Share this page
Jerry Leiber writer of Elvis's Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock dies aged 78
With co-writer Mike Stoller, Leiber changed music forever - and his legacy will live on in collectibles
RIP Jerry Leiber, the songwriter whose greatest works included hit singles composed for the likes of Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee and Ben E King.
According to publicist Bobbi Marcus, Leiber died on Monday (August 22) aged 78.
With co-writer and composer Mike Stoller, lyricist Leiber's words helped change the face of popular music forever.
 Elvis's final handwritten setlist |
So important were Leiber and Stoller's hits including Jailhouse Rock and Hound Dog, that the songs were played by the King throughout his career.
Both were #1 hits, and can also be seen in Elvis's set list from his last-ever show performed in Las Vegas (pictured left).
Dated to June 26, 1977, the list is penned in a rather shaky hand on a sheet of canary legal paper, as was Elvis's custom.
Sure enough, Leiber's Jailhouse Rock and Hound Dog are the lynchpins of the set.
As you can see, Jailhouse Rock bolsters the set's mid-point while Hound Dog was used as Elvis's penultimate song - becoming the second-to-last tune the King ever performed on stage.
This is even more impressive considering that, when Elvis first played in Las Vegas as young rock 'n' roller in the 1950s, audiences simply weren't ready for savage tunes like Hound Dog. The show was a flop, whose failure bothered Elvis for years afterwards.
But public perceptions had changed by 1977, when big show band treatments of both songs were regularly met with rapt applause from Elvis's Las Vegas audiences.
Although Elvis's manager Colonel Tom Parker often teamed him with songwriters unworthy of his talents throughout his career, when the King played Leiber's songs audiences saw the combined efforts of the era's greatest performer and finest songwriters.
Both Leiber and Stoller were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
While Jerry Leiber's passing is a sad day for music, his legacy is destined to live on among music fans and also collectors.
 Memorabilia autographed by Leiber, with his co-writer Stoller, has |
Past sales on the markets include this reissued signed piece of sheet music (pictured above) for Jailhouse Rock signed by Leiber and Stoller.
The song was originally copyrighted in 1957, the same year it held the #1 position on Billboard's Top Pop charts for seven weeks.
This reissued and autographed piece was sold for just $150 by Heritage Auctions back in 2008.
But now that Leiber is no longer around to sign autographs, it could be worth more on today's markets - as would a signed piece of sheet music from the era the song was written.
Watch this space for all the last Elvis memorabilia news.
- Click here to view our Memorabilia stock items for sale
- Learn how you can get pleasure & profit from musical collectibles
- Read all the latest Memorabilia news
Join our readers in over 200 countries around the world - sign up for your free weekly Collectibles Newsletter today or download our free Collectors News app for your iPhone
Recent and related articles...
· Aerosmith legend Steve Tyler auctions signed Guitar Hero axe for charity| 26 July 2011
As the US rockers make their first LP in a decade, American Idol judge Tyler is helping a good cause
· Vintage 1939 guitar could hit the right note with collectors at Heritage | 26 July 2011
A pre-war Martin guitar is set to star at Heritage's instrument sale which ends later this month
· Expensive demolition: Jimi Hendrix stage worn guitar strap makes $45,000 | 25 July 2011
The strap Hendrix used at his guitar-wrecking Monterey performance sold at a Gotta Have It! sale
· Candid Beatles photos from their 1964 arrival in America achieve $362,000 | 21 July 2011
As America began to wake up to the Fab Four, photographer Mike Mitchell was first on the scene
· Collectors 'all shook up' by $20,000 Elvis Presley set list auction | 19 July 2011
A set list for the King's 1961 Pearl Harbour performance will star at an online auction this week
www.paulfrasercollectibles.com
Image: Alexander Autographs and Heritage
