The Golden Voice sings no more.
John Berrie Sr, nicknamed the Golden Voice of Wall Street and longtime ambassador of the trading industry has passed away. He was 78.
How did he get that nickname?
According to his daughter, who spoke with Traders Magazine, Berrie was a natural singer who came to the United States via Scotland and England. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Bournemouth, England.
It was the early 1960s. Teenagers were twisting the night away and rocking to Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys. The New York folk music scene was also in full bloom. Bob Dylan was singing Blowing in the Wind and The Times They Are A Changing. His friends, the Clancy Brothers, would appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Before he turned to singing folk songs, Berrie was making the rounds in England with a rock ‘n’ roll group called The Jays. While he was in the Royal Air Force, Berrie formed the four-person group that performed hit songs like Blue Suede Shoes and Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On at local dances. He was the lead singer and guitar player.
Berrie and the group had developed a loyal following. It even appeared a few times on a variety show on British television, Home Grown. But a big record contract never materialized. Berrie decided to disband the group after he was discharged from the service.
The idea to come to America was suggested by his mother. After spending a few weeks in the U.S. visiting her oldest son, Murray, who had moved to New York, she told young John, then 23, that, “America is a pretty good country and you should go over and try your music over there.”
Berrie packed up his bags and crossed the Atlantic on the QE2 in 1962 and settled in New York. Upon arriving in the Big Apple, he teamed up with his brother and formed the folk singing duo called The Berries. Their repertoire included songs by the Clancy Brothers and Scottish and Irish ballads. They performed at folk clubs and bars in Greenwich Village.
The two brothers supplemented their income by playing at private parties. That’s how Berrie was introduced to Wall Street. He was a roving minstrel at the birthday party for the 16-year-old daughter of Lou Froelich, a partner at Pershing & Co. “If you ever want a steady job,” Froelich told Berrie, “why don’t you come down and work on Wall Street.”
About five months after he first met Froelich, in May 1963, Berrie decided to give the Street a try. “Singing is tough. You are sometimes working and sometimes you are not,” Berrie said. “I decided to go down and get a job.”
Wall Street was a totally new experience for the then 25-year-old Berrie. “I knew nothing about Wall Street,” he recalled to Traders Magazine in an interview in May 2000. “I had no idea what I was going to do.”
Berrie started as a quote boy. Back then stock quotes were obtained by calling up on the telephone.
But he worked his way up through the ranks and became a full-fledged sales trader. And as such, got involved with the Security Traders Association of New York and beginning in, he opened the annual STANY dinner by singing the Star-Spangled Banner and his favorite Irish ballad, Danny Boy.
He remained with Pershing, which eventually became part of Donaldson, Luftkin & Jenrette, which in turn was acquired by Credit Suisse. His career spanned 37 years.
But he always remained true to his calling in music, his daughter said, as he performed every year in his home town of Mount Tabor at its annual Childrens Celebration in August. He even wrote a song about his hometown – the Mount Tabor Song – and performed it to the delight of his friends, neighborhood and family. This year, the song will be performed by his granddaughter.
he was beloved by his family and friends, his daughter Alexandra Partington told Traders Magazine in a phone interview. He could light up the room when he walked in and always make someone laugh.
Memorial services will be held Saturday, May 27, 2017, at St Mary’s Church in Denville, NJ.
