Producer Spotlight — Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

What does Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”, George Benson’s “On Broadway” and Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgettin (Every Time You’re Near)’” have in common?

There were songs that were written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, one of the first songwriting duos in the early days of rock and roll. Also, these songs were cover songs or have been interpreted by different music artists. (Big Mama Thorton originated “Hound Dog”, The Drifters originally recorded “On Broadway” and “I Keep Forgettin (Every Time You’re Near)’” came from an earlier recording by Chuck Jackson.

Meeting in Los Angeles while both were in school (Stoller in college and Leiber in high school), they shared a love of blues/rhythm and blues. Both were active in music where Stoller played the piano and Lieber worked at a record store. “Hard Times” was their first hit composition when Charles Brown recorded it in 1952. Later year later, they wrote “Hound Dog” for Big Mama Thorton which became a hit for her the following year in 1953 (and for Elvis Presley three years later) .

See Thorton perform it here.

As the first independent record producers, they wrote songs for The Drifters and The Coasters and other songs such as “Charlie Brown”, “Yakety Yak”, and “Stand By Me” with Ben E. King. After learning that Presley’s “Hound Dog” was a huge hit, they wrote more songs for him such as “Loving You”, “King Creole” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

In the sixties, the songwriters collaborated with a young Phil Spector and produced more songs which included “Love Portion #9” by The Clovers. They also founded and owned Red Bird Records which distributed the hit singles by The Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” and The Dixie Cups’ “Chapel of Love.”

Here’s a video of them performing the song.

Leiber and Stoller continued to write and produce music for various artists well into the seventies, then there was a surge in other artists paying tribute to the songwriting duo such as Steely Dan member Donald Fagen and former Doobie Brothers front man Michael McDonald recorded “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)”, an interpretation of the songwriter’s composition, “I Keep Forgettin’”.

Original version with Chuck Jackson. The video for Michael McDonald’s version.

They kept working together until Leiber’s death in 2011. They received numerous of awards which included the induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.