April 3, 2010: On this date in 1938 (hey, that rhymes - how appropriate!), Jeff Barry was born in Brooklyn, NY. By 1960, that little baby had grown up and made a name for himself with his very first hit record as a songwriter, "Tell Laura I Love Her," recorded by Ray Peterson in the States and taken to #1 in the U.K. by Ricky Valance. After this, the hits just kept on a-comin', from the dozens of "girl group" tunes he wrote with then-wife Ellie Greenwich to his work with The Monkees and The Archies, from Robin McNamara and Bobby Bloom to The Klowns and The Illusion, from his fun, singalongable TV theme songs such as "Movin' On Up" from the Jeffersons to his smash hit "I Honestly Love You," written with Peter Allen and taken to the top of the charts by Olivia Newton-John. In 1991, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame; and, in 2010, the team became inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well! Happy birthday, Jeff, and congratulations!
Saturday, April 03, 2010
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