Mike Stoller has generated quite a legacy as a songwriter. Stoller and his longtime songwriting partner Jerry Leiber wrote some of the most prominent chart-topping hits by Elvis Presley, Ben E. King, The Drifters, and more. Stoller’s music paired with Leiber’s lyrics resulted in such timeless classics as Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog,” Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock,” “Don’t,” “King Creole” and others, the Coasters’ “Yakety Yak,” King’s “Stand by Me” and “Spanish Harlem,” and countless more. Stoller’s songwriting legacy will be the focus of conversation during an in-depth interview, Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Songwriter Mike Stoller, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville on Sunday (December 3).
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“I haven’t been to Nashville in years and years and years, but I’m looking forward to it,” Stoller tells American Songwriter. “I wouldn’t say that I’m a great composer of country music, although I know Nashville [has] fabulous musicians. I’m delighted to be there.”
[RELATED: The Mid-Century-Made Songwriting Duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]
Stoller and Leiber’s career began in the early 1950s when Leiber approached Stoller about working together. This led to more than 70 hit songs and the pair being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985. “Ultimately, it was his words and my music,” Stoller describes. “We had a great time because a lot of our songs were quite amusing. We had a wonderful time working together.”
Their timeless works were honored in the Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Cafe, which featured nearly 40 of the songs they penned including “Hound Dog,” “Yakety Yak,” “Spanish Harlem,” and Wilbert Harrison’s “Kansas City.” “It was a very special moment for both of us to suddenly realize that these songs didn’t die after six months,” Stoller says of his and Leiber’s reaction while watching the 1995 Broadway play.
In addition to the interview with Stoller, attendees will see vintage photos, film, and recordings. Stoller will also sign commemorative posters produced by Hatch Show Print. The program will take place at the Ford Theater inside the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum at 2:30 p.m. CT on December 3.
Photo Credit: Leiber & Stoller Archives
