R.I.P. Carl Gardner of The Coasters

We’re sad to hear that Carl Gardner, leader of 50s vocal group The Coasters, has died at age 83. The Coasters were one of the most successful groups of the 1950s thanks to hits like Charlie Brown, Yakety Yak, Along Came Jones, Poison Ivy and the double-sided hit Searchin’/Youngblood. Most of these featured Carl on lead vocals and were written and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Click here to listen to an interview with Carl Cardner recorded back in the early 1980s: 

Click here to listen to Carl sing Youngblood with The Coasters, recorded on Feb. 15, 1957: 

Click here to read a news report of Carl Gardner’s death.