45s.com -- Recording Artist Information: The Coasters

Date Formed	1955
Location	Los Angeles, California
Music	R&B Group
Charted Pop/Rock Hits	19
Period Active	September 22, 1956 to 1964
Biggest Hits	Yakety Yak; Charlie Brown; Searchin'; Poison Ivy
Music List and Data	Search Music List
Notable Information	The Coasters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Original Members	Carl Gardner, Leon Hughes, Billy Guy, Bobby Nunn, Adolph Jacobs.
Other Names
Other Web Sites	The Coasters Web Site The Coasters Official Website www.thecoasters.com The Original Coasters, Inc. The Coasters Concert    The Coasters in Las Vegas   Bob Walker´s New Orleans Radio Shrine The Coasters at Vocal Group Hall of Fame

The Coasters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  The following information was obtained from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

The Coasters cut a string of rhythm & blues hits that were liberally salted with humor and sung in an infectious, uptempo doo-wop style. The group struck it big with songs written for them by the duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, including such classics as "Charlie Brown," Yakety Yak," "Along Came Jones," and "Poison Ivy." During their late Fifties heyday, the Coasters' recordings - written with street smarts and R&B punch by Leiber and Stoller, sung with sly humor and verve by the Coasters, and accompanied by hot, honking sax solos from King Curtis - helped define rock and roll by appealing to and reflecting the lot of the American teenager.

The roots of the Coasters date back to 1947, when a black vocal group called the Robins formed in Los Angeles. The Robins signed to Leiber and Stoller's label, Spark Records, in the early Fifties and cut some notable R&B sides, including "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "Smokey Joe's Cafe." In 1955, Atlantic Records offered Leiber and Stoller and the Robins a deal with Atco, a subsidiary label, which precipitated a move east and divided the group. Several members remained in Los Angeles and carried on as the Robins, while bass singer Bobby Nunn and tenor Carl Gardner headed to New York City, where they recuited tenor Leon Hughes and baritone Billy Guy. The new group called themselves "the Coasters," alluding to their coast-to-coast relocation. The classic Coasters lineup solidified with the addition of tenor Cornell Gunter and bass Will "Dub" Jones, who replaced Hughes and Nunn.

In 1957, the Coasters reached Number One on the R&B charts and the pop Top Ten with their double-sided single "Searchin'" and "Young Blood." Over the next two years, the Coasters had a series of hit singles, all filled with instantly adaptable slang and timeless rock and roll humor. By the end of the decade, they ranked among the most popular musical groups in America, having carved out a legacy for themselves as purveyors of riotously funny and socially incisive rock and roll records.