Post by Rob Durkee on Aug 26, 2009 23:06:27 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Ellie Greenwich, who co-wrote six classic #1 hits of the 1960's, died of a heart attack at a New York hospital Wednesday (August 26, 2009). She was 68. According to writer Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times, she'd been hospitalized for pneumonia and heart-related problems.
The six Cash Box pop chart chart-toppers Ellie Greenwich co-wrote, mostly with her husband Jeff Barry, were like a Who's-Who of 1960 classic hit songs. "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes from late 1963 was the first. Three more came in 1964 with "Chapel Of Love" (the Dixie Cups), "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (Manfred Mann) and "Leader Of The Pack" (The Shangri-Las). "Chapel Of Love" to this day is considered one of the most popular and successful wedding songs of all time. Since "Love Me Do" was previously at #1, it meant the Dixie Cups were the first American group to replace the Beatles at #1.
The breakthrough hit for Tommy James and the Shondells in 1966, "Hanky Panky", was also an Ellie Greenwich-co-written #1 Cash Box chart hit. So was "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy in 1977, 14 years after it was a top five hit originally for the Crystals. Greenwich also provided background vocals on "Knock Three Times," an early 1971 #1 hit for Tony Orlando And Dawn.
In all, Ellie Greenwich co-wrote and/or co-produced over 30 Cash Box Top 40 hits. Among them were "Then He Kissed Me" (the Crystals), "Baby I Love You" (the Ronettes, Andy Kim), "River Deep - Mountain High" (Ike And Tina Turner, also a duet between the Supremes and Four Tops), "Maybe I Know" (Lesley Gore), "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" (the Jelly Beans) and "I Can Hear Music" (the Beach Boys). Darlene Love has Greenwich to thank for writing both her solo Top 40's, "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home" and "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going to Marry ."
Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich first burst onto the pop music scene as the leaders of the group the Raindrops. Fittingly, they co-wrote both of the group's top 40 hits, "The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget" and "What A Guy." The Barry-Greenwich songwriting team would become part of the famous Brill Building songwriters lineup that also included Burt Bacharach-Hal David, Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil and Carole King-Gerry Goffin. Greenwich also produced or co-produced several Neil Diamond hits, including "Cherry Cherry," "I Got The Feeling (Oh No No)," "I Thank The Lord For The Night Time," "Solitary Man," "Kentucky Woman" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon."
Eleanor Louise Greenwich was born October 23, 1940 in Brooklyn. In 1958, at the age of 17, she released a solo single where she'd written both sides of the record, "Silly Isn't It" and "Cha-Cha Charming." In the early 1960's when she transferred from Queens College to Hofstra University, that's where she met Barry. They married in 1962.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys paid Greenwich an ultimate tribute by calling her, "the greatest melody writer of all time." Songwriter Diane Warren, who ranks with Carole King and Greenwich among the top woman rock era songwriters of all time, likewise said Greenwich's hits are "part of the fabric of forever. Her songs were written in the 60's, and here it's almost 2010, and yet they're as relevant and meaningful today as the day when they were born."
Ellie Greenwich, who co-wrote six classic #1 hits of the 1960's, died of a heart attack at a New York hospital Wednesday (August 26, 2009). She was 68. According to writer Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times, she'd been hospitalized for pneumonia and heart-related problems.
The six Cash Box pop chart chart-toppers Ellie Greenwich co-wrote, mostly with her husband Jeff Barry, were like a Who's-Who of 1960 classic hit songs. "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes from late 1963 was the first. Three more came in 1964 with "Chapel Of Love" (the Dixie Cups), "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (Manfred Mann) and "Leader Of The Pack" (The Shangri-Las). "Chapel Of Love" to this day is considered one of the most popular and successful wedding songs of all time. Since "Love Me Do" was previously at #1, it meant the Dixie Cups were the first American group to replace the Beatles at #1.
The breakthrough hit for Tommy James and the Shondells in 1966, "Hanky Panky", was also an Ellie Greenwich-co-written #1 Cash Box chart hit. So was "Da Doo Ron Ron" by Shaun Cassidy in 1977, 14 years after it was a top five hit originally for the Crystals. Greenwich also provided background vocals on "Knock Three Times," an early 1971 #1 hit for Tony Orlando And Dawn.
In all, Ellie Greenwich co-wrote and/or co-produced over 30 Cash Box Top 40 hits. Among them were "Then He Kissed Me" (the Crystals), "Baby I Love You" (the Ronettes, Andy Kim), "River Deep - Mountain High" (Ike And Tina Turner, also a duet between the Supremes and Four Tops), "Maybe I Know" (Lesley Gore), "I Wanna Love Him So Bad" (the Jelly Beans) and "I Can Hear Music" (the Beach Boys). Darlene Love has Greenwich to thank for writing both her solo Top 40's, "Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home" and "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Going to Marry ."
Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich first burst onto the pop music scene as the leaders of the group the Raindrops. Fittingly, they co-wrote both of the group's top 40 hits, "The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget" and "What A Guy." The Barry-Greenwich songwriting team would become part of the famous Brill Building songwriters lineup that also included Burt Bacharach-Hal David, Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil and Carole King-Gerry Goffin. Greenwich also produced or co-produced several Neil Diamond hits, including "Cherry Cherry," "I Got The Feeling (Oh No No)," "I Thank The Lord For The Night Time," "Solitary Man," "Kentucky Woman" and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon."
Eleanor Louise Greenwich was born October 23, 1940 in Brooklyn. In 1958, at the age of 17, she released a solo single where she'd written both sides of the record, "Silly Isn't It" and "Cha-Cha Charming." In the early 1960's when she transferred from Queens College to Hofstra University, that's where she met Barry. They married in 1962.
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys paid Greenwich an ultimate tribute by calling her, "the greatest melody writer of all time." Songwriter Diane Warren, who ranks with Carole King and Greenwich among the top woman rock era songwriters of all time, likewise said Greenwich's hits are "part of the fabric of forever. Her songs were written in the 60's, and here it's almost 2010, and yet they're as relevant and meaningful today as the day when they were born."
