Jerry Leiber (at piano) with Stoller and The Coasters

A few days ago Jerry Leiber, the lyricist from the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, died. Writing songs for early innovators like Elvis Presley and the Coasters, as well as for singular voices like Ben E. King and Peggy Lee, Leiber had a large hand in shaping the vernacular of rock and roll. Remembering him will be a pleasure for a musician and music fan like myself: He left us mountains of great music.  “Hound Dog,” “Kansas City,” “Searchin,” “Stand By Me,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Is That All There Is?” – the list is loooong. One of my personal faves is “Don’t” — a perfect meshing of lyric and melody that Elvis sings with great subtlety.

If you’re looking for insights into the genius of this stellar songwriting team, you can find a tribute and link to an audio interview on the American Routes website. Highly recommended for fans who want to reminisce about the amazing life and career of Jerry Leiber—or anyone who read the list above and now want to know more about one of the musical geniuses behind all those great songs. (The revealing 21-minute interview is also on the 5th Anniversary collection American Routes: Songs and Stories from the Road).