Barry Mann

Half of the successful writing team of Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, songwriter Barry Mann played an integral part in the success of the Brill Building sound and its dominance of the pop charts in the early '60s. Before becoming a songwriter he also made the charts as a performer, singing the novelty song "Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)." Mann began his career at Don Kirshner's Aldon Music. Crafting rock music with a level of sophistication that had never before been attained, Mann, along with wife and partner Cynthia Weil, wrote such classic tunes as "On Broadway," "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" ("the most-played song of the 20th century"), and "Uptown." It was Mann who supplied the majority of the music for these compositions and the duo continued to provide hits for other artists through the decades. In addition to his continuing successful collaboration with Weil, Mann has provided keyboards and production skills to artists such as B.J. Thomas and the Pointer Sisters, and co-wrote Dan Hill's hit "Sometimes When We Touch." In 1987, Mann was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame and was awarded two Grammys, including Best Song for "Somewhere Out There." ~ Steve Kurutz