The Coasters´ Off-Shots - by Claus Röhnisch
Thanks to Stefan Pingel-Wriedt, Charles Sheen, Todd Baptista, Joy Stewart-Evans, Bob McGrath, and Matthew Broyles.
The recordings by The Coasters´ ex-members
Note: Members of the non-original Coasters´ groups may not all agree with the editor´s "fake Coasters" labeling.

Contrary to common belief, the Coasters did not sing behind Little Richard on the film track of "The Girl Can´t Help It" (neither did the Robins), and not behind any Elvis recordings. There is, though, a possibility that the Coasters sang behind LaVern Baker on her March, 1957 Los Angeles recording of "Jim Dandy Got Married". There is also some evidence stating the Coasters backed Bobby Hendricks on "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" in mid 1958, and that it was the Coasters backing Hendricks on the Drifters' recording of "Drip Drop" in April, 1958.

Bobby Nunn, Leon Hughes, Cornell Gunter, Billy Guy, Will Jones, Billy Richards Jr, and Grady Chapman have all in one way or another launched non-original Coasters groups (and so have others who have no direct connection to the originals).

Bobby Nunn   with
Billy Richards Jr, Bobby Sheen, Grady Chapman, Randy Jones
Nunn´s Coasters, originally called "The Coasters, Mark II", started acting in late 1962 and were well established on the West Coast and toured the South and even Germany (during the first years including Billy Richards Jr and Bobby Sheen - and from 1964 also Grady Chapman of the early Robins). Billy Richards Jr is a nephew of the Robins´ Billy Richard. Richards Jr ironically sued Carl in 1991 for using the Coasters´ name. Bobby Sheen (born 1941, died in LA on November 23, 2000) had joined the Robins already in 1958 (after leaving high school) together with Richards Jr. In late 1962 (after having acted with Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans for Phil Spector) Sheen and Richards Jr joined Nunn to form Nunn´s Coasters, Mark II, soon joined by Grady Chapman. The four continued to tour until 1966, when Randy Jones joined (Randy had sung with the Flairs, the Penguins, and the Flares and acted with almost all the fake Coasters groups. He died in 2002). In 1970 Nunn "handed" the name "The Coasters" to Sheen and Richards Jr. After Nunn´s death the two of them started their attempts to copyright procedures (originally managed by Larry Marshak - ending in an agreement between Gardner and Richards Jr). Bobby Sheen had told his son at the time of Nunn´s death that there were nine groups claiming to be "The Coasters".

The remnants of Nunn´s group turned into two groups - one led by Billy Richards Jr and one by Grady Chapman. The Billy Richards Jr group toured as Billy Richards´ Coasters and also as "The (West) Coasters" - with managements in Tennessee, California and New York (Larry Marshak, SIC). His group originally included remnants of the late Nunn´s Coasters group - Randy Jones, Tommy Turner and Bobby Sheen - sometimes also Tony Ruiz and Dexter Tisby. In 1989 the group consisted of Richards, Sheen and Randy Jones. By the late ´90s Richards´ group featured Henry Miller, Larry Tate and Sandy Wyatt (who continued to perform after Richards´ brain anuerisym). Billy Richards´ Coasters (with Richards Jr still up front - although in bad condition) still acted in 2002 - singing all The Coasters´ original hits; and with Larry Tate acting bass "equally as good as Dub Jones" (fan Sam Leandro reports). Billy Richards' Coasters of today have a web entry at myspace.com with a lot of "borrowed" material from this site, but also some audios and extra information of that group. Members of the group according to that entry in 2006 are: Billy Richards, Larry Tate, Duane Jackson, and Larry Hicks.

Grady Chapman´s group toured as Grady Chapman´s Coasters (originally featuring Nunn) and as "Bobby Nunn Tribute Coasters Group" - after Nunn´s death. Grady´s group also sporadically featured Leon Hughes, Billy Guy, Will "Dub" Jones, sometimes even Billy Richards Jr, and especially Jerome Evans (who was a constant member - originally from the Furys and who also had sung with Bobby Hendricks´ Drifters), plus Charles Jackson and Randy Jones. Bobby Sheen joined Grady and the two performed together, on-and-off, through the 1980s and 1990s together with Jerome Evans right up until a few weeks before Sheen´s death - using the name "The Fabulous Coasters" (with performances in a club in Tustin, California and in the year of 2000 in Hobbs, New Mexico). "The Fabulous Coasters" even toured Germany in October, 2000 (featuring Grady with Robert Baker, Jerome Evans and Randy Jones). During 1993 Grady substituted a couple of times for Carl Gardner in Gardner´s true Coasters group and Grady recently has started his own new line -up of The Robins (probably featuring the most recent line-up of Chapman´s "Coasters" (Robert Baker - who used to sing with Gunter´s group, Bobby Johnson - who sang with the Hollywood Flames, and Billy Foster - from Vernon Green & the Medallions. (Thanks Joy Stewart-Evans for information on the latter-day Chapman Coasters. Also thanks to Jackson Hart concerning some of the information on the California Coasters - and to Charles Sheen).

