Mike Stoller, the Grammy Award winning composer who is one half of the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, will be honored with Chapman University's 30th Annual American Celebration Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award at a Black-tie Gala to be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 6:00 - 11:30 p.m. at Chapman Auditorium in Memorial Hall; Chapman University; One University Drive; Orange, CA 92866.
The Gala, an annual fundraiser for the Chapman Scholarship Fund, will kick off with a Champagne Reception for Event Sponsors at 6:00 p.m., followed by a fully costumed and choreographed Broadway-style show performed by students from Chapman's College of the Performing Arts at 7:00 p.m., dinner at 8:00 p.m., and dancing at 9:45 p.m. The Gala, which is open to the general public to attend, takes place in and around Chapman's Memorial Hall. Individual Tickets begin at $2,000, with tables ranging from $15,000 to $100,000. For tickets and further information, please call 714-744-7958, and visit online at www.chapman.edu/amcelebration/gala/.
Wylie A. Aitken, Chair of the American Celebration Gala with his wife Bette Aitken, said: "I am pleased and honored to announce that Mike Stoller has been selected to receive Chapman's 2011 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. I cannot think of an entertainment figure more deserving of this award. Mike has accomplished so much as a songwriter. Not only has he established an incomparable legacy, but his eclectic talents continue to inspire an emerging generation of artists - many of whom attend Chapman University."
But Elvis and The Coasters are only two of the acts whose careers skyrocketed because of Leiber and Stoller's creative partnership.
Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber began their partnership in 1950 at the age of 17 when they discovered that they had a mutual passion for Boogie Woogie and the Blues. By the time they were 20, Leiber and Stoller had seen their earliest songs recorded by such important blues artists as Jimmy Witherspoon, Little Esther, Amos Milburn, CharLes Brown, Little Willie Littlefield, Bull Moose Jackson, Linda Hopkins, Ray Charles, and Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton. Leiber and Stoller's series of hits as both songwriters and record producers began with Big Mama Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" in 1953. This record and others produced by them caught the attention of executives from Atlantic Records. In 1955, Atlantic signed Leiber and Stoller to the first independent production deal, forever changing the course of the record industry. Leiber and Stoller's songs and productions were constantly on the charts during the next decade. Aside from The Coasters' many hits, there were Ben E. King's "Stand By Me," and "I (Who Have Nothing);" The Drifters' "There Goes My Baby," "Dance With Me" and "On Broadway;" as well as La Vern Baker's recording of "Saved" and Ruth Brown's "Lucky Lips."During this same period, while Leiber and Stoller were producing The Clovers ("Love Potion # 9"), Jay and the Americans ("Only In America"), and Chuck Jackson ("I Keep Forgettin'"), other artists were having hits with Leiber and Stoller compositions. There was Wilbert Harrison with "Kansas City," The Drifters with "Fools Fall In Love," Dion DiMucchi with "Ruby Baby," Peggy Lee with "I'm A Woman" and Edith Piaf with "L'Homme a la Moto." Elvis Presley recorded more than 20 songs written by Leiber and Stoller, including "Hound Dog," "Love Me," "Loving You," "Jailhouse Rock," "Treat Me Nice," "Don't," "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care," "Bossa Nova Baby," "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" and "Trouble."
In 1969, the team produced the Peggy Lee recording of their composition "Is That All There Is?" According to music critic Robert Palmer, "Is That All There Is?" was the song that "...clearly pointed to the direction their new work would take." It was this change in the creative style of Leiber and Stoller that prompted Palmer to write: "...the Golden Age of Rock & Roll had come to an end."
Leiber and Stoller have been the recipients of many awards and honors, including the following:About Chapman University:
Chapman University, founded in 1861 and celebrating its 150th Anniversary this year, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California. Chapman's picturesque campus is located in the heart of Orange County - one of the nation's most exciting centers of arts, business, science and technology - and draws outstanding students from across the United States and around the world. Known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs, Chapman University encompasses seven schools and colleges: Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Schmid College of Science, College of Performing Arts, School of Law and College of Educational Studies. Named to the list of top universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review, Chapman University enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students. To learn more about Chapman University, please visit www.chapman.edu <http://www.chapman.edu> .
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