Who better than two hip young Jewish cats from the East Coast to create the sound and the songs that defined what would ultimately become known as rock 'n' roll? During their heyday of the 1950s and 1960s, the pair of writers were responsible for such important songs as Elvis' "Hound Dog,"
The Coasters' "Charlie Brown," Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," and The Drifters' "On Broadway."
In their autobiography
(written with the help of David Ritz), you read how they "wrote records, not songs" and were able to hear instrumentation and arrangements, vocal harmonies and even percussion parts. They both shared a love for boogie woogie, and when their families moved out to California, they finally hooked up. They began by writing blues songs for a variety of artists; when Elvis cut their "Hound Dog," they become a staple of the industry.
This is a terrific book told in the writers' own words about their ascent from obscurity, signing with Atlantic Records, and ultimately venturing out on their own to form their own record labels,
creating a catalog of songs that to this day has been covered by everyone from The Beatles and the Stones to the Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, and Willie Nelson.