Cornell Gunter (and his off-springs)
Cornell Gunter´s Coasters started working in 1963, often called "The Fabulous Coasters" (during the first years), and toured heavily (and visited England in the ´60s) with several engagements in Las Vegas. Cornell´s first new group comprised remnants from the Penguins, with Teddy Harper (who worked with Cornell several years - Teddy passed away on January 14, 1985), Dexter Tisby, and especially Randy Jones - who also sang with Bobby Nunn´s and Grady Chapman´s Coasters and sometimes even with his own Coasters group. Cornell´s most consistent bass singer was Nat "Buster" Wilson (whose body was found in Modesto, California in May 1982, he was murdered in 1980 - on December 8, 1984 the group´s manager Patrick Cavanaugh was convicted for murder). The group recorded as "Cornell Gunter" (with sister Shirley as guest star). Leroy Binns sang bass/baritone with Cornell's group for a while. In the mid 1980s Cornell's trio included Charlie Duncan (who had been with Cornell - first as a drummer - since the ´60s), Edwin Cook (from Buck Ram's Platters, who was handpicked by and replaced Harper in 1983. "Cornell Gunter´s Coasters" of the mid 1990s were a fake group led by Randy Jones with Billy Williams and Clarence Walker (Randy was featured with Willie Davies´ the Jacks after Will Jones´ death). After Cornell's death "Cornell Gunter´s Coasters Inc." (often promoted by Dick Clark), featured Duncan, Cook, and Lionel "Z" Pope. Another off-spring group of Cornell´s is a group led by Terry Evans (not the 1944 Mississippi-born soul singer). He may have been with the Coasters before Will Jones arrived and nowadays tours with a tribute group. Lately the Cornell Gunter's Coasters mentioned are led by Edwin Cook and also featuring Bruce Anderson, Otis Hombre and Geno Williams; but in 2007 Charlie "D" started a web site showing a group without Cook (featuring Lionel "Z" Pope and Tony "T" Scruggs and advertised as The Original "Cornell Gunter's" Coasters.

Billy Guy & Will Jones
Billy Guy made his first attempt as a solo artist back in 1962, when he recorded 16 tracks för ABC-Paramount and Lloyd Price´s Double L label in New York - with no great success, although the recordings were pretty interesting (and later turned up as by "The Coasters").  Still recording and touring with the Coasters up to 1973, he often was substituted by Vernon Harrell on stage and later by Jimmy Norman. Guy continued recording several records in his own name for other labels after 1973 but also waxed couple of sessions as by "The Coasters" during the 1970s - especially a session for King/Gusto in Nashville in 1977 with Will "Dub" Jones. Jones himself had already recorded as "The Coasters" (the album "The World Famous Coasters") around 1976 together with Leon Hughes. Jones settled in Los Angeles around 1979. He acted during the ´80s and '90s (staring in 1983) with an L.A. Coasters group, led by Billy Guy and sometimes featuring  Grady Chapman. They worked as "The World Famous Coasters" and as "The Coasters" in later years. . Will was semi-retired during his later years, mostly acting as a gospel singer. Billy Guy started to semi-coach a Las Vegas "The Coasters", often billed as "Billy Guy´s Coasters", managed by Larry Marshak of RCI Management in New York during the latter part of 1998. Marshak had negotiated a business deal with Guy after the termination of a similar contract with the Billly Richards group (see more on "Coastin´ with The Coasters"). Marshak is the organizer behind several of the new, phony name-sakes in the U.S. - young groups billing themselves and touring as "The Platters", "The Drifters" or/and "The Coasters".

Leon Hughes & Young Jessie
Leon Hughes has worked with a group called "The Original Coasters" on several occasions and also toured with a revival line-up of the Hollywood Flames and still promotes himself as "Leon Hughes - one of the original Coasters". Leon also sang with Dub Jones on "The World Famous / Just Coastin´" album. Even Young Jessie (who substituted for Leon in L.A. recording studios in 1957) has recently acted with his own "Coasters" group.

