Jerry Leiber

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Jerry Leiber was born on 25 April 1933 in Baltimore. In 1950 he met the pianist Mike Stoller in Los Angeles, with whom he would work throughout his career. Leiber wrote the lyrics, Stoller the music. Leiber was then still working in a record shop, and they discovered that they were both mad about blues and rhythm and blues. Still in 1950, Jimmy Witherspoon recorded their first song.

Music and breakthrough

In 1952 they wrote Kansas City and Hound Dog, which they made for the blues singer Big Mama Thornton. Her version became a hit in 1953, and Elvis Presley's rock 'n' roll version from 1956 became far bigger still. For Presley they also wrote Jailhouse Rock (1957), Loving You and King Creole. With their label Spark Records they worked with The Robins, and after the takeover by Atlantic they were also allowed to produce for other labels. In doing so they became more or less the first independent record producers. For The Coasters they wrote Young Blood, Searchin', Yakety Yak and Charlie Brown. Stand By Me, with Ben E. King, and On Broadway were also theirs.

Influence

Leiber and Stoller wrote more than seventy hits. Their songs for The Coasters used the funny slang of teenagers and sounded more like little plays than personal love songs. In this way they helped bring rhythm and blues to the large white audience. In 1964 they started the label Red Bird, which focused on girl groups. In 1987 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Leiber died on 22 August 2011.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1995Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller (soundtrack)

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 10: Women in Pop Music^NL Reader
• Mixtape 12: The Hit Factory^NL Reader
• Magazine: Stuck in the Middle with You^NL Magazine