Bert Berns – $20 million
Greatest Hits: Hang on Sloopy, Twist and Shout, Here Comes the Night
Born in the Bronx, Bert Berns was a very significant producer and songwriter in the 1960s. He has credits for popular pieces such as “Twist and South,” “Hang on Sloopy,” etc. He has produced famous songs for Atlantic, Bang, and Shouts such as “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Under the Boardwalk,” and “Baby Please Don’t Go,” He used to dance at mambo nightclubs when he was young, living in Havana before the Cuban Revolution brought him back to America. He died of heart complications at the age of 38.
Bert Berns
Marvin Gaye – $5 million
Greatest Hits: How Sweet It Is, Ain’t That Peculiar, I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Marvin Gaye was nicknamed “Prince of Soul” and “Prince of Motown,” as he helped shape the Motown sound of the 1960s. He was the first in-house player to be a solo artist. He was one of the first Motown musicians, apart from Stevie Wonder, to break away from the record industry and independently make his own music. He played a pivotal role in quiet storm music and the neo-soul genre. He won a Midnight Love Grammy.
Marvin Gaye