Richard Berry (April 11, 1935-January 23, 1997) was an American singer and songwriter.
He is best known as the composer and original performer of the rock standard "Louie Louie." The song, which was inspired by René Touzet 's "El Loco Cha Cha" and by Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon," was a regional hit when released on the American West Coast in 1956, and The Kingsmen's more raucous version became a national hit in 1963. The song has been recorded over 1,000 times. The nearly unintelligible (and innocuous) lyrics of The Kingsmen's versions were widely misinterpreted as obscene, and the song was banned by radio stations and even investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Berry is also known as the voice of Henry on Etta James' "Roll with Me, Henry" and as the narrator on The Robins' "Riot in Cell Block #9."
On his passing in 1997, he was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
Richard Berry biography - LouieLouie.net