Twyla Herbert

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Twyla Herbert (born July 27, 1921) is an American songwriter. She is known for her long songwriting partnership with singer Lou Christie. Christie was 15 years old when he met Herbert, a "bohemian gypsy, psychic, and former concert pianist," at an audition in a church basement in his hometown, Glenwillard, Pennsylvania.^[1] Over twenty years older than him, with flaming red hair, she was a self-described clairvoyant and mystic who allegedly predicted which of their songs would become hits.^[2] The pair co-wrote the great majority of Christie's hits, including "The Gypsy Cried," "Two Faces Have I," "Rhapsody in the Rain," "She Sold Me Magic," and most famously, "Lightnin' Strikes," a song later covered by such artists as Del Shannon and Klaus Nomi. Christie discussed their songwriting relationship: "Twyla is a genius. She was going to be a concert pianist but we started writing rock 'n' roll. The hardest part was that we had too many ideas. If we wanted to write a song, it would never stop."^[3] Herbert and Christie also composed for his backup singers, a girl group named the Tammys, a handful of songs, including the eccentric single "Egyptian Shumba," which with its over-the-top, savage vocals and faux-Middle Eastern melody, has become a cult classic.^[4]

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[edit] External links

• Twyla Herbert on the All Music Guide
• A Photograph of Twyla Herbert with Lou Christie