Bogus (promotor: Larry Marshak, with Early Clover et al)
Gardner, Guy, Jones and Gunter were "handed" the name The Coasters individually from Lester Sill (who had the "business rights") by a written assignment in the mid ´60s, but there is only one group truly deserving the name of THE COASTERS - Carl Gardner´s group (Carl filed a Service Mark of "The Coasters" at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on July 15, 1986, No. 1401608, for 20 years). In early 1998 Gardner settled an agreement with Billy Richards, and Carl thereby got the sole right to use the name of "The Coasters". In early 2000 Billy Guy handed over his "rights" to Carl and retired, and later Gardner won a court case against Larry Marshak, but Marshak immediately made a deal with Gunter´s sister Shirley and started to promote "Cornell Gunter´s Coasters" at Capitol International (who where the same fake group that Billy Guy had semi-coached during the latter part of the ´90s). That group sometimes continued to name themselves "The Billy Guy Coasters" and also simply used "Coasters" (see image below). The name used most often these days though is "The Cornell Gunter Coasters" (with several engagements in Las Vegas and a couple of CDs issued). The first fake Coasters group Marshak managed was the Billy Richards group (after Nunn´s death). Richards signed a strange deal with Marshak handing over the "rights" to use the name the Coasters. When Richards changed management, Marshak signed a deal with Billy Guy during the late ´90s (using the name The Billy Guy Coasters) and when Billy settled with Gardner in the year of 2000, Marshak again found one to "fool" - this time Shirley Gunter (the blind sister of the now diseased Cornell) who let Marshak use Cornell Gunter´s name (meanwhile the true remnants of Gunter´s old fake group started Cornell Gunter´s Coasters Inc - that´s why there are several groups using Gunter´s name). Marshak filed bankruptcy in mid 2002. The Cornell Gunter Coasters of 2002 (and 2008) lead singer Early Clover who joined the bogus Coasters in 1988 and also acted with the fake Platters and Drifters groups and also tours as a solo artist (still leading one of the fake Marshak Cornell Gunter´'s Coasters).
| MORE! | In early 2005 the Cornell Gunter Coasters featured Dave Revels (still lead in 2009), Earnest Harrison, Mike Raysor, and Ron Beau. Later that year veteran Revels was flanked by Mike Bossard, Thomas Ross, and Lee Bellinger. The Sahara Cornell Gunter's Coasters in 2006 - and in 2007: Steve Smith, Cliff Dawson, Donald Pinkney and Early Clover.  (more). In early 2007 Dennis Anderson, James Hayes, Tom Ross and Sam White acted as the Cornell Gunter Coasters on the West Coast. Marshak's groups consist of different singers at different events.  | The fake Coasters in Las Vegas, September 2007 | (note - not Beary Hobb's Drifters anymore, but "the legendary lead singers of the Temptations" or "The Temptations Reunion Show" for a short while - and then suddenly The Marvelettes) -  Sahara Hotel site.

Myles Savage (from the modern-days Platters), Barry Gunn (from Cornell Gunter Coasters), Ira Greig (from Beary Hobbs' Drifters), and Wolf Johnson (from Richard Street's Temptations) toured together during 2007 - and in 2008 Savage did some shows as "The Stars" with Glen Leonard (Temptations), Bobby Hendriks (Drifters) and J.W. Lance from the Coasters.

Below are listed all recording sessions issued as by "The Coasters", but which are not by Gardner´s group. Each entry begins with a track time identification (when known). 

Off-Shot Coasters Discography
Discography compiled by Claus Röhnisch
- with thanks to the late Brian Watson, and to Ray Baradat, Jack Grochmal, Charles Sheen,
Joy Stewart-Evans, Jackson Hart, Cord Coslor, a.o.

