Here Comes the Night is a great book by author Joel Selvin.
Here Comes the Night: Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues is the definitive account of the rhythm and blues worlds of New York in the early 60s that is both a harrowing, ultimately tragic tale of musician and record producer Bert Berns, whose career meteorite is fueled by his pending doom.
His heart was damaged by rheumatic fever at a young age, and doctors told Berns that he would not live to be 21.
Berns worked alongside all the greats of the time: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, Burt Bacharach, Phil Spector, Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
In seven quick years, he’s gone from being an unknown to being a top pop producer of classics.
His rage for success led Berns to use his Mafia associations to force Atlantic Records out of the partnership and threaten new talent. He signed to his record label, only to die of a long-awaited heart attack.
- The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues
