Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography

Synopsis

in 1950 A Couple Of Rhythm And Blues–loving Teenagers Named Jerry Leiber And Mike Stoller Met For The First Time. They Discovered Their Mutual Affection For R&b And, As Jerry And Mike Put It In This Fascinating Autobiography, Began An Argument That Has Been Going On For Over Fifty Years With No Resolution In Sight.

leiber And Stoller Were Still In Their Teens When They Started Working With Some Of The Pioneers Of Rock And Roll, Writing Such Hits As Hound Dog, Which Eventually Became A #1 Record For Elvis Presley. Jerry And Mike Became The King’s Favorite Songwriters, Giving Him Jailhouse Rock And Other #1 Songs. Their String Of Hits With The Coasters, Including Yakety Yak, Poison Ivy, And Charlie Brown, Is A Part Of Rock ’n’ Roll History. They Founded Their Own Music Label And Introduced Novel Instrumentation Into Their Hits For The Drifters And Ben E. King, Including On Broadway And Stand By Me. They Worked With Everyone From Phil Spector To Burt Bacharach And Peggy Lee. Their Smash Musical smokey Joe’s Café became The Longest-running Musical Revue In Broadway History.

lively, Colorful, And Irreverent, hound Dog describes How Two Youngsters With An Insatiable Love Of Good Old American R&b Created The Soundtrack For A Generation.

the New York Times - Jim Windolf

collaboration Is A Messy Business. So Is Autobiography. But It Shouldn't Be Forgotten That Leiber And Stoller Were Among The Pioneers Who Helped Bring Black And White Musical Forms Together. It Has Been A Historically Fraught Process, But The Collision Of Cultures Is Probably What Has Given Such Energy And Tension To American Music. hound Dog Is An Important Part Of That Story.