Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography [Hardcover]

Jerry Leiber (Author), Mike Stoller (Author), David Ritz (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2009

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.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The golden days of rock ÖnÖ roll flit by in this sprightly memoir by the celebrated songwriting duo. A couple of Jewish kids with a passion for black music, Leiber and Stoller started out as teenagers writing blues ballads, penned such early, genre-defining rock classics as Hound Dog and Stand by Me, then conceived a midlife obsession with aging chanteuse Peggy Lee, for whom they wrote and produced an album of ruminative torch songs. Along the way, they went through iconic music-biz rites of passage: hanging with Elvis; working at the Brill Building; getting into financial disputes with Phil Spector, Atlantic Records and the Mafia. As arranged by collaborator Ritz, the authors harmonize well in their alternating reminiscences; Stoller is the more reflective one, while the best anecdotes belong to the brash Leiber, who was challenged to a drag race by James Dean, choked by Norman Mailer and forced to trade his car for a pair of shoes. ThereÖs not a lot of deep insight into the creative process—the authors seem to have written most of their songs on 15 minutesÖ notice—just vignettes from pop musicÖs giddy youth, short and sweet and catchy. Photos. (June)
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From Booklist

The snappy, oral-history-style dual autobiography of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who brought Brill Building patter and production values to R&B chart supremacy in the early 1950s, probably owes much of its zing to longtime celebrity biographer and “with” author David Ritz. Their story appears in alternating blocks headed “Leiber” or “Stoller,” which can’t help suggesting the call-and-response structure of two of their hits for the Coasters, “Charlie Brown” and “Yakety Yak,” songs that lightheartedly sketched urban teen predicaments. Leiber and Stoller scored as big commercially as songwriters could at the time through their association with Elvis (they penned “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog”), but their arguably best songs were hits for black performers, including Ben E. King (“Stand by Me”), the Drifters (“There Goes My Baby”), and Big Mama Thornton (“Hound Dog” before Elvis whitened it up). Celebrated today mostly as R&B and rock hitmakers, in their extended heyday, they also wrote for MOR pop stars, jazz artists (Peggy Lee’s “Is That All There Is?”), and anybody who needed a well-crafted song. --Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1ST edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416559388
• ISBN-13: 978-1416559382
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Rock

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Magic Moments..., June 24, 2009

By 

Quixote010 (columbus, ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography (Hardcover)

The Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller autobiography reads like one of their records... great, intoxicating, and wishing it didn't end, and if there is a fault to the book, that is it. But, who can rate a book badly for leaving you with a taste for more?

Anyone who has listen to a radio in the last 50 years has certainly heard one of L&S's compositions. Their music is legendary and has become the staple of the music world.

L&S have written an interesting and factual presentation that gives you some great insight into their personalities, creative process, and the people they have associated with during the early years of R&R.

Their recollections of writing for Elvis Presley, their first association with Phil Spector, their partnership with Atlantic Records, and even their run-in with the Mafia are all interesting but disappointingly, too briefly told.

Undoubtedly a thoroughly researched biography would have further extended the tales regarding the two, but this book does an admirable job of giving the reader a feel for the early developments in the music industry, and the people associated with it. Generally, the book is easy and fun to read, especially if you have any interest in all in the founders of rock and roll. On the other hand, it leaves you with a feeling you are seeing a half-painted picture. You know there's more there.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music Icons Tell Their Story, July 2, 2009

By 

Charles Ford (Whittier, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography (Hardcover)

The music legends Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller tell their own story with help from noted music writer David Ritz. The only fault with this book is that it is not two or three times as long. This is a quick but fascinating read that I regretted having finished so quickly (two sittings, purposely so, I didn't want to finish it in one). There is also an appendix of their chart hits (some, like Stand By Me, charted multiple times). Lots of great photos too (check out the one of Big Mama Thornton, who looks like she could tear the top of your head off). Of course, they were also mentors to some of the other great songwriting teams, like Gerry Goffin and Carole King, and Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, amongst many others. Tales of the Coasters (who they said were their favorite artists to work with), the Drifters, Elvis, Peggy Lee, and many, many more.

I was lucky enough to attend their SRO signing event at the Grove in Los Angeles (although the staff seemed clueless as to their importance, they said they weren't expecting a big crowd - much to their surprise, well over 100 people showed up, including musician/writer Billy Vera). Both Jerry and Mike told great stories (prompted a bit by Mr. Ritz) and then signed books for a long time (I was fortunate enough to get my Coasters box set booklet signed as well). I (and the rest of the audience) could have listened all night, but there were all those books to sign (I think they sold out) and let's face it, they are 76 years old (born just a few weeks apart in 1933).

If you have any interest in rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and pop music, you will want to read their story. And of course, reading about these songs will make you want to play their 45's, LP's and CD's over and over. Their music is truly the soundtrack of America.

Long Live Lieber and Stoller!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes Me Want to Hear the Music Again., August 3, 2009

By 

Dennis E. Henley (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography (Hardcover)

This is an entertaining and hard-to-put-down autobiography of two legends in the music industry. The book is written like a long interview with Stoller and Leiber alternating sections as they relate the story of their rise in the music industry. I knew they were important to the music I listened to in the 60s, but I was still surprised at how much great music they had created and how many great artists they worked with. I especially was interested in the description of how they actually wrote the songs (I wonder if Lennon and McCartney, in the early days, worked similarly.) And getting an insider's look at how the music industry changed from R&B to Pop was truly illuminating. An extra bonus was the wealth of information about the famous people they worked with. (That Colonel Parker seems like snake.) f you grew up listening to their music, you'll want to read this book. If you are only briefly acquainted with their work, here's a chance to learn more. It's worth it.