 Ragovoy was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a Hungarian-born Jewish optometrist.He entered record production in 1953 with "My Girl Awaits Me" by the Castelles.Another well-known song by Ragovoy is "Piece of My Heart", co-written with Bert Berns and recorded originally by Erma Franklin, and later famously covered by Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company.