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Biography
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and Mike Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were Americans|American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include " Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog ," " Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock ," " Don't (Elvis Presley song)|Don't ," " Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)|Kansas City ," " Stand by Me (song)|Stand By Me " (with Ben E. King ), and " On Broadway (song)|On Broadway " (with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ).
Overview
Leiber and Stoller's initial successes were as the writers of such Crossover (music)|crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog " and " Kansas City (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song)|Kansas City ." Later in the 1950s, particularly through their work with The Coasters , they created a string of ground-breaking hits that are some of the most entertaining in rock and roll, by using the humorous vernacular of the teenagers sung in a style that was openly theatrical rather than personal, songs that include " Young Blood ," " Searchin' ," and " Yakety Yak ."cite book|first=Charlie|last=Gillett|year=1996|title=The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll|edition=(2nd Ed.)|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=New York, N.Y.|pages=72–75, 192–194|isbn=0-306-80683-5 They were the first to surround black music with elaborate production values, enhancing its emotional power with The Drifters in " There Goes My Baby (The Drifters song)|There Goes My Baby " and influencing Phil Spector who worked with them on recordings of the Drifters and Ben E. King . Leiber and Stoller went into the record business and, focusing on the " girl group " sound, released some of the greatest classics of the Brill Building period.cite book|first=Anthony Decurtis (eds.)|last=Holly George-Warren & |year=1976|title=The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll|edition=3rd ed.|publisher=Random House|location=New York|pages=148–51|isbn=0-679-73728-6
They wrote hits including " Love Me (Leiber/Stoller song)|Love Me ," " Loving You (Elvis Presley song)|Loving You ," " Don't (Leiber/Stoller song)|Don't ," " Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock ," and " King Creole (album)|King Creole ," among others, for Elvis Presley .cite web|url= http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/award_recipient_detail.asp? ceremonyId=12& awardRecipientId=88|title=Johnny Mercer Award - Songwriters Hall of Fame|accessdate=2006-12-05|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20061001163231/ http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/award_recipient_detail.asp? ceremonyId=12& awardRecipientId=88|archivedate=2006-10-01
The pair were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.cite web|url= http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/jerry-leiber-and-mike-stoller|title=Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller - inductees|publisher=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|accessdate=2006-12-05
Biography
1950s
Both born to Jewish families, Leiber came from Baltimore, Maryland|Baltimore , Stoller from Long Island, New York|Long Island , but they met in Los Angeles in 1950, where Stoller was a freshman at Los Angeles City College while Leiber was a senior at Fairfax High School (Los Angeles)|Fairfax High . Stoller had graduated from Belmont High School (Los Angeles)|Belmont High School . After school, Stoller played piano and Leiber worked in a record store and, when they met, they found they shared a love of blues and rhythm and blues . In 1950, Jimmy Witherspoon recorded and performed their first commercial song, "Real Ugly Woman."
Their first hit composition was "Hard Times," recorded by Charles Brown (musician)|Charles Brown , which was a rhythm and blues hit in 1952. " Kansas City (R& B song)|Kansas City ," which was first recorded in 1952 (as "K. C. Loving") by rhythm & blues singer Little Willie Littlefield , became a No. 1 pop hit in 1959 for Wilbert Harrison . In 1952 they wrote " Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog " for blues singer Big Mama Thornton , which became a hit for her in 1953. The 1956 Elvis Presley rock version, which was a takeoff of the adaptation that Presley picked up from Freddie Bell 's lounge act in Las Vegas,cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 30 | id= CN 5585 was a much bigger hit. Presley's showstopping mock-burlesque version of "Hound Dog," playfully bumping and grinding on the Milton Berle|Milton Berle Show , created such public excitement that on the Steve Allen Show they slowed down his act, with an amused Presley in a tuxedo and blue suede shoes singing his hit to a basset hound . Allen pronounced Presley "a good sport," and the Leiber-Stoller song would be forever linked to Presley. Their later songs often had lyrics more appropriate for pop music , and their combination of rhythm and blues with pop lyrics revolutionized pop, rock and roll, and punk rock.
They formed Spark Records in 1953 with their mentor, Lester Sill . Their songs from this period include "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and "Riot in Cell Block #9," both recorded by The Robins .
The label was later bought by Atlantic Records , which hired Leiber and Stoller in an innovative deal that allowed them to produce for other labels. This, in effect, made them the first independent record producers. At Atlantic, they revitalized the careers of The Drifters and wrote a number of hits for The Coasters , a spin-off of the Robins. Their songs from this period include " Charlie Brown (song)|Charlie Brown ," " Searchin' ," " Yakety Yak ,"cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 55 | id= CN 5585 " Stand by Me (song)|Stand By Me " (written with Ben E. King ), and " On Broadway " (written with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil ). For the Coasters alone, they wrote twenty-four songs that appeared in the US charts.
