RIP Jerry Leiber

Back in the early 1950s Country music and the Blues had a baby and they named it Rock & Roll. Two of the Godfathers there for the christening were lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller. In those early years there were singers and there were songwriters and they weren’t the same people. Leiber and Stoller wrote many of the biggest hits of the ’50s and ’60s – twenty songs for Elvis alone.
Leiber & Stoller’s first song was written when they were both 17 and was first recorded by Big Momma Thornton in 1952. They also produced the record themselves. Here’s a version from 1965 with Buddy Guy on guitar:


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Super Dave
Super Dave
August 23, 2011 9:18 pm

Here Ya’ go ” Elvis Presley- Gospel, If That Isn’t Love” This is one of my Bride’s favorites. It was on an obscure album that she had as a kid, she stilll had has the album but we didn’t have any way to play it. A buddy of mine bought a turntable to convert all of his 10,000 recordings to… Read more »

Hamous
August 23, 2011 7:12 pm

Hadta throw this one in. Classic combination of Jumpin’ Jack Flash and the L&S-penned song Young Blood sung by Leon Russell at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh:

Hamous
August 23, 2011 6:54 pm

Johnny Winter gets in on the L&S action:
Pass the dynamite ’cause the fuse is lit.

Hamous
August 23, 2011 6:48 pm

Here’s a song Leiber & Stoller wrote with Ben E. King:

Super Dave
Super Dave
August 23, 2011 6:31 pm

Hambone, I’m not much of a music aficionado, but I, like you grew up in the 50’s-60’s and liked rock and roll, didn’t much care for the country music of that era, although I like the newer country. That said, I really enjoyed the video, I had NO idea who Big Momma Thornton was, but that was good. 😉

Hamous
August 23, 2011 1:44 pm

Bad day for songwriters: Nick Ashford, half of the Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned songs for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan and others, died Monday at age 70, his former publicist said. Mr. Ashford, who along with wife, Valerie Simpson, wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, died in a New York City hospital, said publicist Liz… Read more »

El Gordo
August 23, 2011 9:00 am

Are we there yet?

texanadian
texanadian
August 23, 2011 9:18 pm

Here Ya’ go ” Elvis Presley- Gospel, If That Isn’t Love” This is one of my Bride’s favorites. It was on an obscure album that she had as a kid, she stilll had has the album but we didn’t have any way to play it. A buddy of mine bought a turntable to convert all of his 10,000 recordings to… Read more »

wagonburner
Editor
August 23, 2011 7:12 pm

Hadta throw this one in. Classic combination of Jumpin’ Jack Flash and the L&S-penned song Young Blood sung by Leon Russell at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh:

wagonburner
Editor
August 23, 2011 6:54 pm

Johnny Winter gets in on the L&S action:

Pass the dynamite ’cause the fuse is lit.

wagonburner
Editor
August 23, 2011 6:48 pm

Here’s a song Leiber & Stoller wrote with Ben E. King:

texanadian
texanadian
August 23, 2011 6:31 pm

Hambone, I’m not much of a music aficionado, but I, like you grew up in the 50’s-60’s and liked rock and roll, didn’t much care for the country music of that era, although I like the newer country. That said, I really enjoyed the video, I had NO idea who Big Momma Thornton was, but that was good. 😉

wagonburner
Editor
August 23, 2011 1:44 pm

Bad day for songwriters: Nick Ashford, half of the Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned songs for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan and others, died Monday at age 70, his former publicist said. Mr. Ashford, who along with wife, Valerie Simpson, wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, died in a New York City hospital, said publicist Liz… Read more »

Super Dave
August 23, 2011 9:00 am

Are we there yet?