R.I.P.: Len Barry, '60s Singer and Songwriter

Len Barry (June 12, 1942 – November 5, 2020)

Anyone who was a teen during the '60s probably heard the music of Len Barry and The Dovells.  Barry  died Thursday at the age of  of 78.  Death was from myelodyspslasia, a cancer of the bone marrow, reports The Philly Inquirer. 

Born in West Philly as Leonard Borisoff,  Barry was a homegrown Philly product. He graduated from Overbrook High School and broke into the music business as the lead singer of Philly’s Dovells in 1961. The group’s “The Bristol Stomp” hit No. 2 on the Billboard charts, earning a gold record.

Barry quickly followed that with another hit record, “You Can’t Sit Down,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard charts. Both hits were popular dance songs for teens, here and across the nation.

At age 17, Barry toured as a Dovell with vocalist James Brown. wowing audiences with his Philly soul sound. Later, Barry made an appearance in the 1962 movie Don’t Knock the Twist with Philadelphia song and dance legend Chubby Checker.

After leaving the Dovells, Barry recorded on his own. His 1965 song “1-2-3,” which he also wrote, hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 in the United Kingdom, earning him another gold disc and a Grammy nomination for best contemporary rock male vocal performance of the year.

Barry became a singing sensation in the United Kingdom, touring with the Motown Revue. He also performed solo at the London Palladium and Royal Albert Hall.

“He told me he had a command performance for the queen,” said his son, Spencer Borisoff. “In his day and age, for a white guy to have that music style, he was a pioneer, an American original.”

He appeared on Top of the Pops, a weekly BBC TV music show broadcast from Britain starting in 1964. In the United States, he made guest appearances on Dick Clark’s Bandstand as well as the TV shows Shindig and Hullabaloo.

Barry was also a prolific songwriter and record producer. He wrote the hit singles “Zoom” for Philadelphia’s Fat Larry’s Band and “Love Train” for vocalist and keyboardist Booker Newberry III.