Carl Gardner
Encyclopedia
Carl Edward Gardner was an American
singer, best known as the foremost member and founder of The Coasters
. Known for the 1958 song "Yakety Yak
", which spent a week as number one
on the Hot 100 pop list
, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1987.
, to Rebecca and Robert Gardner. As a singer, his first major career success came with The Robins, a rhythm and blues
group which had a big hit in the early 1950s, "Smokey Joe's Café".
After leaving that group, Gardner formed the Coasters with Bobby Nunn
in 1955, at the behest of the songwriting/producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
. The Coasters went on to produce several enduring classics of 1950s rock and roll
music including "Yakety Yak
", "Charlie Brown
", and "Poison Ivy
".
Together with the other members of the Coasters – Cornell Gunter
, Billy Guy
and Will "Dub" Jones – Gardner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1987.
Gardner's son, Carl Jr., officially joined The Coasters in late 2005, after Gardner semi-retired, although Carl Jr. had been touring with them since at least 1998.
Carl Gardner, Sr. died on June 12, 2011, after suffering with congestive heart failure and vascular dementia (according to the Coasters website). His son Carl, Jr., having taken over as lead singer, carries on with the group.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer, best known as the foremost member and founder of The Coasters
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
. Known for the 1958 song "Yakety Yak
Yakety Yak
"Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters and released on Atlantic Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as number one on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Hot 100 pop list...
", which spent a week as number one
Hot 100 number-one hits of 1958 (USA)
This is a list of number-one songs in the United States during the year 1958 according to Billboard magazine. Prior to the creation of the Hot 100, Billboard published multiple singles charts each week...
on the Hot 100 pop list
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1987.
Life and career
Gardner was born in Tyler, TexasTyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
, to Rebecca and Robert Gardner. As a singer, his first major career success came with The Robins, a rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
group which had a big hit in the early 1950s, "Smokey Joe's Café".
After leaving that group, Gardner formed the Coasters with Bobby Nunn
Bobby Nunn
Ulysses B. "Bobby" Nunn was an American singer with the musical groups The Robins and The Coasters. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, U.S., and died of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, U.S.-Biography:...
in 1955, at the behest of the songwriting/producing team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and Mike Stoller were American songwriting and record producing partners. Stoller was the composer and Leiber the lyricist. Their most famous songs include "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", "Kansas City", "Stand By Me" Jerome "Jerry" Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011)...
. The Coasters went on to produce several enduring classics of 1950s rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music including "Yakety Yak
Yakety Yak
"Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters and released on Atlantic Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as number one on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Hot 100 pop list...
", "Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown (song)
"Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for The Coasters in the spring of 1959 . It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year...
", and "Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy (song)
"Poison Ivy" is a popular song by American songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by The Coasters in 1959. It went to #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart...
".
Together with the other members of the Coasters – Cornell Gunter
Cornell Gunter
Cornell Gunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after being shot in his automobile.-Biography:...
, Billy Guy
Billy Guy
-Biography:Billy Guy is best known as a member of The Coasters, singing lead on such hits as "Searchin'," "Little Egypt," "Run Red Run," "Wait A Minute," among others. Before Guy joined The Coasters in 1955, he was part of a comedy singing duo called "Bip and Bop." One single called "Ding Ding...
and Will "Dub" Jones – Gardner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1987.
Gardner's son, Carl Jr., officially joined The Coasters in late 2005, after Gardner semi-retired, although Carl Jr. had been touring with them since at least 1998.
Carl Gardner, Sr. died on June 12, 2011, after suffering with congestive heart failure and vascular dementia (according to the Coasters website). His son Carl, Jr., having taken over as lead singer, carries on with the group.