LEIBER, JERRY; AND STOLLER, MIKE

born April 25, 1933, Baltimore, Md., U.S. born March 13, 1933, Belle Harbor, N.Y. in full Jerome Leiber and Michael Stoller American songwriters and record producers. Working primarily for , Leiber and Stoller were perhaps the most successful writers and producers of the 1950s. They became partners as teenagers in Los Angeles; when their Hound Dog was recorded by Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton in 1952, they also became producers. Major success followed with their series of novelty story-songsincluding Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots (performed by the Cheers), Young Blood and Yakety Yak (by the Coasters), and Love Potion Number Nine (by the Clovers)and with their songs for Elvis Presley movies, including Jailhouse Rock and Love Me Tender. Their early 1960s productions of Ben E. King and the Drifters, including Stand By Me and On Broadway, were especially influential. In 1964, they established their own label, Red Bird, on which the Shangri-Las recorded. They went on to write for films and theatre; among their last hits, in 1969, was the world-weary Is That All There Is? (by Peggy Lee).