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The Coasters

Band formed in Los Angeles, CA

Disbanded in 1972

The Coasters's Genre:

Early R&B, Doo Wop, Rock & Roll, R&B, Early Pop/Rock

Biography

The Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. Their undeniably funny lyrics and on-stage antics might have suggested a simple troupe of clowns, but Coasters records were no mere novelties -- their material, supplied by the legendary team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was too witty, their arrangements too well-crafted, and the group itself too musically proficient. That engaging and infectious combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock & roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo wop/vocal groups of all time.

The Coasters grew out of a successful Los Angeles doo wop group called the Robins, which had been recording since 1949 and working with Leiber & Stoller since 1953. Atlantic Records acquired the Robins in 1955, when the Leiber & Stoller composition "Smokey Joe's Cafe" was becoming too big a hit for their small Spark label to handle; its success scored the duo an independent contract with Atlantic as producers and composers. Amid uncertainties over their new major-label arrangement, the Robins split up that fall; lead tenor Carl Gardner (a more recent addition) and bass Bobby Nunn formed a new group, the Coasters (named for their West Coast base), which maintained the Leiber & Stoller association -- an extremely wise move. The initial Coasters lineup was completed by baritone Billy Guy (a gifted comic vocalist) and second tenor Leon Hughes, with guitarist Adolph Jacobs figuring prominently on their recordings through 1959. Their first single, "Down in Mexico," became a Top Ten R&B hit in 1956, epitomizing the sort of humorous story-song Leiber & Stoller were perfecting. The Coasters hit again in 1957 with the double-sided smash "Young Blood"/"Searchin'," both sides of which reached the pop Top Ten. The follow-ups weren't as successful, and it was decided that both the group and Leiber & Stoller would move their operations to New York, where Atlantic was based. As a result, Nunn and Hughes left the group in late 1957, to be replaced respectively by bass Will "Dub" Jones (ex-Cadets, of "Stranded in the Jungle" fame) and second tenor Obie Jessie (for a very short period), then Cornell Gunter (ex-Flairs).

The Coasters' first recording in New York was 1958's "Yakety Yak," which featured King Curtis on tenor sax. Its witty, slice-of-life lyrics about a teenager being hassled by his parents struck a resounding chord, and "Yakety Yak" became the Coasters' first number-one pop hit that summer, topping the R&B charts as well. "Charlie Brown," which cast Jones in the title role of class clown (and immortalized him with the catch-phrase, "why's everybody always pickin' on me?"), hit number two on both the pop and R&B charts in 1959, firmly establishing the Coasters' widespread crossover appeal. More hits followed: the Western-themed "Along Came Jones," "Poison Ivy," "Shoppin' for Clothes," and the group's final Top 30 hit, 1961's burlesque-dancer tribute "Little Egypt."

Following "Little Egypt," Gunter departed, to be replaced by Earl "Speedo" Carroll (of the Cadillacs). Other personnel shifts ensued over the next few years, especially as the hits dried up; even more discouragingly, Leiber & Stoller left Atlantic in 1963. The Coasters parted ways with Atlantic in early 1966, signing with Columbia's Date subsidiary and reuniting with Leiber & Stoller for a time. Although they charted several times, no more hits were forthcoming, given the radically different musical climate; their last chart single was a 1971 cover of "Love Potion No. 9" (by which time Gardner was the only remaining original member), and their last new release came with a 1976 version of "If I Had a Hammer." Since then, numerous different Coasters lineups have toured the oldies circuit; Gardner's holds the legal claim to legitimacy, but Gunter, Guy, Jones, Nunn, and Hughes all led differing lineups at one point or another. Nunn died of a heart attack in 1986, one year before the Coasters became the first vocal group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gunter was murdered in Las Vegas in 1990, and Jones passed away in early 2000. ~ Steve Huey

AOL Radio Stations The Coasters is Featured on (8)

'50s Hits

I Love Lucy, Sputnik, Edsel, Rebel Without A Cause, Sack Dresses, Blue Suede Shoes, Winky Dink, Honky Tonk, Bandstand, Doo Wop, Rockabilly, and Rock 'n' Roll. The 1950’s were out of this world. So drive your Chevy to the levy and re-live the best music of the 50s on Slacker’s ‘50s Hits.

Graffiti6 Showcase

This is the Graffiti6 Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the members of Graffiti6 including music hand-picked by Jamie and TommyD as well as commentary by each about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Toddlers

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Old MacDonald...toddlers love the classics as well as the contemporary hits from artists like the Wiggles and Ralph’s World, which is why we’ve created this unique station. You and your child will hear timeless childhood favorites plus Rock N’ Roll classics and other fun songs from every genre.

