School of Rock
Random article All articles A–Z
2 languages

The Coasters

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

The Coasters were an American vocal group for rhythm and blues and rock and roll. They came about on 12 October 1955, when Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn left the Los Angeles group The Robins and signed with Atlantic Records. The name refers to the move from the West Coast to the East Coast. At the end of 1957 the group got its best-known line-up: Carl Gardner, Billy Guy, Cornell Gunter and Will Dub Jones, now based in New York.

Music and breakthrough

The key to their success was the collaboration with the songwriting and production duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Together they made short story songs full of humour, which often needed more takes than an ordinary song. After Down in Mexico (1956) the group broke through with Young Blood and Searchin' in 1957, a double A-side. Yakety Yak, with King Curtis on tenor saxophone, became their only number one on the pop chart and the R&B chart. Charlie Brown, Along Came Jones and Poison Ivy followed, among others.

Influence

In the 1960s hits became scarcer, partly because of changes in the line-up and changing tastes. Even so the influence remained great: their records were widely imitated and made the group an important part of the doo-wop legacy, even though they themselves did not come from doo-wop. In 1987 The Coasters were the first vocal group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Yakety Yak and notice King Curtis's tenor saxophone and the vocals, which sound like a short scene. Do you hear how the song tells a small story, almost like a little piece of theatre?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists