Bertrand Russell “Bert” Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. A pioneer of 1960s rock and soul, Berns made numerous contributions to popular music, including “Twist and Shout“, “Piece of My Heart“, “Brown Eyed Girl” (as a producer), “Here Comes the Night“, “Hang On Sloopy“, “Under the Boardwalk” and “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love“.