Vince Montana ( vibraphone ), who would go on to fame with MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra . "Broad Street", the single's A-side and B-side|B-side , also written and produced by Barry and never issued on an LP, was an instrumental .
Even after his period of hit records ended, Barry continued performing his entertaining stage act, and later moved into songwriter|songwriting and record producer|production work with WMOT Productions. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1050984/bio Len Barry - Biography at IMDb.com With Bobby Eli he helped write the hit singles " Zoom (Fat Larry's Band song)|Zoom " for Fat Larry's Band ,cite web |url=Allmusic|class=song|id=zoom-t1437738|pure_url=yes|title="Zoom"|author= |publisher= Allmusic |accessdate=December 14, 2011 and " Love Town " for Booker Newberry III .cite web |url=Allmusic|class=song|id=love-town-t1409393|pure_url=yes|title="Love Town"|author= |publisher= Allmusic |accessdate=December 14, 2011
In May 2008, Barry reinvented himself as a author|writer with the publication of the semi-biographical novel, Black-Like-Me . The storyline involved a pair of white people|Caucasian siblings growing up in a largely African-American neighborhood, accepted by some, rejected by others; in a sort of reverse-perspective morality tale. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1904408346 Amazon.com
Legacy
The song "1-2-3" was featured on the soundtrack for the film, '' Mr. Holland's Opus .
"1-2-3" was one of the songs that appeared in John Lennon's jukebox .
Motown Records sued the songwritersWhen|date=April 2011, Len Barry and Dave White, claiming that "1-2-3" was a reworked copy of Holland-Dozier-Holland song " Ask Any Girl (song)|Ask Any Girl ". The songwriters did admit to taking the composition and the lawsuit led to Holland-Dozier-Holland getting equal credit for writing "1-2-3" as noted on the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Top 10 official album.Citation needed|date=August 2007
In December 2005, Welsh people|Welsh singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews recorded a new version of "1-2-3" in Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville , Tennessee . http://www.jmcreative.net/ Cerys Matthews: "1-2-3" (2005)
In 1994, Scottish people|Scottish celebrity|star , Edwyn Collins , sampling (music)|sampled "1-2-3" for part of his hit " A Girl Like You (Edwyn Collins song)|A Girl Like You ".
Discography
Singles
The Dovells (as lead singer)
" Bristol Stomp " (1961) - #2 US Billboard Hot 100
" The Continental (song)|The Continental " (1962) - #37 US Billboard Hot 100
"Bristol Twisting Annie" (1962) - #27 US Billboard Hot 100
" Hully Gully (song)|Hully Gully Baby " (1962) - #25 US Billboard Hot 100
" You Can't Sit Down " (1963) - #3 US Billboard Hot 100
Solo
"Lyp Sync" (1964) - #70 US Billboard Hot 100
" 1-2-3 (Len Barry song)|1-2-3 " (1965) - #2 US Billboard Hot 100; #3 UK Singles Chart|UK
"Like a Baby" (1966) - #27 US Billboard Hot 100; #10 UK
"Somewhere" (1966) - #26 US Billboard Hot 100
Albums
1-2-3 (1965) - Decca Records
My Kind of Soul (1967) - RCA Records
More from the 123 Man (1982) - Bulldog http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/barry_len/albums.jhtml Len Barry | VH1.com
See also
Portal|Philadelphia
List of artists under the Decca Records label
List of people from Philadelphia
List of NME covers
List of performers on Top of the Pops
References
Reflist
Additional sources
Billboard Top 40 Hits (8th Edition) by Joel Whitburn
External links
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p15677/biography|pure_url=yes Len Barry biography at Allmusic website
http://www.dovells.com/dovbio.htm The Dovells biography (official website)
Persondata | NAME = Barry, Len | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Borisoff, Leonard | SHORT DESCRIPTION = United States|American singer, songwriter and record producer| DATE OF BIRTH = June 12, 1942 | PLACE OF BIRTH = West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , United States | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Len Category:1942 births Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:Musicians from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:Decca Records artists Category:Songwriters from Pennsylvania Category:Blue-eyed soul singers
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Copyright Citations
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