My Parents' Record Collection

Slacker asked Facebook fans a simple question: What is the first song or artist you remember listening to with your parents? The response that we received was huge, so we took all of your Facebook comments and turned it into a Slacker station! This is an eclectic look at classic music from across the decades; representing that special moment when your parents ignited your life-long love of music.

Oldies

Oldies on Slacker Radio plays the best songs from the '60s and '70s and the '50s too!

SWAMI SOUND SYSTEM

Join the Swami and plummet into the abyss of primal punk, raw funk, scathing soul scorchers, lysergic psychedelic excursions, blown out reggae and dub and a vast assortment of exotic sounds from around the globe. Overlooked gems from the past and current underground noise collide as the Swami hurls song after song at your ears from the safety of his well soiled semi-magic carpet. He is the reverend of the irreverent and he welcomes you to take part in this celebration of feedback, tape hiss and reverb. The Swami Sound System will expose you to the most reckless songs ever created.

'60s Hits

It was the decade that defined a generation. The Gulf of Tonkin, Neil Armstrong, Spiderman, Little Deuce Coupe, Mustang Sally, Get Smart, Twiggy, and We Shall Overcome. Yeah, yeah, yeah...it was fab, gear, groovy and boss. Turn on, tune in, and drop out with '60s Hits on Slacker Radio.

The Coasters

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like The Drifters, The Platters, The Everly Brothers, Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Fats Domino, The Shirelles, Dion, The Four Seasons and more.

All Stations

The Coasters's Selected Discography (34)

Greatest Hits / Coast Along with the Coasters Album Cover

Artists Related to The Coasters (50)

