
The Coasters parted ways with Atlantic in early 1966, signing with Columbia's Date subsidiary and reuniting with Leiber & Stoller for a time. Other personnel shifts ensued over the next few years, especially as the hits dried up even more discouragingly, Leiber & Stoller left Atlantic in 1963. 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."įollowing "Little Egypt," Gunter departed, to be replaced by Earl "Speedo" Carroll (of the Cadillacs). "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. 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. The Coasters' first recording in New York was 1958's "Yakety Yak," which featured King Curtis on tenor sax. 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 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. The Coasters hit again in 1957 with the double-sided smash "Young Blood"/"Searchin'," both sides of which reached the pop Top Ten. 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. You'd Be so Nice to Come Home To (Remastered) The Snake and the Bookworm (Remastered)Ģ2. On the Sunny Side of the Street (Remastered)Ģ0. Idol with the Golden Head (Remastered)Ġ7. Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You (Remastered)Ġ4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Remastered)ģ0. (When She Wants Good Lovin') My Baby (Remastered)Ģ8. (Ain't That) Just Like Me (Remastered)Ģ2. One Kiss Leads to Another (Remastered)Ģ1. Sorry but I'm Gonna Have to Pass (Remastered)ġ8. Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart (Remastered)ġ6.
