Bertrand Russell "Bert" Berns (8 November 1929 – 30 December 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. A pioneer of sixties rock and soul, Berns made numerous contributions to popular music, including "Twist and Shout", "Piece of My Heart", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Here Comes the Night", "Hang on Sloopy", "Under the Boardwalk" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". He died of heart failure at age 38.