Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1) (Los Angeles)
aka The Cyclones (1) aka The Pharaos

Personnel :

Richard Berry (Lead)

Godoy Colbert (First Tenor)

Robert Harris (Second Tenor)

Noel Collins (Baritone)

Discography :

Ricky & The Pharaohs (1)
1956 - Teenager's Love Song / Watusi (Class 202)

Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1)
1956 - Louie Louie / You Are My Sunshine (Flip 321)
1956 - Take the Key/ No Kissin' and A-Huggin' (Flip 318)
1957 - Louie Louie / Rock Rock Rock (Flip 321)
1957 - You're the Girl / You Look So Good (Flip 331)
1958 - Besame Mucho / Do I, Do I (Flip 339)
1959 - Have Love- Will Travel / No Room (Flip 349)
1960 - I'll Never Ever Love Again / Somewhere There's A Rainbow (Flip 352)
1961 - You Look So Good / You Are My Sunshine (Flip 360)

Trudy Williams  bb The Pharaohs (1)
1958 - You’re My Boyfriend / A Foolish Little Girl (Flip 340)

The Cyclones (1)
1957 - My Dear / Do You Love Me (Flip 324)

The Pharaos
1960 - Heads Up, High Hopes Over You / The Tender Touch (Donna 1327)

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.

Richard Berry

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.

  
Richard Berry                                                                                         

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.

Songs : 
 (Update By Hans-Joachim)

Ricky & The Pharaohs (1)

  
Teenager's Love Song                          Watusi


Richard Berry & The Pharaohs (1)

     
Louie Louie                 Have Love Will Travel               You Look So Good

     
Take the Key                   Rock Rock Rock        Somewhere There's A Rainbow

      
You Are My Sunshine               You're the Girl       No Kissin’ And A Huggin’

        
I’ll Never Ever Love Again         Besame Mucho              Do I, Do I, Do I

   
No Room                     I'll Never Ever Love Again

Trudy Williams  bb The Pharaohs (1)

   
A Foolish Little Girl               You’re My Boyfriend

 The Cyclones (1)

  
         My Dear                                      Do You Love Me

The Pharaos

    
The Tender Touch                      Heads Up, High Hopes Over You

....