YEAR
2016
INDUCTED BY
Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band)
CATEGORY
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Life’s too short not to be a music industry mogul.
Or so believed Bert Berns, co-founder of Bang Records, songwriter of “Twist and Shout” and the man who discovered Van Morrison. His work may tragically have been cut short, but the hits he made have tremendous staying power.
Bert Berns
Steven Van Zandt Inducts Bert Berns
Brett and Cassie Berns Accept on Behalf of Bert Berns
HALL OF FAME
ESSAY
By Joel Selvin
Bert Berns can’t be easily explained in a few words.
He was a consummate record man who died at age 38 in 1967, after seven years in the record business. He left behind a wife, three small children, and many bereaved friends and associates who loved and looked up to him.
He also left behind a number of angry enemies. Some of them remain pissed to this day.
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