Jeff Barry

In the Mid-Eighties Peter Kirsten, one of the most prolific German record producers, had the idea of teaming me up with Jeff Barry. At that time Jeff already was a songwriter legend. He had worked with Phil Spector and Ellie Greenwich, and written perennial pop classics, such as Tell Laura I Love Her, Be My Baby, Da-Doo-Ron-Ron, Baby, I Love You, Leader of the Pack, Chapel of Love, Solitary Man, River Deep,Mountain High, Sugar,Sugar, Montego Bay - to name just a few. When we met we liked each other immediately. However, an unexpected problem arose.  Jeff asked me to go to the piano and play some of my melodies. I said I don't have any, I'm a lyricist. "You're kidding," Jerry said, "I'm a lyricist, too." - "Well, what are we going to do now? Shall I fly back to Munich?" - "No, I'd love to write some songs with you. Let's just give it a try." So I stayed at a bungalow of the Beverly Hills Hotel for three weeks. Putting our heads together we wrote a whole album during that time. When Peter recorded our songs with the Scandinavian singer Gitte Haenning, Jeff came over to Munich. It was a wonderful summer, and after long studio days we used to spend the evening in a beer garden or, joined by Roswitha, on the terrace of my Grünwald home.  Our album made gold and platinum, and I've learned one more time that the most gifted professionals have no attitude at all. Jeff and I haven't met for a long time, but we'll be friends forever.