The Coasters
The Coasters
Vocal group
For the Record…
Selected discography
Sources
The Coasters “walked the line between novelty record[s] and vocal-group record[s],” according to Ed Ward in his book, Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll. Growing out of the rhythm and blues tradition of the early 1950s, the Coasters had their first successful release in 1956 with “Down in Mexico,” but bigger smashes, such as “Young Blood,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Charlie Brown,” quickly followed. Typically, the group’s songs combined humorous lyrics with skilled vocal arrangements that were pleasing to the ear. Like many artists of the 1950s, the Coaster’s popularity waned with the coming of the 1960s and the advent of the British rock invasion, but—throughout various personnel changes—they continued to record and perform, benefitted by the nostalgic resurgence of 1950s music during the 1970s and 1980s.
Two of the Coasters’ original members, lead singer Carl Gardner and bass vocalist Bobby Nunn, first experienced musical success as part of the Robins, a rhythm and blues group based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1950, the Robins scored hits on the rhythm
Group formed by songwriting-producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in Los Angeles, Calif., in February 1956; original members included Carl Gardner (lead and backup vocals), Bobby Nunn (bass vocals); Billy Guy (lead and backup vocals); and Leon Hughes (second tenor). Nunn was replaced by Will “Dub” Jones, c. 1958; Jones was replaced by Ronnie Bright in the 1960s; Hughes was replaced by Young Jessie, who was replaced by Cornell Gunther, who was in turn replaced by Earl “Speedo” Carroll. Current lineup includes Gardner, Carroll, Bright, and Jimmy Norman.
Addresses: Record company —c/o Atlantic Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019.
and blues charts with songs that told stories, including “Riot in Cell Block No. 9,” and “Smokey Joe’s Cafe.” This latter song, especially, attracted executives from Atlantic Records who wished to sign the Robins to their subsidiary label, Atco. Management for the group did not think it a good idea, however, and while they stalled negotiations, Atlantic lured Gardner and Nunn away from the group on their own. To this duo, Atlantic added tenors Billy Guy and Leon Hughes, and christened the new ensemble the Coasters.
The Coasters were assigned to the songwriting and production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and together they set about to make hit records. “Down in Mexico,” the Coaster’s first single, was a solid success, selling a million copies, but it was far more prominent on the rhythm and blues charts than on the pop ones. Their next release, however, 1957’s double-sided hit of “Searchin”’ and “Young Blood,” struck a major chord with the young, burgeoning rock and roll audiences. As Ward described it, in “Searchin”’ the narrator “is searching for his runaway girlfriend, vowing to track her down with the tenacity of a Northwest Mountie or a Bulldog Drummond, as the group executes a fiendishly tricky vocal arrangement built around the chant of ‘Gonna find her.’” The other side, “Young Blood,” tells of seeing a beautiful girl on the street, following her home, and being banished by her father. Interjected into the singing are comic comments on the situation by each member of the Coasters. Ward summed: “Funny, true, sexy, and innocent, it captured the entire teenage experience in just over two minutes… reminded America that teenagers could be black, and that adolescence forged a bond of desires and concerns that even transcended race.”
Two other Coasters hits, “Yakety Yak,” and “Charlie Brown,” were somewhat controversial because they fueled the late 1950s debate over whether rock and roll music was a serious form of rebellion on the part of young people. “Yakety Yak” is the humorous lament of a teenager “bedeviled by his parents,” in Ward’s words, a young man who has no time to hang out with his friends because his mother and father burden him with a seemingly endless list of chores. Ward called it “yet another teenage classic of social commentary, yet another record that would set parents and school authorities against rock and roll.” Similarly, “Charlie Brown”—completely unrelated to Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” character—proved “just as incendiary as ‘Yakety Yak’ had been,” according to Ward. Its hero smoked in the auditorium and mocked his teachers.
The Coasters underwent some major personnel changes in 1958; Nunn retired to be replaced by Will “Dub” Jones, and Young Jessie was substituted for Hughes. Other men who became Coasters over the years included Cornell Gunter and Earl Carroll. But the composition of the group did not seem to affect their ability to release hit songs. Some of their smashes during the late 1950s were “Along Came Jones” and “Poison Ivy.” Their last major hit, however, came in 1961 with “Little Egypt,” a song about falling in love with an exotic dancer. Though the Coasters continued to record through the early 1970s, and though some critics have offered the opinion that the later songs were as good as their early hits, changes in musical tastes and stylings caused them to be largely ignored by the predominantly young record-buying audience.
Single releases; on Atco
“Down in Mexico,” 1956.
“Searchin”/“Young Blood,” 1957.
“My Baby Comes to Me,” 1957.
“Yakety Yak,” 1958.
“The Shadow Knows,” 1958.
“Charlie Brown,” 1959.
“Along Came Jones,” 1959.
“Poison Ivy,” 1959.
“I’m a Hog for You,” 1959.
“Shopping for Clothes,” 1960.
“Little Egypt,” 1961.
“T’ain’t Nothin’ to Me,” 1963.
“Let’s Go Get Stoned,” 1965.
LPs
The Coasters, Atco, 1958.
The Coasters’ Greatest Hits, Atco, 1959.
One by One, Atco, 1960.
Coast Along With The Coasters, Atco, 1958.
The Coasters: Their Greatest Recordings/The Early Years, Atco, 1971.
It Ain’t Sanitary, Trip, 1972.
On Broadway, King, 1973.
Books
Helander, Brock, The Rock Who’s Who, Schirmer Books, 1982.