	The Drifters	The history of rhythm and blues is filled with vocal groups whose names -- the Orioles, the Cadillacs, the Crows, the Flamingos, the Moonglows, the Coasters, the Penguins -- are held in reverence by fanatics and devotees.
	The Platters	The Platters started out as a Los Angeles-based doo wop group with little identity of their own to make them stand out from the pack.
	The Everly Brothers	The Everly Brothers were not only among the most important and best early rock & roll stars, but also among the most influential rockers of any era.
	Ritchie Valens	The first Hispanic rock star, Ritchie Valens will forever be known as one of the two musicians (along with the Big Bopper) who perished with Buddy Holly in 1959, when their private plane crashed in the midst of a Midwest tour.
	Buddy Holly	Buddy Holly is perhaps the most anomalous legend of '50s rock & roll -- he had his share of hits, and he achieved major rock & roll stardom, but his importance transcends any sales figures or even the particulars of any one song (or group of songs) that he wrote or recorded.
	Little Anthony & the Imperials	Little Anthony & the Imperials enjoyed one of the longest career runs of any doo wop group, adapting their honey-smooth style to fit the sweet uptown soul sound of the mid-'60s.
	Fats Domino	The most popular exponent of the classic New Orleans R&B sound, Fats Domino sold more records than any other black rock & roll star of the 1950s.
	The Shirelles	The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock era, defining the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence.
	Dion	Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles.
	The Four Seasons	The Four Seasons (or the 4 Seasons, as they were numerically billed in their heyday) were among the most successful pop singles artists of the rock era.
	Chuck Berry	Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry.
	The Del Vikings	The story of the Dell-Vikings (or Del Vikings, or Del-Vikings) is one of the most glorious, complicated, and frustrating of any successful doo wop group in music history.
	Bobby Darin	There's been considerable discussion about whether Bobby Darin should be classified as a rock & roll singer, a Vegas hipster cat, an interpreter of popular standards, or even a folk-rocker.
	Rick Nelson	Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the '50s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats.
	Frankie Avalon	Discussing Frankie Avalon's career as a mover and shaker in 1950s rock & roll with anyone who takes their rock & roll even halfway seriously is to court derision.
	Del Shannon	One of the best and most original rockers of the early '60s, Del Shannon was also one of the least typical.
	Little Richard	One of the original rock & roll greats, Little Richard merged the fire of gospel with New Orleans R&B, pounding the piano and wailing with gleeful abandon.
	Elvis Presley	Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent.
	Roy Orbison	Although he shared the same rockabilly roots as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison went on to pioneer an entirely different brand of country/pop-based rock & roll in the early '60s.
	Chubby Checker	Chubby Checker was the unrivaled king of the rock & roll dance craze; although most of the dances his records promoted -- the Pony, "the Fly," and the Hucklebuck, to cite just three -- have long since faded into obscurity, his most famous hit, "The Twist," remains the yardstick against which all subsequent dancefloor phenomena are measured.
	Bill Haley	Bill Haley is the neglected hero of early rock & roll. Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly are ensconced in the heavens, transformed into veritable constellations in the rock music firmament, their music respected by writers and scholars as well as the record-buying public, virtually every note of music they ever recorded theoretically eligible for release.
	Frankie Valli	Pop singer Frankie Valli was permanently associated with the group for which he served as lead singer, the Four Seasons.
	The Supremes	The most successful American performers of the 1960s, the Supremes for a time rivaled even the Beatles in terms of red-hot commercial appeal, reeling off five number one singles in a row at one point.
	The Ronettes	The Ronettes weren't the most commercially successful girl group, but their music was some of the most groundbreaking in the field, thanks to their association with the legendary Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector.
	Four Tops	The Four Tops' story is one of longevity and togetherness: these Motown legends teamed up in high school and spent over four decades without a single personnel change.
	The Diamonds	One of the leading cover groups of the mid-'50s, the Diamonds adapted current R&B hits into pop gold of their own.
	The Righteous Brothers	They weren't brothers, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (both born in 1940) were most definitely righteous, defining (and perhaps even inspiring) the term "blue-eyed soul" in the mid-'60s.
	The Big Bopper	Legendary as one of the three rock greats to die in the tragic 1959 Clear Lake, IA, plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper (born Jiles Perry Richardson) had just established himself as a rock hitmaker with the rollicking "Chantilly Lace.
	Martha & the Vandellas	Along with the Supremes, Martha & the Vandellas defined the distaff side of the Motown sound in the '60s; their biggest hits, including "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Street," and "Nowhere to Run," remain among the most potent and enduring dance records of the era.
	Paul Anka	One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium.
	Jerry Lee Lewis	Is there an early rock & roller who has a crazier reputation than the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis? His exploits as a piano-thumping, egocentric wild man with an unquenchable thirst for living have become the fodder for numerous biographies, film documentaries, and a full-length Hollywood movie.
	The Chiffons	One of the best early-'60s New York girl groups, combining sassiness and innocence on several of the style's greatest classics.
	Jan & Dean	It's almost too easy to underestimate the importance of Jan & Dean in the history of rock & roll and its evolution into rock.
	The Cadillacs	Earl Carroll, LaVerne Drake, and Robert Phillips were already singing together in the early '50s as the Carnations, whose lineup also included "Cub" Gaining.
	The Beach Boys	Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community.
	The Temptations	Thanks to their fine-tuned choreography -- and even finer harmonies -- the Temptations became the definitive male vocal group of the 1960s; one of Motown's most elastic acts, they tackled both lush pop and politically charged funk with equal flair, and weathered a steady stream of changes in personnel and consumer tastes with rare dignity and grace.
	The Five Satins	The Five Satins are best known for the doo wop classic "In the Still of the Night," a song that was popular enough to make the group one of the most famous doo wop outfits, although they never had another hit of the same magnitude.
	Sam Cooke	Sam Cooke was the most important soul singer in history -- he was also the inventor of soul music, and its most popular and beloved performer in both the black and white communities.
	The Crests	One of the most successful integrated doo wop groups, the Crests waxed the classic ballad "16 Candles" in 1959.
	Ray Charles	Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country.
	The Chordettes	The Chordettes were one of the longest-lived vocal groups with roots in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early '50s.
	Bobby Vee	He launched his career as a fill-in for the recently deceased Buddy Holly, Bobby Vee scored several pop hits during the early '60s, that notorious period of popular music sandwiched between the birth of rock & roll and the rise of the British Invasion.
	Lesley Gore	The most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her very first release, "It's My Party," in 1963.
	The Flamingos	Universally hailed as one of the finest and most influential vocal groups in pop music history, the Flamingos defined doo wop at its most elegant and sophisticated, their matchless harmonies profoundly impacting the Motown Sound of the 1960s and the Philly soul of the following decade.
	Tommy James & the Shondells	Tommy James & the Shondells -- the very mention of their name, even to someone who doesn't really know their music, evokes images of dances and the kind of fun that rock & roll represented before it redefined itself on more serious terms.
	Herman's Hermits	Herman's Hermits were one of those odd 1960's groups that accumulated millions of fans, but precious little respect.
	Neil Sedaka	Singer, songwriter, and pianist Neil Sedaka enjoyed two distinct periods of commercial success in two slightly different styles of pop music: first, as a teen pop star in the late '50s and early '60s, then as a singer of more mature pop/rock in the '70s.
	The Shangri-Las	Along with the Shirelles and the Ronettes, the Shangri-Las were among the greatest girl groups; if judged solely on the basis of attitude, they were the greatest of them all.
	Jay & the Americans	Though they had a bunch of hits across the 1960s, Jay & the Americans were a throwback to a previous era in their doo wop-influenced vocals, neatly groomed, short-haired appearance, and mix of pop/rock with operatic schmaltz.
	Ben E. King	From the groundbreaking orchestrated productions of the Drifters to his own solo hits, Ben E. King was the definition of R&B elegance.