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Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

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Leiber and Stoller
Mike Stoller (left) and Jerry Leiber (right) flanking Elvis Presley on the cover of Leiber and Stoller's joint autobiography, Hound Dog
Mike Stoller (left) and Jerry Leiber (right) flanking Elvis Presley on the cover of Leiber and Stoller's joint autobiography,Hound Dog
Background information
GenresPopular music, R&B, rock and roll, Broadway tunes
Occupation(s)Songwriter and record producer duo (Leiber – Lyricist
Stoller –composer)
Years active1950–2011
LabelsSpark Records
Jerry Leiber
Birth NameJerome Leiber[1]
Born(1933-04-15)April 15, 1933
Baltimore,Maryland,U.S.
DiedAugust 22, 2011(2011-08-22)(aged 78)
Los Angeles,California,U.S.
Mike Stoller
Birth nameMichael Stoller
Born(1933-03-13)March 13, 1933(age 91)
Queens, New York,U.S.

Leiber and Stollerwere an AmericanGrammy award-winning songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricistJerome Leiber(/ˈliːbər/;April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)[1]and composerMichael Stoller[2](born March 13, 1933).[3]As well as manyR&Bandpophits, they wrote numerous standards forBroadway.

Leiber and Stoller found success as the writers of suchcrossoverhit songs as "Hound Dog"(1952) and"Kansas City"(1952). Later in the 1950s, particularly through their work withthe Coasters,they created a string of ground-breaking hits—including "Young Blood"(1957),"Searchin'"(1957), and"Yakety Yak"(1958)—that used the humorous vernacular of teenagers sung in a style that was openly theatrical rather than personal.[4]

Leiber and Stoller wrote hits forElvis Presley,including "Love Me"(1956),"Jailhouse Rock"(1957),"Loving You","Don't",and"King Creole".[5]They also collaborated with other writers on such songs as "On Broadway",written withBarry MannandCynthia Weil;"Stand By Me",written withBen E. King;"Young Blood", written withDoc Pomus;and "Spanish Harlem",co-written by Leiber andPhil Spector.They were sometimes credited under the pseudonymElmo Glick.In 1964, they launchedRed Bird RecordswithGeorge Goldnerand, focusing on the "girl group"sound, released some of the notable songs of theBrill Buildingperiod.[6]

In all, Leiber and Stoller wrote or co-wroteover 70 chart hits.They were inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Famein 1985 and theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1987.[7]

Biography[edit]

1950s[edit]

Both born toJewishfamilies, Leiber came fromBaltimore,Maryland,[3]and Stoller fromQueens,New York,[8]but they met inLos Angeles,California,in 1950, where Stoller was afreshmanatLos Angeles City Collegewhile Leiber was a senior atFairfax High.Stoller had graduated fromBelmont High School.After school, Stoller played piano and Leiber worked in Norty's, a record store on Fairfax Avenue,[9][10]and when they met, they found they shared a love ofbluesandrhythm and blues.[3]In 1950,Jimmy Witherspoonrecorded and performed their first commercial song, "Real Ugly Woman".[11]Stoller's name at birth was Michael Stoller, but he later changed it legally to "Mike".[citation needed]

Their first hit composition was "Hard Times", recorded byCharles Brown,which was a rhythm and blues hit in 1952.[3]"Kansas City", first recorded in 1952 (as "K. C. Loving" ) by rhythm & blues singerLittle Willie Littlefield,became a No. 1 pop hit in 1959 forWilbert Harrison.[3]In 1952, the partners wrote "Hound Dog"for blues singerBig Mama Thornton, [12]which became a hit for her in 1953.[3]The 1956 Elvis Presley rock and roll version, which was a takeoff of the adaptation that Presley picked up fromFreddie Bell's lounge act in Las Vegas,[13]was an even bigger hit.[14]Presley's showstopping mock-burlesque version of "Hound Dog", playfully bumping and grinding on theMilton Berle Show,created such public outcry and controversy that onThe Steve Allen Showthey slowed down his act, with an amused Presley in a tuxedo and blue suede shoes singing his hit to abasset hound.Allen pronounced Presley "a good sport", and the Leiber-Stoller song would be forever linked to Presley.

Leiber and Stoller's later songs often had lyrics more appropriate forpop music,and their combination of rhythm and blues with pop lyrics revolutionized pop, rock and roll, and punk rock.

