The Coasters

The Coasters

Biography

This seminal close-harmony singing group began in the late 40s as The Robins, a Los Angeles-based vocal quartet. Mentored by R&B bandleader Johnny Otis, they recorded several hits for the Savoy label, including a #1, "Double Crossing Blues", in 1950. They were one of the first African-American doo-wop-style acts to cross over into rock-and-roll. In 1953, The Robins signed with RCA and began a propitious association with songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Robins split up in 1955, two of the group's members (Bobby Nunn and Carl Gardner) remaining with Leiber & Stoller where they were joined by singers Leon Hughes and Billy Guy. The group henceforth named themselves The Coasters (due to their Californian origins). Four gold records and a string of hits followed, beginning with "Down in Mexico" (a re-recorded 1973 edition was later used by Quentin Tarantino for his Death Proof (2007) soundtrack). "Searchin" went to #1 on the R&B chart and #3 on the Pop Chart in 1957. Following the arrival of tenor vocalist Cornell Gunter (1938-1990) and bass Will 'Dub' Jones (1928-2000), they recorded "Yakety Yak" (#1, 1958), "Charlie Brown" (#2, 1959) and "Poison Ivy" (#7, 1959). Backup musicians for the Coasters included saxophonist King Curtis and guitarists Adolph Jacobs and Mickey Baker . There were several more personnel changes in the 60s, notably the addition of Earl Carroll (nick-named 'Speedo', former lead singer of The Cadillacs, replacing Gunter), plus tenor vocalist Ronnie Bright and baritone Jimmy Norman (1937-2011). The original 1958 Coasters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. A more recent incarnation of The Coasters remains active on the music scene to this day.

Known For

The Iron Giant
The Iron Giant
8.1
8.1
Grindhouse
Grindhouse
7.5
7.5
Death Proof
Death Proof
7.5
7.5
Bug
Bug
6.1
6.1

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