Personnel :
Richard Berry (Lead)
Godoy Colbert (First Tenor)
Robert Harris (Second Tenor)
Noel Collins (Baritone)
Discography :
Biography :
The Pharaohs were formed out of the Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, in 1954 by Godoy Colbert and two friends, Robert Harris, and Noel Collins. Richard Berry parted ways with Modern Records after frustations over songwriter royalties. Waiting for his Modern contract to expire, he signed with Max Feirtag's fledgling Flip label, but still seemed hesitant about a solo career. He used the Pharaohs for his new recordings on Flip, trying out a new, Latin influenced sound. Stacked away on the flip of the first Flip single by Richard Berry and the Pharaohs ("You Are My Sunshine", Flip 321) was a little ditty called "Louie Louie", a calypso-styled song that Berry had based on "El Loca Cha Cha" by Rene Touzet.
It would be an exaggeration to say that "Louie Louie" went unnoticed at the time of its release in March 1957. It sold well enough to be reissued as the A-side, with "Rock Rock Rock" on the reverse, later in 1957. But his future wife Dorothy wanted an expensive wedding ring and Berry decided to sell the rights to "Louie Louie" and three other songs to Max Feirtag for $ 750. In 1958 Trudy Williams (of The Six Teens) recorded “A Foolish Little Girl” and “You're My Boyfriend”, backed The Pharaohs.
Berry's recording career petered out in the late '50s, though he remained an active performer. In the early '60s, several Northwest bands seized upon "Louie Louie" as cover material, scoring sizable regional hits. But as was quite common at the time, they also assumed another name for a record on the same label. They chose the name the Cyclones for this release and the true identity of the group is one of the reasons why their coupling of My Dear / Do You Love Me is highly sought after.
Finally, in 1963 the Kingsmen broke the song nationally, reaching # 2. In the decades since then, "Louie Louie" became one of the most oft-covered rock standards of all time; there probably exist well over 1,000 versions. After the departure of Berry from the group, Colbert and the Pharaohs cut one singles for the Donna (DelFi Subsidiary) Record Label under the name of The Pharaos (h?) , and more performing. It was soon after this that Colbert and the Pharaohs themselves decided to call it quits and disband.
The Cyclones (1)
The Pharaos