Bert Berns – $20 million
Greatest Hits: Here Comes the Night, Hang on Sloopy, Twist and Shout
The Bronx-born Bert Berns became a leading songwriter and producer throughout the 1960s. With songs like Hang on Sloopy and Twist and Shout, the man would command an influential score of music. He was also famous for hit numbers like Baby Please Don’t Go, Brown Eyed Girl, and Under the Boardwalk. He would often frequent mambo nightclubs during his youth spent in Havana, but would be forced to return to America during the Cuban Revolution. He was only 38 years old when he sadly succumbed to heart complications.
Bert Berns
Marvin Gaye – $5 million
Greatest Hits: I Heard it Through the Grapevine, How Sweet It Is, Ain’t That Peculiar
The “Prince of Soul”, also known as Marvin Gaye, was also known as the “Prince of Motown”, was regarded as royalty thanks to his essential contributions to the genre during the 1960s. Prior to the start of her solo career, Gaye established himself as the initial in-house session musician. Motown was pioneered by him and other greats like Stevie Wonder. They successfully made their way away from the mainstream record business and individually commended producing their own records. Gaye was a major inspiration for neo-soul, too.
Marvin Gaye
