1 The Coasters
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The Coasters were a Rhythm and Blues, Rock & Roll, vocal group that had a 
string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young 
Blood," their most memorable songs. Both were written by the legendary 
songwriting and production team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Their 
records were so frequently imitated that they became an important part of 
the Doo Wop legacy through the 1960s.

The original members of the Coasters, formed in October 1955, were 
* Cornelius "Carl" Gardner
* Billy Guy
* Bobby Nunn
* Leon Hughes 
(On a couple of their early recordings Young Jessie subbbed forHuges.)
* Adolph Jacobs 
(who left the group in 1959.)
* King Curtis 
(who was called the Fifth Coaster, played occasionally.)

Their undeniably funny lyrics and on-stage antics might have suggested a 
group of clowns, but Coasters' records were no mere novelties — their material 
was too witty, the arrangements too well-crafted, and the group too musically 
proficient. That combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock 
& roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo wop, 
vocal groups of all time.

Several groups used the name in the 1970s, touring throughout the country, 
though Carl Gardner, one of the original Coasters, held the legal rights to 
the name. Gardner continued to tour with the 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 retired. The Coasters' lineup of 2008: 
* Carl Gardner Jr.
* Ronnie Bright
* Alvin Morse
* J.W. Lance
* Thomas Palmer
* With Gardner Sr. as coach.

As of 2007, all of the other original group members, except Leon Hughes, 
have either died or retired. Some of the former members suffered tragic 
ends. Saxophonist and "fifth Coaster" King Curtis was stabbed to death by 
two junkies outside his apartment building in 1971. Cornelius Gunter was 
shot to death while sitting in a Las Vegas parking garage in 1990. Nate 
Wilson, a member of one of Gunter's offshoot Coasters groups, was shot and 
his body dismembered in 1980.

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, 
crediting the members of the 1958-era configuration. The Coasters also 
joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.