Christmas - Baby Please Come Home

It's a holiday tradition - every year, the incomparable Darlene Love makes a Yuletide appearance on the Late Show With David Letterman to sing the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich/Phil Spector classic, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Below is her 2006 performance, which includes a little snippet of "Silent Night" as well. Enjoy!

Frankie Miller - "Lie To You For Your Love"

Here's another cool video, of Frankie Miller singing his electric version of Jeff Barry's "Lie To You For Your Love," which was also a hit for The Bellamy Brothers in 1985. Enjoy!

Ike and Tina Turner - "River Deep, Mountain High"

An electrifying performance of "River Deep, Mountain High" (which is one of Jeff's favorites of his compositions) by Ike and Tina Turner - check out this video from YouTube. The choreography on this one is fantastic!

Performing Songwriter Magazine

Attention Jeff Barry fans:

Check out the latest issue of Performing Songwriter magazine - the July/August 2006 issue features an interview with Jeff Barry on his work with The Monkees and The Archies. If you're unable to find a copy of Performing Songwriter locally, you can order one through their official website. This should be an article worth reading! (My copy's on its way.)

Laura Speaks!

How did a 10-year-old girl come to be a Jeff Barry fan in 1968? Simple - just by hearing his music! Check out Laura Speaks, the newest page on the Jeff Barry fansite. Just go to the homepage and click on the link beneath Jeff's photo. And read about how this fan's love for Jeff and his music led to the creation of this website some 36 years later.

Tell Laura I Love Her

Bear Family Records presents Tell Laura I Love Her, a collection of Ray Peterson's RCA and Dunes masters. Included on the 31-track CD are two composed by Jeff Barry - the title cut, "Tell Laura I Love Her," Jeff's first hit as a songwriter; and "Give Us Your Blessings," which was later recorded by The Shangri-La's. Ray's emotional renditions of both songs will move all but the most jaded listeners to tears! The digipac includes a 44-page booklet featuring a biography by Johnny Vallis (generously sprinkled with quotes from Jeff and from Ray's widow, Claudia Peterson); rare photos; and a discography by Richard Weize.

Vallis's comprehensive bio is a pleasure to read, and the sound quality on the CD is excellent ... two thumbs up on this one!

Jeff Barry's Bubblegum Blues

Now online, from the folks at Scram Magazine - Bubblegum University! This site is chock-full of info on your favorite artists, songwriters, and producers from the days of "Sugar, Sugar" and "Chewy Chewy." Included is a fantastic 1995 interview with Jeff Barry by Don Charles, called Jeff Barry's Bubblegum Blues. Great info in Jeff's own words - check it out!

A Jeff Barry Birthday - April 3

Jeff Barry has a birthday coming up on Monday, April 3rd, and as a surprise for him, I've set up a special message board where fans and friends can post their birthday wishes. If you've ever danced to "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You," sighed at "Chapel of Love," wept at "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Leader of the Pack," or rocked to "Sugar, Sugar," then you're familiar with the impact this legendary Brill Building composer-producer has had on our lives and sensibilities; his influence on rock and roll cannot be overstated.

I'd like to get as many signatures as possible for this virtual birthday card, so if you've not done so already, please visit here and add your greetings for Jeff. Board registration is not required to post. I'll be surprising Jeff with the link either on Sunday night or Monday morning, so here's your chance to communicate with the man himself and let him know how much his music has meant to you over the years!

Thanks,
Laura

Sold on Song: River Deep, Mountain High

"River Deep, Mountain High" was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and was recorded by Ike and Tina Turner in 1966 with Spector producing. The song, which is one of Jeff's favorites of his compositions, was outstanding; Tina Turner's vocals were thrillingly powerful and awesome; and the Phil Spector wall-of-sound production was larger than life. Yet for whatever reason, the record failed to become a hit in the U.S., barely entering the charts before disappearing entirely from airplay. The failure of "River Deep, Mountain High" had such a profound effect on Phil Spector that he virtually retired from the music business for several years.

Yet the song itself endured, as great songs do, and in 1971 it was revived by The Supreme & The Four Tops, who made it into the hit it should have been five years earlier.

Some time ago, during a Net search, I found a UK-based web page called Sold on Song, which is presented on the BBC Radio site. Sold on Song has a page dedicated to "River Deep, Mountain High," focusing primarily on the Ike and Tina Turner version which was a hit in England despite bombing in the States. There is a link to listen to not only Ike and Tina's recording but also several other versions by artists such as Neil Diamond and Deep Purple; the Supremes/Four Tops version is available for a listen as well. Jeff Barry fans in particular will enjoy the content of this page which features a couple of audio clips of Jeff talking about "River Deep, Mountain High." Other sections of the page can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate navigational tabs.

Muddling through "One Day at a Time"

One of the snappiest sitcom theme songs in the history of the boob tube was penned by Jeff Barry. "One Day at a Time," with its never-say-die lyrics, is an ode to optimism in times of crisis, flat tires, paper cuts, torrential downpours - or, in this case, divorce and single parenthood. The series of the same name aired during the 70's and starred Bonnie Franklin, Pat Harrington Jr., Valerie Berinelli, and Mackenzie Phillips.

Check out this interesting blog post on DrinkatWork.com which provides commentary and lyrics. The post includes links for listening to the "One Day at a Time" theme and for viewing the opening credits.

The Archies on The World of Kane

(Above photo, left to right: Ron Dante, Larry Kane, and Jeff Barry, c. 1971)

One of Jeff Barry's biggest accomplishments during his post-Girl Group period of the late 60's-early 70's was his writing and production for the animated group The Archies, fronted by session singer Ron Dante. To read a cool essay on The Archies (complete with links to related sites) and watch a 1970 music video of Ron singing "Sugar, Sugar," visit this page:

The World Of Kane

Thanx to Will Kane for this cool blog post!

Enjoy,
Laura

Jeff Barry Lyrics Pages

New on the Jeff Barry fan site - the Jeff Barry Lyrics Pages. Ten of Jeff's best are spotlighted, with lyrics and commentary. Just go to the homepage and scroll down a little bit for the link!

Jeff Barry Interview

To read a recent interview Jeff did with Stephen Meyer from the weekly email newsletter Disc&Dat, visit the main page and click on the link. Many thanks to Stephen for allowing me to publish the interview on Jeff's site.