THE COASTERS
(Billy Guy, lead vcl; and Jim Gilstrap, bass vcl).
Unknown accomp. incl. reeds and rhythm with male and female back-up vcls. Arr and cond by Gil Askey. Prod by Robert Bateman. Acquired by Lloyd Price and Harold Logan.
Detroit, 1962
2:20    Women *  (The Prophet)   Double-L 719 *, Joy(E) LP 189, Trip LP 8028, TVP LP 1002, EscLP 3311
2:45    Whip It On Me Baby  (aka Whip It On Me)     as above plus Trip LP 16-7, Archive LP 613, Bellaphon(G) LP 15230, Stateside(J) LP 40028, (not TVP)
2:40    Hungry    189, 8028, 1002, EscLP 3311
2:07    Oh, Rocking My Soul  (aka Rockin´ My Soul)     as above plus 15230, (J)40028, LECD, (not TVP)
2:50    She's A Humdinger * (aka Humdinger)   ABC-Paramount 10397* plus as above
1:59    T.V. Fanatic      189, 8028, 16-7, EscLP 3311
2:26    As Quiet As It´s Kept   (aka He's In Love)   ABC-Paramount 10320 plus as above
2:39    It Ain´t Sanitary   (aka Sanitary)    189, 8028, 16-7, 613, 15230, (J)40028, 1002, EscLp 3311
2.30    (The) Deodorant Song   as above plus LECD
2:25    It Doesn´t Take Much *  (It Don´t Take Much)      ABC-Paramount 10397* plus 189, 8028, 16-7, 613, 15230, (J)40028, EscLP 3311
2:57    (The) Prison Break   189, 8028, 613, 15230, (J) 40028, 1002, EscLP 3311
2:21    Here I Am     ABC-Paramount 10320 plus 189, 8028, 613, 15230, (J)40028, LECD
2:38    You Don´t Know What You´re Talking About (ka Ask Somebody and Sister Blabber Mouth)    613, 15230, (J)40028, LECD
2:12    She Ain´t Got No Hair     as above
2:24    Call On Me    as above
2:21    Won´t Be No More  (aka Little Black Book)   as above
Note: All 16 tracks are on German Stateside LP 40028 "The Coasters". Japanese Stateside LP 40028 not identical to the German issue. The two ABC-Paramount singles issued as by Billy Guy in 1962. Double-L single released 1963 as by "Billy Guy" (with "Women" as title of one side). Original album issued on Joy in England in 1971, titled "Hungry", followed by the U.S. Trip LP (1973), titled "It Ain´t Sanitary". Trip TOP LP 16-7 also issued on Phoenix20 LP 602 (US 1980) and AFE LP 1059 (E 1982) as "Juke Box Giants". Escobar LP 3311 (from 1980) includes ten tracks, titled "Breaking Out"). All titles on the Trip Top LP re-issued in stereo on MasterTone Abracadabra CD AB 3119, titled "Yakety Yak – 17 Classic Coasters Tracks" (with "One Foot Draggin´" added as a bonus). MasterTone (US) CD 8338 features 14 tracks, with the six listed above plus "Jumbo Bwana" and "One Foot Draggin´", but excluding "Searchin´" and "Along Came Jones" from Gardner´s Trip session. LECD is Wisepack(E) "Legends" LECD 076 (issued 1994, which also contains Atco Coasters recordings and later Gusto recordings). Diverse tracks from above issued on several "Coasters" CDs (see Coasters´ Session Discography - Trip session; and CD Guide with albums - Platinum Pop, Bam, Kingfisher/Ichiban). There is no CD featuring all the tracks from this session.

THE COASTERS featuring Cornell Gunther
(Cornell Gunter, lead vcl; and Bobby Seeger /Stregar/, Nat "Buster" Wilson and Lloyd Wolf, vocals). Unknown accomp. incl. horns and rhythm. Bootleg recordings by Ron Bartolucci / Little Walter De Venne.
Paul´s Maul, Boston, Mass., 1970
8:46    Intro & Medley: It´s Your Thing/Knock On Wood/Funky Broadway/Land Of 1.000 Dances/Yakety Yak    New Rose CD 5110, FanClub (F) CD 110
6:40    Medley: Searchin´/I Can´t Help Myself/Get Ready    as above
3:05    Shoppin´ For Clothes    as above
3:25    Charlie Brown     as above
3:32    Medley: What´d I Say/Long Tall Sally/Jenny Jenny/Lucille/Tutti Frutti     as above
Note: The group is presented as "Cornell Gunter and the Coasters" by the MC. CD live album issued in 1992, titled "The Coasters featuring Cornell Gunther", and recorded in 1970 (although the CD wrongly credits 1969). Also includes four titles by Carl Gardner´s Coasters (see "Session Discography"). Observe the common misspelling of Gunter´s surname.

THE COASTERS TWO PLUS TWO
(Grady Chapman, Leon Hughes, Bobby Nunn, and Jerome Evans, vcls); unknown accomp."Bumps" Blackwell, arr/prod.
Los Angeles, Calif., 1975
Searchin´ 75    Chelan 2000
Young Blood    Chelan 2000
Note: Chelan was owned by Bumps Blackwell (and thanks Joy for the information!).

