Song of the day: The Ad Libs- The Boy From New York City

In 1965, the Ad Libs released the soul song The Boy From New York City. John T. Taylor, a saxophone player, wrote the song to get them a record deal on the label of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They succeeded and got to record the song. It would be their only hit: number 8 in the US. It did not mean that they stopped producing records: it just meant they never got the success anymore. Enjoy

The Ad Libs- The Boy From New York City

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Song of the day: Elvis Presley- Jailhouse Rock

It’s Elvis Monday again! It’s written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and was released in 1957, when the movie Jailhouse Rock was released. In the US, it would be a number 1 hit. The people he refers to are both fictional and real: Shifty Henry was a musician (but not a criminal one), the Purple Gang a mob and Sad Sack a nickname for a loser. The song later inspired the Spider Murphy Gang to choose its name. Enjoy

Elvis Presley- Jailhouse Rock

Song of the day: The Coasters- Yakety Yak

Another number 1 hit in the R&B charts and normal charts today! The song was written in 1958 for the Coasters by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and it was just one of the many hits the Coasters had in the fifties. The song described the life teenagers had when living with their parents (do this, do that, and don’t complain). Enjoy

The Coasters- Yakety Yak

Song of the day: Ben E. King- Stand By Me

This song was written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and released in 1961 by Ben E. King. The song was inspired by the religious Lord Stand By Me. Ben E. King actually wrote it for the Drifters, who never recorded it. Ben E. King recorded the song after Spanish Harlem, and a hit was born. A number 1 in the US and a number 27 in the UK, which would also become number 1 after the re-release due to a commercial. Enjoy

Ben E. King- Stand By Me