LEN BARRY (LEONARD BORISOFF)

LEN BARRY Singer – Songwriter – Record Producer If you were a big Philadelphia music fan back in the 1960's then chances are you turned up the volume when the sugary soulful voice of homegrown legend Len Barry hit the airwaves with one of his many worldwide hits. Born Leonard Borisoff, Barry broke big into the music business as the lead singer of Philly's Dovells when 1961's "The Bristol Stomp" hit #2 on the Billboard charts earning the group a gold record. Barry quickly followed that up with another hit record, "You Can't Sit Down" which peaked at #3 on the Billboard chart. As a Dovell, Barry toured with James Brown and made a film appearance in the movie "Don't Knock the Twist" with Chubby Checker. Barry had even greater success after leaving the group, when his 1965 song "1-2-3" which he also penned, hit #2 on The Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in the UK, earning him another gold disc and a Grammy Award nomination for best contemporary rock 'n' roll male vocal performance of the year. Barry became a huge singing sensation in the UK, toured the UK with the Motown Revue as well as featured performances at The London Palladium and Royal Albert Hall. He also appeared on "Top of the Pops" and thrilled fans with guest appearances on Dick Clark's "Bandstand" as well as "Shindig" and "Hullabaloo." Barry was an international singing star but was also a prolific songwriter and record producer, writing hit singles "Zoom" for Philadelphia's Fat Larry's Band and "Love Train" for Booker Newberry III. Barry died on November 5th 2020 and is survived by his son, Spencer and daughter Bia along with grandchildren Baye and Jack and daughter-in-law Helicia and son-in-law Bob.