BILLY GUY & THE COASTERS
(featuring Billy Guy). Billy Guy, solo vcl (on SalWa) and prod. Unknown accomp.
Hollywood, 1975  (prob two diff. sessions)
2:27    You Move Me    SalWa 1001
1:57    Take It Easy Greazy    SalWa 1001
2:30     Watergate (Put Some Funk On, Cause The Money's Been Long Gone)    BlackCircle 102
2:10     Hockey-Puck     BlackCircle 102
Note: SalWa has publisher Screen Gems. BlackCircle record prdouced by Guy and H.B. Barnum.

CORNELL GUNTER'S COASTERS
(featuring Cornell Gunter, lead; with Teddy Harper, Nat "Buster" Wilson; plus Gaetano "Lee Diamond" LaMotta).
Unknown instrumentation incl strings, brass, organ and rhythm. Unknown prod. Single issued as "Cornell Gunter".
Wally Heider Studios, San Francisco, November 1975
2:46    Down In Mexico    Together 101
2:36    Poison Ivy   unissued    
3:13    Love In My Heart    Together 101
2:27    Wishing Well    unissued   
Note: Thanks Gaetano LaMotta for information on this session. Last two tracks filed as "Cornell Gunter Originals".

"WORLD FAMOUS"  COASTERS  or   THE COASTERS
(featuring Will "Dub" Jones, bass vcl-1/lead-2; Leon Hughes, vcl + unknown singers). Almost certainly the vocal-line ups are two different lineups - therefore prob. two sessions. J. Rhys, engineer.
Orchestration incl. horns and rhythm. Andy Di Martino (aka Aloysius De Marino),prod.
Los Angeles, ca 1976
4:41    If I Had A Hammer   -2    American International Artists AI -1122, LP AIA-333, GAP WSH LP 016, DJM(E) LP 22053
2:40    I Got To Boogie    -1    LP AIA-333, GAP 016, DJM(E) LP 22053
2:48    Searchin´     as above
2:14    Charlie Brown     as above (not GAP)
2:40    Poison Ivy  as above (not GAP)
1:45    Yakety Yak    as above (not GAP)
2:07    Young Blood    as above
2:40    Along Came Jones    as above (not GAP)
3:17    Benjamin And Loretta   -1     as above
2:46    The Chick Is Guilty    as above
Note: "I Got To Boogie" written by M. Smotherman (publ. A. Dimartino Music /Valentine). AIA-LP is probably the original album issue on American International Artists (see image on the "disco version" - the B-side of "If I Had A Hammer" - with the same track on each side of the single - track time 4:40 - the A-side is same track with time 3:15). The GAP LP is a US Garner Artist Production and  DJM album is the British issue, both titled "The World Famous Coasters" and reissued on C-Five C5CD 579 as "The Coasters - Just Coastin´". The three noted tracks and poss. a couple of the others definitely feature Will Jones (on "I Got To Boogie" the lead asks "Dub" to pass his jug). Leon Hughes most possibly on all tracks. Thanks Ray Baradat for the information about Leon Hughes on the above session. The A-side of 4:41, now 3:20, reissued on Ripete 3-track single REP-1039 as by Carl Gardner & The Coasters - with the flip by the Tams and by Clarence Carter. The GAP LP has ten tracks: If I Had A Hammer, Steps To Your Heart, Helpless In Love, Searchin', Everybody Needs Somebody, I Got To Boogie, Youngblood, Benhamin And Loretta, The Chick Is Guilty, Midnight On Boothill (some of those tracks may feature a complete different white group).

THE WORLD FAMOUS COASTERS
(featuring Leon Hughes, vcl + unknown singers). Produced by Leon Hughes and Rayce Gentry.
Unknown accomp.
Live in Lake Tahoe (Calif.-Nevada) and Japan, circa 1977
So Fine       AceHi M-101
Baby What You Want Me To Do     AceHi M-101