In 1955 Leiber and Stoller produced a recording of their song " Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots " with a white vocal group, the Cheers.cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 19 | id= CN 5585 Soon after, the song was recorded by Édith Piaf in a French translation titled, "L'Homme à la Moto." The European royalties from another Cheers record, "Bazoom (I Need Your Lovin')," funded a 1956 trip to Europe for Stoller and his first wife, Meryl, on which they met Piaf. Their return to New York was aboard the ill-fated SS Andrea Doria|SS Andrea Doria , which was rammed and sunk by the Swedish liner MS Stockholm (1948)|MS Stockholm . The Stollers had to finish the journey to New York aboard another ship. After their rescue, Leiber greeted Stoller at the dock with the news that " Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog " had become a hit for Elvis Presley. Stoller's reply was, "Elvis who? " They would go on to write more hits for Presley, including the title songs for three of his movies— Loving You, Jailhouse Rock, and King Creole —as well as the rock and roll Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," for Presley's first Christmas album.
Post-1950s
In the early 1960s, Phil Spector served an apprenticeship of sorts with Leiber and Stoller in New York City|New York , developing his record producer 's craft while observing and playing guitar on their sessions, including the guitar solo on The Drifters ' " On Broadway ."
After leaving the employ of Atlantic Records—where they produced, and often wrote, many classic recordings by The Drifters with Ben E. King —they produced a series of records for United Artists Records , including hits by Jay and the Americans ("She Cried"), The Exciters ("Tell Him"), and The Clovers (" Love Potion No. 9 (song)|Love Potion #9 ," also written by Leiber and Stoller).
In the 1960s, Leiber and Stoller founded and briefly owned Red Bird Records , which issued The Shangri-Las ' " Leader of the Pack " and The Dixie Cups ' " Chapel of Love ."
After selling Red Bird, they continued working as independent producers and songwriters. Their best known song from this period is " Is That All There Is? " recorded by Peggy Lee in 1969 and earning her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy . Earlier in the decade, they had had a minor hit with Lee with " I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman ." Their last major hit production was " Stuck in the Middle With You " by Stealers Wheel , taken from the band's 1972 eponymous debut album, which the duo produced. In 1975, they recorded Mirrors (Peggy Lee album)|Mirrors , an album of art songs with Peggy Lee. A remixed and expanded version of the album was released in 2005 as http://www.peggylee.com/new/0512_leiberstoller.html Peggy Lee Sings Leiber and Stoller .
In the late seventies, A& M Records recruited Leiber and Stoller to write and produce an album for Elkie Brooks . The album Two Days Away (1977) proved a success in the UK and most of Europe. Their composition " Pearl's A Singer " (written with Ralph Dino & John Sembello) became a hit for Brooks, and remains her signature tune . They produced another album for her, Live and Learn (Elkie Brooks album)|Live and Learn , in 1979. In 1978, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris and her pianist - composer husband William Bolcom recorded an album, Other Songs by Leiber and Stoller, featuring a number of the songwriters' more unusual (and satiric) works, including "Let's Bring Back World War I," written specifically for (and dedicated to) Bolcom and Morris; and "Humphrey Bogart," a tongue-in-cheek song about obsession with the Humphrey Bogart|actor .Joan Morris and William Bolcom, Other Songs by Leiber and Stoller, Nonesuch Records H-71346, 1978
In 1982, Steely Dan member Donald Fagen recorded their song, " Ruby Baby ," on his album, The Nightfly . That same year, former Doobie Brothers member Michael McDonald (singer)|Michael McDonald released " I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near) ," adapted from Leiber and Stoller's " I Keep Forgettin' ."
With collaborator Artie Butler, Stoller wrote the music to the musical theatre|musical The People in the Picture , with book and lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart . Stoller and Butler's music received a 2011 Drama Desk Award nomination.
Jerry Leiber died in Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 78 on August 22, 2011, from cardio-pulmonary failure.William Grimes, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/23/arts/music/jerry-leiber-rock-n-roll-lyricist-dies-at-78.html Jerry Leiber, Prolific Writer of 1950s Hits, Dies at 78, New York Times , August 22, 2011 He was survived by his sons Jed, Oliver, and Jake.Jonze, Tim, http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/23/jerry-leiber-dies-78 "Songwriter Jerry Leiber dies at 78", Guardian.co.uk , 23 August 2011 12.27 BST. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
Awards and honors
They won Grammy Award|Grammy awards for " Is That All There Is? " in 1969, and for the cast album of '' Smokey Joe's Cafe , a 1995 Broadway theatre|Broadway musical theatre|musical revue based on their work. Smokey Joe's Cafe was also nominated for seven Tony award s, and became the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history.