They formedSpark Recordsin 1954 with their mentor,Lester Sill.[3]Their songs from this period include "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and "Riot in Cell Block #9",both recorded bythe Robins.[15]

The label was later bought byAtlantic Records[when?],which hired Leiber and Stoller in an innovative deal that allowed them to produce for other labels.[3]This, in effect, made them the first independent record producers.[15]At Atlantic, they revitalized the careers ofthe Driftersand wrote a number of hits forthe Coasters,a spin-off of the Robins.[3]Their songs from this period include "Charlie Brown","Searchin'","Yakety Yak",[16]"Stand By Me"(written withBen E. King), and "On Broadway"(written withBarry MannandCynthia Weil). For the Coasters alone, they wrote 24 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.[15]Soon after, the song was recorded byÉdith Piafin 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-fatedSSAndrea Doria,which was rammed and sunk by the Swedish linerMSStockholm.The Stollers had to finish the journey to New York aboard another ship, theCape Ann.After their rescue, Leiber greeted Stoller at the dock with the news that "Hound Dog"had become a hit for Elvis Presley.[13]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,[17]andKing Creole—as well as the rock and roll Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Back in Town", for Presley's first Christmas album.

On March 9, 1958, Leiber and Stoller appeared together on the TV panel quiz showWhat's My Line?as rock and roll composers of "Hounddog", "Jailhouse Rock" and "Don't". They were not household names and did not appear as celebrity mystery guests (a regular feature of the show) but as ordinary people with an unusual “line” of work. They even signed in under their own names, as the producers apparently were certain that the panel would not know who they were.

Post-1950s[edit]

In the beginning of the 1960s, they started Daisy Records and recorded Bob Moore and The Temps (withRoy Buchanan) on their label.

In the early 1960s,Phil Spectorserved an apprenticeship of sorts with Leiber and Stoller inNew York City,developing hisrecord 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 withBen E. King—Leiber and Stoller produced a series of records forUnited Artists Records,including hits byJay and the Americans( "She Cried"),the Exciters( "Tell Him" ), andthe Clovers( "Love Potion #9",also written by Leiber and Stoller).

In the 1960s, Leiber and Stoller founded and briefly ownedRed Bird Records,which issuedthe Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack"andthe Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love".[3]

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 byPeggy Leein 1969;[3]it earned her aBest Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy.Earlier in the decade, they had a hit with Lee with "I'm a Woman"(1962).

Their last major hit production was "Stuck in the Middle With You"byStealers Wheel,taken from the band's 1972 eponymous debut album, which the duo produced.[3]In 1975, they recordedMirrors,an album of art songs with Peggy Lee. A remixed and expanded version of the album was released in 2005 asPeggy Lee Sings Leiber and Stoller.[18]Also in 1975, they produced theProcol HarumalbumProcol's Ninth,which included the UK Top 20 single "Pandora's Box" and a version of Leiber and Stoller's "I Keep Forgettin'".

In the late 1970s,A&M Recordsrecruited Leiber and Stoller to write and produce an album forElkie Brooks;Two Days Away(1977) proved a success in the UK and most of Europe.[3]Their composition "Pearl's a Singer"(written withRalph Dino & John Sembello) became a hit for Brooks,[3]and remains hersignature tune.In 1978,mezzo-sopranoJoan Morrisand herpianist-composerhusbandWilliam Bolcomrecorded 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 withthe actor.[19]In 1979, Leiber and Stoller produced another album for Brooks:Live and Learn.[3]

In 1982,Steely DanmemberDonald Fagenrecorded their song "Ruby Baby"on his albumThe Nightfly.That same year, formerDoobie BrothersmemberMichael McDonaldreleased "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)",inspired by Leiber and Stoller's"I Keep Forgettin'"for which they were eventually given a 50% songwriting credit.

2000s[edit]

In 2009,Simon & SchusterpublishedHound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography,written by Leiber and Stoller withDavid Ritz.[20]As of 2007, their songs are managed bySony/ATV Music Publishing.[21]

With collaboratorArtie Butler,Stoller wrote the music to themusicalThe People in the Picture,with book and lyrics byIris Rainer Dart.Stoller and Butler's music received a 2011Drama Desk Awardnomination.

On August 22, 2011, Leiber died inCedars Sinai Medical Centerin Los Angeles, aged 78, from cardio-pulmonary failure.[1]He was survived by his sons Jed, Oliver, and Jake.[22]

Stoller wrote both music and lyrics to the song "Charlotte", recorded bySteve Tyrelland released in advance of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.[23]

Awards and honors[edit]

Leiber and Stoller wonGrammy awardsfor "Is That All There Is?"in 1969, and for the cast album ofSmokey Joe's Cafe,a 1995Broadwaymusicalrevuebased on their work.Smokey Joe's Cafewas also nominated for sevenTony awards,and became the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history.