Ward, Ed, Geoffrey Stokes, and Ken Tucker, Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock and Roll, Summit Books, 1986.
Periodicals
Jet, December 1, 1986.
—Elizabeth Wenning
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
|
Beta-endorphins: The bodybuilder's high
Magazine article from: Joe Weider's Muscle & Fitness; 2/1/2000; ; 700+ words
; ...known as beta-endorphins, and many psychological...result of beta-endorphin release. The runner...and the word endorphin derives from the...Interestingly, beta-endorphins appear to bind...words, the beta-endorphin release is greater...lifespan of beta-endorphins. Thus, the...
|
|
Ketamine stimulates secretion of beta-endorphin from a mouse pituitary cell line
Magazine article from: Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine; 1/1/2003; ; 700+ words
; Background and Objectives: beta-endorphin is an endogenous opioid that mediates...inhibits in vitro secretion of beta-endorphin from a mouse pituitary cell line (AtT...would also alter secretion of beta-endorphin. Methods: AtT-20 cells were exposed...
|
|
It's all in your head. (endorphins)
Magazine article from: American Fitness; 9/1/1998; ; 700+ words
; ...The Importance of Endorphins Endorphins are substances produced only...stress, people who secrete endorphins have lower heart rate reactivity...recovery from stress, an endorphin producer has lower mean arterial...McCubbin, et al., 1992). Endorphins are the body's own opiate...
|
|
Only Way to Stop Endorphin Use: Guard the Barn
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 8/25/1987; ; 700+ words
; ...around American racetracks for years: endorphins. The New Jersey state police had passed...chemists trying to detect illegal drugs as endorphins do. They may be indistinguishable from...brain manufactures substances called endorphins to help the body cope with pain. If...
|
|
Electroacupuncture parameters and [beta]-endorphin revisited.(Letter)
Magazine article from: Acupuncture in Medicine; 7/1/2008; ; 700+ words
; ...plasma levels of [beta]-endorphin in chronic pain patients may...concentration of [beta]-endorphin centrally, in the cerebrospinal...refer to as 'humeral [sic] endorphins'). However, as Abenyakar...on the role of [beta]-endorphin peripherally. Indeed, several...
|
|
Health Zone: Happy hormones; Stuck in a bad mood you just can't shift? What you need is a sudden blast of endorphins. These substances are released in the brain when we're experiencing pleasure and provide a blissful feeling that can last hours. Here's our guide to putting a smile on your face. By HELEN FOSTER.(Features)
Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England); 8/23/2001; 700+ words
; ...to get a dose of endorphins. Use them day...get the longest endorphin fix. It takes...causes a flood of endorphins to be sent to the...an hour. This endorphin rush is believed...can produce some endorphins. SexENDORPHINS...mentally, causes endorphin release," says...
|
|
Scientists confirm link between runner's high and endorphins
News Wire article from: The Hindustan Times; 3/4/2008; 700+ words
; ...to show an increased release of endorphins in certain areas of the athletes...effects of endurance sports to endorphin release, but had no proof to support...the brain and hence competes with endorphins, in the study. "The more endorphins...
|
|
Endorphins: Our Aids In Mind Over Matter
Newspaper article from: The Washington Post; 8/13/1989; ; 662 words
; ...feeling one receives from endorphins as a "high" is correct, because endorphins are produced by substances...identified the substance as endorphin. In the sports world...The reason probably is endorphins. "It's sufficient that...
|
|
Beta endorphin concentrations in PBMC vary depending on clinical phenotype.
Newspaper article from: Immunotherapy Weekly; 5/28/2003; 668 words
; ...NewsRx.net) -- The peptide beta endorphin, and opioid, is found in differing...link between the opioid peptide beta endorphin and the heterogeneity of the clinical...cells (PBMC) concentrations of beta endorphin were measured in 50 patients in different...
|
|
Hometown Startup: Endorphin.com documents life on the Monterey Peninsula.
Newspaper article from: Coast Weekly; 8/21/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...entrepreneurial creativity. So walking into Endorphin Productions' Grand Street office feels...three years ago. This is the home of Endorphin.com, the special project of company...films documenting life on the Peninsula, Endorphin.com has blossomed into a combination...
|
|
Endorphins
Book article from: Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
Endorphins Endorphins are small neuropeptides...hence, the name endorphin (a shortened version...is also applied to endorphins, but usually refers...naloxone also reduces the endorphin effect; if given naloxone...abnormal levels of endorphins may be associated with...
|
|
endorphins
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Body
endorphins During the 1960s and early 1970s, it...referred to collectively as ‘endorphins’. There are three classically...and k receptors, and each of the endorphins shows a different spectrum of activation...
|
|
endorphin
Book article from: World Encyclopedia
endorphin (endogenous morphine ) Naturally occurring...morphine and other derivatives of opium . Endorphins block the sensation of pain by binding to pain-receptor sites. Two endorphins ( enkephalins ) occur in the brain, spinal...
|
|
neurotransmitter
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
...adenosine triphosphate , and the endorphins , and gases, such as nitric oxide...neurotransmitters. The pain-regulating endorphins, for example, are similar in...heroin and codeine, which fill endorphin receptors to accomplish their...
|
|
analgesia
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to the Body
...endogenous analgesic substances, the endorphins a year later, the assumption of the...began to be felt. The discovery of endorphins has given rise to hopes that analgesics...synthesized. Both the gate control theory and endorphin release have been invoked in attempts...
|