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Revision as of 17:59, 9 November 2006
The Coasters are an American doo wop and early rock and roll group, evolving from The Robins, a Los Angeles based doo wop group. When The Robins signed with Atlantic Records (1955, after the chart success of "Smokey Joe's Cafe"), the group split up. Carl Gardner (tenor) and Bobby Nunn (bass) formed The Coasters.
The Coasters continued their association with the Robins' legendary songwriters, Leiber & Stoller. They soon added Billy Guy (baritone), Leon Hughes (tenor) and Adolph Jacobs (guitar), releasing their first single "Down in Mexico", an R&B hit in 1956. In 1957, The Coasters crossed over with the double-sided hit "Young Blood"/"Searchin'". This was followed by a dry period, and the group relocated to New York City. Nunn and Hughes left, replaced by Will Dub Jones (bass, of The Cadets) and Cornell Gunter (from The Flairs). This new line-up released "Yakety Yak", which included King Curtis on tenor saxophone. The song was a huge mainstream hit, as was the follow-up "Charlie Brown". This was followed by "Along Came Jones", "Poison Ivy", "Shoppin' for Clothes" and "Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)".
A series of line-up changes contributed to a lack of hits in the 1960s. Earl Speedo Carroll (formerly and nowadays with The Cadillacs) and Ronnie Bright (from The Valentines) became new tenor and bass singers and The Coasters signed with Columbia Records, but were never able to regain their former fame. The Coasters' last hit was "Love Potion No. 9" in 1971. In 1973 Jimmy Norman replaced Billy Guy. Several groups used the name in the 1970s, touring throughout the country, though Gardner held the legal rights to it. Nunn died in 1986. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one year later. Gunter was murdered in Las Vegas in 1990. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Jones died in 2000 and Guy in 2002. Gardner continued to tour with his Coasters and has made many attempts to stop bogus groups with no connection to the original group from using the name. In late 2005 Carl's son Carl Gardner Jr took over as lead with the group, when his father semi-retired.
Singles
| Month | Year | Title | US Chart Position | UK Chart Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 1957 | "Searchin'" | – | #30 | |
| April | 1958 | "Yakety Yak" | – | #12 | |
| January | 1959 | "Charlie Brown" | – | #6 | |
| August | 1959 | "Poison Ivy" | – | #15 | |
| August | 1994 | "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass" | – | #41 |