The Louie Report

Last week, I highlighted a video by Yank Barry, with a sloppy back-handed comment about his controversial affilation with “the Kingmen” and his awkward lawsuit regarding his business with providing food for prison. I definitely touched a raw nerve with my comments, and Yank’s friends came out in force to stand up for him.

The Kingsmen story is a convoluted one, and I think it’s important that other sides of the big story are brought out. After all, that’s what my documentary is all about….. sharing the true stories.

After I made some additions to the last posting, Yank added a new comment to the blog, which I’ll share in its entirety:

Dear Kingsmen,

I am pleased that you posted some responses.I would like to make several things clear.

First of all, the arguments about me being with the Kingsmen, started when the U.S government & the Government of Texas successfully made me a pariah on the internet.

That was one of their ways of trying to beat me mentally, physically & financially.
We have not only succeeded in beating Bush twice (I was not let go) I was acquitted once by Judge Lynn Hughes and at a second trial. They are all under investigation by the current government, for obstruction of justice, collusion and malicious prosecution. Every original document is backed up in my book.

For these reasons you became aggressive, about me being a member of The Kingsmen and I don’t blame you at all. I have never said I sang on the record, I have never said that I wrote the song (Fact when Richard Berry passed away there were news bulletins that it was me) I called CNN to clarify that I was alive and did not write Louie Louie, that it was Richard BERRY.

Third point and most important is there were ads in the Village Voice for auditions to replace members of the Kingsmen, because the group had broken up.I went and auditioned. The booking agency was Premier Talent represented by Marc Allen and a manager named Mel Shayne. This seemed very much on the up & up.I was only 21, but not stupid. When I passed the audition as lead singer, we were promised to tour with Gary U.S Bonds, The Drifters, Peter & Gordon and many other acts… we did.

We were even recording a new album at the Record Plant in New York with Roy Cicala. The sessions and touring stopped, when our co-manager Robert Slater of New Beat Management of New York heard that the ORIGINAL Kingsmen were back together…I would NEVER try and deceive anyone. I was with The Kingsmen, I know now that your group did not know about us, but we did exist.

I am sorry for all of the confusion over the past years, but from my point of view you were just another pawn of the Federal Government, to discredit me.

I hope we can clean things up and I would love to have The Kingsmen be a Global Village Champion.

I am proud to have been a Kingsmen, even though it wasn’t the original band and would be proud for your group to be a part of the Greatest organization for feeding the needy in the world. We would also like for your group to perform with Gary, Ben E. King, Darlene Love & Chuck Jackson at our international convention next year in Chicago.

Lets finally create a soft landing and PEACE. I would like nothing more.

Your other Kingsmen friend,
Yank Barry.

OK, this all sounds good to me.

Life is too short to dwell on anything other than the all important task of preserving PEACE. I wish there was more of that….

With this in mind, it’s time to share another Yank Barry clip, with my apologies for last week’s post.

Here’s Yank singing LOUIE LOUIE with Alice Cooper, David Foster, Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez, Jerry Colangelo and Danny Zelisko.

By the way, this website is NOT the one created by the Kingsmen. Their website is LouieLouie.org.