Jerry Leiber, who with partner Mike Stoller wrote iconic rock ‘n’ roll songs such as “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” Stand By Me” and “Love Potion No. 9,” died Monday. He was 78.
And while we often throw around superlatives like legendary, in Leiber’s case it’s far from hyperbole: the songs he wrote and often produced are part of the fabric of American music, hits on charts that ranged from R&B and pop to country and rock. To those few we’ve already mentioned let’s add more, such as “Spanish Harlem,” “Poison Ivy” and “Is That All There Is?”
That’s not all there is, of course, for the list of Leiber & Stoller songs goes on, and the music will, too. Their work helped form a popular Broadway revue, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, in the ’90s. They got their own night on American Idol earlier this year. And musicians seem certain to continue covering their tunes for years to come.
So take a moment to remember one of the great ones by visiting the slide show above. We’ve used photographs of some of the musical stars who performed the work of Leiber & Stoller to remember the work that made us sing and dance and celebrate life, as every great song will do.
RIP 2011:
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Legendary songwriter Jerry Leiber dies at 78 is a post from: Soundcheck