Biography of The Coasters

Take a top-notch '50s R&B vocal group with two fine lead voices and one of the best bass singers in the business. Add two crazy Jewish producer-songwriters with a plan. The plan is to record hilarious three-minute playlets that you can dance to, and it works.Jerry Lieber And Mike Stoller's collaboration with The Coasters (Carl Gardener, Billy Guy, Leon Hughes and Bobby Nunn (later Will Jones)) in one of the record industry's first independent production deals (for Atlantic Records), was one of the most successful of the '50s. First conquering the R&B charts, they really hit their commercial stride with songs geared to the mass teenage audience. Leiber And Stoller provided the songs and clever production touches, while The Coasters supplied the vocal savvy, spark, and personality to put them across.Part of their great charm lies in the fact that although they were recording novelty material (with subjects ranging from jailbreaks to teenage boredom) neither they nor Leiber And Stoller (who were immersed in and respectful of Black musical tradition) lost their sly R&B edge -- they seemed to playfully mock their audience (and themselves) while entertaining them. ~ George Bedard