Yakety Yak I Fought Back: My Life With the Coasters [Paperback]

Veta Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007

The story in this book is about a young man who left his home and family in Tyler, Texas at the age of twenty three and moved to Los Angeles to follow his dream of becoming a big band singer or to be another Nat King Cole or Billy Esktine. Like fate had it, instead, he became the lead singer and founder of the first vocal group to be inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, along with other members, Billy Guy, Will Jones and Cornell Gunter and has performed over five decades internationally before many large audiences. Today, due to poor health Carl has retired from show business but still controls the group he formed in 1955. Carl Gardner now resides with his wife Veta of nineteen years in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Veta Gardner was born in Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies in 1932. Migrated to the United States of America in 1963 and became a citizen in 1970. She is married with three adult sons, Hanif, Ramon and Wayne, six grand-children and one great-granddaughter. The eldest of four children, she was educated in her native country, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. She obtained a degree in Business, specializing in Business English and Business Writing. Currently she manages "The Coasters" and still tours with the group.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425989810
• ISBN-13: 978-1425989811
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,976,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yakety Yak, February 15, 2008

By 

J. Milner (Atlanta, Georgia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Yakety Yak I Fought Back: My Life With the Coasters (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read. If you enjoy the old groups like the Coasters, you'll like reading about the founding members and the highs and lows of their career. Very little is written about the personal lives of these artists. So whenever I see a book like this, I grab it immediately. I'm still a fan of the music and I guess I always will be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this piece of Rock n Roll history!, September 25, 2008

By 

W. Samuelsen (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yakety Yak I Fought Back: My Life With the Coasters (Hardcover)

This is the TRUE story of the legendary Coasters told by group founder Carl Gardner. It is a fascinating behind the scenes look at the early days of the rock n roll. Veta Gardner does a great job of telling Carl's story. Buy the book you won't be sorry.

3.0 out of 5 stars Carl Gardner is someone worth knowing about, August 26, 2008

By 

DEREK KNIGHT (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Yakety Yak I Fought Back: My Life With the Coasters (Paperback)

If you aren't aware of who Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carl Gardner is, you should be. The lead tenor of pioneering vocal group the Coasters has lived a life worth knowing about. Though the book is awkwardly written (more of a stream-of-consciousness memoir than anything), it gives deep insight into the kinds of obstacles that Carl, the Coasters and many black artists had to overcome through the 1950s, the 1960s and beyond. Simply put, buy this book - support Carl and Veta!