THE COASTERS
(Billy Guy, lead vcl; Will "Dub" Jones, bass vcl; and Jack Grochmal, harmony vcl).
Louis Lofredo, dir/prod; Jeff Tweel and Pete Thomason, co-prods; Jan Robin Meurer, sub-prod; Mike Stone,eng. Musicians: Clay Caire, Jack Grochmal, Sid Johnston, Larry Sasser, Stephen Shaffer, Rod Smarr, Denis Solee, Pete Thomason, Jeff Tweel. Background vocals: Pebble Daniel, Linda Hargrove, Marcis Routh, Pamela Thacker, and some of the musicians. (Thanks Jack Grochmal for the information on the fact that "Dub" was in on this session in Nashville!).
King/Gusto studios, Nashville, Tenn., late 1977
3:28    Ain´t No Greens In Harlem      Fleet(H) 15674, Ariola(H)unkn. #, Polydor(G) 2040.273
3:22    Jumbo Bwana     as above, plus MasterTone (US) CD 8338
1:48    Yakety Yak    King-Gusto GT4-2057, Bellaphon (G) 100-27-077, Gusto LP PO-310
2:21    Charlie Brown     as above
2:47    Searchin´    Gusto LP PO-310
2:48    Little Egypt   as above
2:20    Young Blood    as above
2:55    Along Came Jones   as above
2:44    Poison Ivy    as above
3:35    One Foot Draggin´    as above, plus LECD, Bam KLMCD 036, MasterTone (US) CD 8338, CD AB 3319
3:48    Beaver Dreamin'   Download "Rock Masters"
Note: 3:35 composed by Charlie Craig (Power Play Music). The Gusto LP, titled "The Coasters Greatest Hits", also features "Love Potion Number Nine" and "D.W. Washburn" by the Coasters (see King sessions) and was reissued on Highland/Hollywood HCD-282, Onyx Point CD 264136 and as "Best of the Best" on Federal FED-CD-6543. 3:28 composed by Carl Fisher and 3:22 by Peter K. Thomason and Jeff Tweel (both published by Roba/Baiesie). All tracks on LP PO-310 reissued in 1986 on DeLuxe(Canada) CD 1006 "16 Greatest Hits" together with eight tracks from the Coasters´ "On Broadway" album for King plus on Highland/DeLuxe LP DLX-7786 and CD DCD-7786 together with all tracks on the Coasters´"On Broadway" album as "The Coasters - 20 Greatest Hits" in 1987 (reissued on Gusto/TeeVee TV-0750-2 in 2006). Leiber-Stoller-Bienstock had sold their shares of King/Starday before these recordings. Bam CD titled "Young Blood". "Beaver Dreamin'" is featured on the downloadable album, titled Rock Masters (issued 2005), also featuring six Gusto and the Fleet tracks, plus tracks from Guy's 1963 and "Love Potion No.9" from Gardner's Trip session.

THE COASTERS
(Bobby Nunn, Bobby Sheen, Billy Richards Jr, Randy Jones, vocals). Orchestration incl. horns, strings and rhythm: Joe Clark, Ben Bena, Jimmy Nunya, Billy Bass, Wilton Gites, Bobby Haines, Brother John, Dave Hemper, Gary Ferguson, James Ingram, Billy Mitchell, Bill Como, Don Preston, Roland Hill, Brenton Banks, Vince Charles, The Good Brother O´Dell, Bobby Sheen, Jerry Summerville, Gary Barone, The Salsa Band. Jimmy Nunya, Bobby Sheen, Billy Richards,prod. Engineers: Al Ramirez, Art Stewart, Joe Connizzaro, Joe Klein. Jimmy Nunya, manager. Mark Traversino, studio manager at Drew Studio.
Drew Studio on Sunset-Gower, Star-Trak Rec. Studio, Marvin Gaye Studio, and Joe´s Place
Los Angeles, California, c:a 1977 and 1978
4:35    Charlie Chan   - 1  Salsa Picante SLP 10001
4:25    Dance Coasting    as above
5:35    Disco Calypso    as above
2:46    One Of These Days    as above
4:55    My Sweet Baby    as above
3:56    Love Is A Funny Thing   as above
3:38    The Big Rip-Off    as above
Note: Salsa Picante LP issued in U.S. in 1979 as "The Coasters...Coasting". "Charlie Chan" possibly recorded earlier. Mark Traversino ("Charlie Chan"), Richards, Sheen, Nunya, McPhilbin and Kent Harris listed as composers on the seven disco-type tracks on that LP; Harris´ composition "The Big Rip-Off" - featuring Nunn and Randy Jones is not disco-music, but true ghetto blues. Photo on Salsa Picante LP features Nunn, Sheen, Richards Jr and Randy Jones (and was probably used, as a drawing on Guy´s Archive LP). Thanks, Mark Traversino, for additional recording information. Jerome Evans sings lead on another version of Traversino´s  "Charlie Chan".

