Jeff Barry

Jeff Barry was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 3, 1938. As a child, he developed two interests which never left him: cowboys and music. After graduating from Erasmus Hall High School and doing a stint in the army, where he often sang with military bands, he enrolled in City College of New York to study engineering;, but his desire to sing professionally was overshadowing any other vocational leanings he may have had. In 1958, through a family friend, Jeff was introduced to someone in the music business, publisher Arnold Shaw. Jeff had written several original tunes, which he performed when he auditioned for Shaw. Although impressed with Jeff's singing voice, Shaw was even more impressed with his talent as a songwriter. Jeff was signed to RCA Records and in short order recorded and released the self-penned "It's Called Rock and Roll," backed with "Hip Couple." Other singles followed, like "Teen Quartet," "It Won't Hurt," and "Lonely Lips," written with Ben Raleigh, one of his fines