Other awards include:
1985 – Induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame http://songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C17 Jerry Leiber at the Songwriters at the Songwriters Hall of Fame http://songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C20 Mike Stoller at the Songwriters at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
1987 – Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
1988 – Elvis Presley 's recording of “ Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog ” placed in the Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame
1991 – American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers|ASCAP Founders' Award
1994 – A List of stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame#L|star placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of 7083 Hollywood Blvd., and their handprints embedded into the Guitar Center|Hollywood Rockwalk
1996 – National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award
1997 – Distinguished Artist Award/ Los Angeles Music Center
1999 – National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences|NARAS Trustees Award
2000 – Johnny Mercer Award/ National Academy of Popular Music
2000 – Ivor Novello Ivor Novello Awards|International Songwriters Award
2005 – American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers|ASMAC President’s Award
2005 – “ Kansas City (Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song)|Kansas City " named official song of Kansas City, Missouri
2005 – World Soundtrack Academy|World Soundtrack Award /Flanders International Film Festival
Legacy
In the 1950s the rhythm and blues of the black entertainment world, up to then restricted to black clubs, was increasing its audience-share in areas previously reserved for traditional pop music , and the phenomenon now known as " Crossover (music)|crossover " became apparent.
Leiber and Stoller affected the course of modern popular music in 1957 when they wrote and produced the crossover double-sided hit by The Coasters, " Young Blood "/" Searchin' ."cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 40 | id= CN 5585 They released " Yakety Yak ," which was a mainstream hit, as was the follow-up, " Charlie Brown (song)|Charlie Brown ." This was followed by " Along Came Jones (song)|Along Came Jones ," " Poison Ivy (1959 song)|Poison Ivy ," "Shoppin' for Clothes," and " Little Egypt (Ying-Yang) ."cite book | first=Charlie | last=Gillett | year= 1996 | title= The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll | edition= (2nd Ed.) | publisher= Da Capo Press | location=New York, N.Y. | pages= 72–75 | isbn= 0-306-80683-5
They produced and co-wrote " There Goes My Baby (The Drifters song)|There Goes My Baby ," a hit for The Drifters in 1959,cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 72 | id= CN 5585 which introduced the use of String orchestra|strings for saxophone -like riffs , a tympani for the Brazilian baion rhythm they incorporated, and lavish production values into the established black R& B sound, laying the groundwork for the soul music that would follow.cite book | first= Anthony Decurtis (Eds.) | last= Holly George-Warren & | authorlink= | coauthors= | year= 1976 | title= The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll | edition= 3rd Edition | publisher= Random House | location=New York | pages= 148–152 | isbn= 0-679-73728-6
In 2009, Simon & Schuster published Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography , written by Leiber and Stoller with David Ritz .
Definitive songs
col-begincol-break
" There Goes My Baby (The Drifters song)|There Goes My Baby " (with Ben E. King alias Benjamin Nelson, Lover Patterson, and George Treadwell )
" Hound Dog (song)|Hound Dog "
" Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)|Kansas City "
" Stand by Me (song)|Stand By Me " (with Ben E. King)
col-break
" Jailhouse Rock (song)|Jailhouse Rock "
" Love Potion No. 9 (song)|Love Potion No. 9 "
" Searchin' "
" Young Blood " (with Doc Pomus )
" Is That All There Is? "
" I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman "
" Lucky Lips "
" On Broadway (song)|On Broadway " (with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil )
" Spanish Harlem (song)|Spanish Harlem " (Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector )
" Jackson (song)|Jackson " (Jerry Leiber and Billy Edd Wheeler )
col-end
References
Reflist
External links
wikiquote
http://www.leiberstoller.com Official Leiber and Stoller website
http://sodajerker.com/episode-12-mike-stoller Audio interview with Mike Stoller on the Sodajerker on Songwriting podcast
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/tynterview_with_mike_stoller.shtml Interview with Mike Stoller
Pop Chronicles|12
http://www.webcitation.org/query? url= http://www.geocities.com/spectropop/hleiberstoller.html& date=2009-10-25+22:15:58 Spectropop Leiber and Stoller site
http://web.archive.org/web/20070818143208/www.mcportsmouth.freeserve.co.uk/a/all.htm A list of Leiber/Stoller songs (Internet Archive)
http://www.audioholicmedia.com/? p=45 Article on the career of Leiber and Stoller
http://www.myspace.com/video/hilton1949/words-and-music-leiber-stoller/59151237 TV Documentary "Words and Music by Leiber and Stoller"
DEFAULTSORT:Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Category:Musical duos Category:Articles about multiple people Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Songwriting teams
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