It might surprise those who don’t know the whole story but Barry Mann, who teamed up with wife Cynthia Weil to write some of the most popular songs around, also made a splash early in his career as a performer. That’s right, the guy who helped create memorable songs like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and the Grammy-winning “Somewhere Out There,” had his own hit record in 1961 with the doo-wop spoof, “Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp).”
Of course, Mann was first and foremost a songwriter even at the beginning of his career, when the Brooklyn-born composer had a hand in hits like “She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)” for the Diamonds. But he also tried his hand at performing, with a song that poked fun at all the strange wording found in pop songs of the era (including those he’d written).
In spite of the success of “Who Put the Bomp,” Mann’s career was destined to be mostly about songwriting. He and his wife made a formidable team that spun out countless good songs as part of the crowd working in and around the Brill Building, the fabled center of pop composing and publishing. In addition to those songs already mentioned, they also wrote hits like the Drifters’ “On Broadway,” and the Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” among many, many others.
In later years, in addition to the songwriting team’s Grammy wins and many other awards, it was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. And finally, in 2011 it also received the Johnny Mercer Award – the highest honor from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
But Barry Mann still likes to occasionally get in front of an audience, as you can see in the video below.
Barry Mann – “Who Put the Bomp”
Geezer Music Club 