THE COASTERS
(Line-up prob. as above, incl. Bobby Nunn). Orchestration incl. horns and rhythm. Prod. by Sheldon A. Saltman, Arthur Forrest, Fabian A. Forte, Oscar P. Arslanian, Eric Taub and Richard Kulis. Remixed at I & II Recording Studios, Los Angeles. Fabian, MC.
Bob & Ronnie´s Live Music, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, c:a 1985
Yakety Yak   Silver Eagle LP 1041, Warwick CD 2080
Charlie Brown    issues as above
Poison Ivy   Silver Eagle LP 1041
Along Came Jones   as above
Note: Originally issued on HomeCooking/Magnum video ("America´s Music Rock ´N´ Roll Volume 1" MMGV 049). Silver Eagle is a triple LP-set and Warwick a CD, both from Canada with different live artists and titled "Good Time Rock ´N´ Roll".

LEON HUGHES & "COASTERS"
(Leon Hughes with Darryl Reynolds, Larry Hicks, and "Little Dion" Overstreed, vocals). Unknown instrumentation.
Prob. Los Angeles, California c:a 1992
Yakety Yak    VHS Video (unkn. label), Oldie CD (unkn. #)
Charlie Brown     as above
Poison Ivy        -
Stand By Me        -
Searching      -
What A Wonderful World      -
Rock & Roll      -
Love Potion      -
Note. This video is titled "Tribute To Their Greatest Hits" and includes six tracks of above with a total of 26 minutes. The CD contains all eight tracks, titled  "Leon Hughes - one of the first original Coasters" (issued 1998).

BILLY RICHARDS´ COASTERS
(Billy Richards Jr, Randy Jones, Bobby Sheen, and Tommy Turner, vocals);
with Billy Ciuffi & The Monte Carlos instrumental back-up. Album titled "Best of The Coasters - Live on Tour".
Prob. Los Angeles, ca 1994-1995
Chicken Shack (Monte Carlos)   Dar-Kat Music CD DK-1001
Poison Ivy -
Searchin´  -
Charlie Brown  -
Young Blood  -
Hog For You  -
Leavin It Up To You -
That Is Rock & Roll -
Along Came Jones  -
Let The Good Times Roll  -
Proud Mary -
Little Egypt -
Yakety Yak  -

THE COASTERS
(the Larry Marshak bogus line-up, definately not Gardner, vocals - probably featuring Early Clover & Bob Rivers).
Orchestration incl. horns, and rhythm.
Unknown location, 1996 (issued on Canadian labels - "digitally recorded 1996")
3:09    Run Red Run   Prime Cuts CD 23552
2:50    What About Us     -
2:47    Little Egypt    -
2:56    Poison Ivy   -
2:30    Charlie Brown    -
2:52    Down In Mexico    -
1:51    Yakety Yak    -
2:15    Young Blood    -
2:53    Searchin´    -
2:54    Along Came Jones    -
Note: Originally issued as "Greatest Hits" in 1996 on Prime Cuts, reissued on St. Clair-Prime Cuts (Canada) CD SLD 23552  (in 1999), on St. Clair CD FGD 58192 (as "Forever Gold", also in 1999) and on Direct Source CD 75382 (as "Roots of Rock ´n´ Roll" in 1996). Does anyone know anything about these - I have these Canadian issues - and I can´t locate the group - is it Cornell Gunter´s Coasters Inc. ? - or more probable: the Larry Marshak bogus group? Available at Internet download - Choice Oldie Cuts.

THE COASTERS - The Clown Princes of Rock N Roll (first CD)
or THE BILLY GUY COASTERS (second CD)
(Unknown line-up; in fact Billy Richards´ Coasters). Unknown orchestration.
Some tracks may come from the first Richards session. On the second CD the credit suggests a Larry Marshak production. First CD titled "Live On Tour" (with an image of Marshak´s group) and the second CD titled "The Billy Guy Coasters - Live On Tour" (with same track order).
Prob. California, ca 1997 (second CD edited 1999)
Poison Ivy - unknown labels
Youngblood   -
Searchin´   -
Charlie Brown   -
Little Egypt   -
Dock of the Bay   -
A Capella Sing Along   -
Ruby   -
Zing (Went The Strings Of My Heart)  -
Goodnight Sweetheart   -
Yakety-Yak   -
Shout  -

BILLY RICHARDS´ COASTERS
(Billy Richards Jr, Sandy Wyatt, Henry Miller, Larry Tate, and Duane Jackson, vocals);
with Will Porter and The All Stars back-up band. Album titled "Cruisin´ with Billy Richards´ Coasters - Live on Tour II". Produced by Billy Richards Jnr.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California, July 4, 1999
Watermelon Man (Porter & all stars)  - Dar-Kat Music DK-1002
Poison Ivy   -
Searchin´   -
Charlie Brown   -
Young Blood   -
Hog For You   -
60 Minute Man   -
Georgia On My Mind   -
That Is Rock & Roll   -
Along Came Jones   -
Dock Of The Bay   -
Higher & Higher   -
When A Man Loves A Woman   -
Yakety Yak   -
Note: Thanks, "temp fan", for the information on above.

