What was Jerry Leiber’s Net Worth?
Jerry Leiber, a renowned American songwriter and record producer, passed away in August 2011 at the age of 78. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be $150 million. He was known for being one half of the songwriting and producing duo with Mike Stoller, whom he met in Los Angeles as a teenager. The duo wrote many hit songs, including “Hound Dog” and “Kansas City,” as well as “Young Blood,” “Searchin’,” and “Yakety Yak.”
Leiber and Stoller produced “There Goes My Baby” by the Drifters and wrote many songs for Elvis Presley, such as “Love Me,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Loving You,” “Don’t,” and “King Creole.” Their collaborations resulted in over 70 chart hits. The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Leiber typically wrote the lyrics, while Stoller composed the music. They were known for writing hit songs in just a few minutes.
Their mind-set and strategy were described in their co-biography as “two guys looking to write songs for black artists with black feelings rendered in the black vernacular.” In 1995, a Broadway musical based on their music called “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” debuted and ran for over 2000 shows.
Leiber-Stoller Song Catalogue Valued at Over $100 Million
The song catalogue of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller continues to generate millions of dollars in royalties. The hit song “Stand by Me” alone has produced an estimated $30 million in royalties between 1961 and 2012, with the revenue split between Leiber, Stoller, and artist Ben E. King.
If ever put up for auction, the value of the Leiber-Stoller song catalogue and royalty stream is estimated to be in excess of $100 million.
Jerry Leiber’s Early Life
Jerry Leiber was born on April 25, 1933 in Baltimore, Maryland to Jewish immigrants from Poland. His father passed away when he was five years old, and his mother later moved the family to Los Angeles, California where Leiber attended Fairfax High School.
While in high school, Leiber met Michael Stoller, who was a freshman at Los Angeles City College. The two bonded over their love of blues and rhythm and began working on their own songs. Leiber focused on writing lyrics, while Stoller worked on the melodies.
Leiber also worked at Norty’s, a record store, during this time while Stoller played the piano.
Leiber and Stoller’s Career Highlights
Leiber and Stoller wrote “Real Ugly Woman” in 1950, which was their first commercial song. In 1952, they had their first hit with “Hard Times” by Charles Brown. “Kansas City” was recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year and became a number 1 pop hit in 1959 for Wilbert Harrison. They also wrote “Hound Dog” for Big Mama Thornton in 1952, which became a hit for her in 1953.
They formed Spark Records in 1954 and wrote the songs “Smokey Joe’s Café” and “Riot in Cell Block #9,” which were recorded by the Robins. They were later hired by Atlantic Records as producers and helped revive the careers of the Drifters while writing hits for the Coasters. In 1956, Elvis Presley recorded their hit “Hound Dog.” They went on to write more hits for him, including the title songs for three of his movies.
In the early 1960s, they started Daisy Records and later produced records for United Artists Records. They founded Red Bird Records but sold it a few years later and continued working as independent producers and songwriters. Their last major hit production was “Stuck in the Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel. They continued working throughout the 1980s but not as much as they did in their earlier years.
Leiber and Stoller were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. They received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994 and the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
Jerry Leiber’s Personal Life
Jerry Leiber was married twice in his life. His first marriage ended in divorce. He later married Gaby Rodgers, but they also divorced. Leiber had three sons – Oliver, Jed, and Jake.
In August of 2011, Leiber died as a result of cardio-pulmonary failure.
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