The Coasters

The Coasters

This week American Idol, the t.v. show, had all the contestants sing a song from Leiber and Stoller. If you are just a fan like me, you wouldn't have a clue who those two were. I didn't. But when the first contestant began their song I got the connection.


The Coasters ! The show went from a very serious set of inspirational songs to "let's have a party". That's exactly what the Coasters brought all of us in the fifties and sixties.
It was like hearing Little Richard. When the song kicked off on the old a.m. you immediately got a mood lift. It just didn't matter whether your were "up or down" when you heard it, the lift was there, every time.

The Coasters in pink

The best part of this story is that it happened over and over again for 38 years recording career. They had something like 19 hits in the Top 100,  one #1, and 10 in the Top 10. But to the teenagers of that period they seemed to be everywhere. I have no proof but I think I can safely say their songs were the most quoted lyrics of any singer or group in history. Everybody loved to ling along with them. It was fun !


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Today, in 2011, I went to the Apple store for repair on my lap top. I was showing the twenty-two year old geeky kid how I could not get sound from the on line videos. He asked me to demonstrate my problem. When I went to the Coasters video and clicked on it, he laughed. Apparently, they are used to old guys coming in with operator errors. He reached over and clicked a button on the video screen. Unknowingly, I had the volume turned all the way up and the mute button on. When the Coasters kicked off "Young Blood" he turned to me, grinned, and then sang the next line with them. I was astonished. Two middle aged ladies across the counter from me were giggling as if they were school girls sharing a secret.

The Coasters

The Coasters and the writers Leiber and Stoller will live forever because of these songs. As kids we were crazy about their songs. I had no idea the group would get that sort of reaction out of three generations. Much less in an Apple store  fifty years after the song was released.


That is testimony enough. Good job guys !!!! Your work is timeless.
Welcome to my little Hall of Fame.

The Coasters

jbb