Other awards include:

Legacy[edit]

In the 1950s therhythm and bluesof the black entertainment world, up to then restricted to black clubs, was increasing its audience-share in areas previously reserved fortraditional pop music,and the phenomenon now known as "crossover"became apparent.[5]

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'".[17]They released "Yakety Yak",which was a mainstream hit, as was the follow-up,"Charlie Brown".This was followed by"Along Came Jones","Poison Ivy","Shoppin' for Clothes",and"Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)".[28]

They produced and co-wrote "There Goes My Baby",a hit for the Drifters in 1959,[29]which introduced the use ofstringsforsaxophone-likeriffs,tympanifor the Brazilianbaionrhythm they incorporated, and lavish production values into the established black R&B sound, laying the groundwork for thesoul musicthat would follow.[30]

Discography[edit]

Further information:List of songs written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

References[edit]

  1. ^abcWilliam Grimes,Jerry Leiber, Prolific Writer of 1950s Hits, Dies at 78,The New York Times,August 22, 2011
  2. ^Kilgour, Colin."JERRY LEIBER".Rockabilly.nl.Archived fromthe originalon 2003-11-25.RetrievedOctober 13,2018.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnoColin Larkin,ed. (1992).The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music(First ed.).Guinness Publishing.pp. 1457/8.ISBN0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^Gillett, Charlie (1996).The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll(2nd ed.). New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. pp. 72–75, 192–194.ISBN0-306-80683-5.
  5. ^ab"Johnny Mercer Award – Songwriters Hall of Fame".Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2006.RetrievedDecember 5,2006.
  6. ^Decurtis, Anthony; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1976).The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll(3rd ed.). New York: Random House. pp.148–51.ISBN0-679-73728-6.
  7. ^"Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller – inductees".Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.RetrievedDecember 5,2006.
  8. ^Macías, Anthony (2012)."Multicultural Music, Jews, and American Culture".In Zuckerman, Bruce; Sanchez, George J. (eds.).Beyond Alliances: The Jewish Role in Reshaping the Racial Landscape of Southern California.Purdue University Press. p. 48.ISBN978-1-55753-623-5.
  9. ^Leiber and Mike Stoller with David Ritz, Jerry (2009).Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography.Simon & Schuster. p.28.ISBN978-1-4165-5938-2.
  10. ^"History of Jewish songwriters told in 'Beautiful' – Crescent City Jewish News".Crescentcityjewishnews.com.August 1, 2014.RetrievedOctober 13,2018.
  11. ^Stoller, Mike (2000-10-07)."Songs That Won't Be Written".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2023-01-30.
  12. ^Spörke, Michael (July 17, 2014).Big Mama Thornton: The Life and Music. McFarland Inc.McFarland.ISBN978-0-7864-7759-3.RetrievedSeptember 29,2014– via Mcfarlandbooks.com.
  13. ^abTobler, John(1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years(1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 30. CN 5585.
  14. ^Gilliland, John(1969)."Show 7 – The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1]"(audio).Pop Chronicles.University of North Texas Libraries.
  15. ^abcTobler, John(1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years(1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 19. CN 5585.
  16. ^Tobler, John(1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years(1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 55. CN 5585.
  17. ^abTobler, John(1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years(1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 40. CN 5585.
  18. ^Peggy Lee Sings Leiber and Stoller.2005. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-11-07.Retrieved2011-08-27– via peggylee.com.
  19. ^Joan Morris and William Bolcom,Other Songs by Leiber and Stoller,Nonesuch Records H-71346, 1978
  20. ^Leiber, Jerry; Stoller, Mike (June 2010).Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography.Simon and Schuster.ISBN9781416559399.RetrievedNovember 24,2015.
  21. ^"Sony/ATV Music Publishing Acquires Leiber Stoller Catalogue".Sony.com.Sony Corporation of America. Archived fromthe originalon March 3, 2018.RetrievedNovember 24,2015.
  22. ^Jonze, Tim,"Songwriter Jerry Leiber dies at 78",The Guardian,August 23, 2011.
  23. ^Steve Tyrell,"Charlotte (Mike Stoller song)"YouTube
  24. ^"Jerry Leiber at the Songwriters at the Songwriters Hall of Fame".Songwritershalloffame.org.Archived fromthe originalon September 17, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 29,2014.
  25. ^"Mike Stoller at the Songwriters at the Songwriters Hall of Fame".Songwritershalloffame.org.Archived fromthe originalon May 8, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 29,2014.
  26. ^Archerd, Army (April 17, 1998)."Harlin next to use 'Titanic' tank".Variety.com.RetrievedApril 11,2018.
  27. ^"Songwriting Legends Carole Bayer Sager and Mike Stoller Honored as BMI Icons at the 70th Annual BMI Pop Awards".bmi.com.May 11, 2022.
  28. ^Gillett, Charlie (1996).The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll((2nd Ed.) ed.). New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. pp. 72–75.ISBN0-306-80683-5.
  29. ^Tobler, John(1992).NME Rock 'N' Roll Years(1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 72. CN 5585.
  30. ^Holly George-Warren &, Anthony Decurtis (Eds.) (1976).The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll(3rd ed.). New York: Random House. pp. 148–152.ISBN0-679-73728-6.

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