CORNELL GUNTER´S COASTERS
(The Larry Marshak bogus line-up, vocals; some tracks probably the Billy Richards group, who was managed by Marshak during the early 1990s). Unknown orchestration. Note: Several of the tracks come from the earlier sessions above. CD title probably "Cornell Gunter´s Coasters" (although not confirmed).
Unknown location, ca 2000
Charlie Brown  - unknown label
Yakety Yak    -
Along Came Jones    -
Poison Ivy    -
Searchin´    -
Love Potion Number 9    -
Love Potion Number 10    -
Little Egypt    -
Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart    -
Smokey Joe´s Café    -
Peggy Sue    -
My Heart Will Go On    -
Lucy In The Sky (With Diamonds)    -
Sgt. Pepper´s Lonely Hearts Club Band    -

THE CORNELL GUNTER COASTERS
(The Larry Marshak bogus line-up, vocals; some tracks probably the Billy Richards group). Includes both live and studio recordings. Unknown orchestration. Note: Several of the tracks come from the earlier sessions above. Album title "The Cornell Gunter Coasters - Gone Fishin´".
Unknown location, ca 2001
Thats Rock-N-Roll  - unknown label
Twist - Lets Twist Again  -
Shake Rattle-N-Roll   -
A Capella: Doo Wad Diddy, Dancin In The Streets, Twist And Shout  -
Charlotte Brown  -
Smokey Joes Café  -
Its Allright  -
Dock of The Bay  -
Medley: Poison Ivy, Young Blood, Searchin, Zing, Charlie Brown, Yakety-Yak
Love Potion #9  -
Love Potion #10  -
Shout  -

THE MIGHTY CORNELL GUNTER´S  COASTERS
(most certainly the "original" Cornell Gunter's Coasters, featuring Edwin Cook, Charlie Duncan, and Lionel Pope)
Unknown orchestration.
Live at the first Sponsors Concert, Sunset Park, Las Vegas
May 27, 2001
Unknown recordings
a.o. Young Blood     Inkatha CD #10

Off-Shot Coasters Singles
The following singles have been issued as by The Coasters, but feature former Coasters´ members:

The Coasters Two Plus Two  Chelan 2000
1975    Searchin´ 75  /  Young Blood  (feat. Hughes, Nunn, Chapman)

Billy Guy and The Coasters
Sal/Wa 1001
1975    You Move Me  /  Take It Easy Greazy    (Guy solo)
BlackCircle 102
1975   Watergate (Put Some Funk On, Cause The Money's Been Long Gone) / Hockey-Puck    

"World Famous" Coasters (feat. Will Jones & Leon Hughes)  AI-1122
AI= American International Artists
1976    If I Had A Hammer  (A1-1122A single with "disco version" on A1-1122B)

The World Famous Coasters (feat. Leon Hughes)
ca 1977 So Fine  / Baby What You Want Me To Do

The Coasters (feat. Billy Guy & Will Jones)
Polydor (Germ) 2040 273
1977    Ain´t No Greens In Harlem  /  Jumbo Bwana
King/Gusto GT4-2057
1978    Yakety Yak  /  Charlie Brown

OFF-SHOT, FAKE, BOGUS & PHONY COASTERS

Note: Larry Marshak originally managed Billy Richards´ Coasters, and when Richards cancelled that contract, Billy Guy sold his name to Marshak. When Guy settled his differences with Gardner, Shirley Gunter sold the Cornell Gunter Coasters name to Marshak.
There are more acts using The Coasters´ name:
Coaster´s Review featuring Carl Gardner, Jr (Carl returned to his father¨s group in November, 2004);
Terry Evans with his Legends of Doo-Wop Coasters group; and Charlie Brown´s Coasters Tribute group.
Even Young Jessie sometimes acted  with a "Coasters" group.

THE REAL COASTERS

above charts compiled by Claus Röhnisch.

Coasters Off-Shot Story Summary

1949
The Robins - featuring Bobby Nunn - start recording.
1953
Grady Chapman joins the Robins.
1954
Carl Gardner embarks the Robins as lead singer.
1955
Gardner and Nunn leave the Robins to form the Coasters with Billy Guy and Leon Hughes. The Robins continue their career without Gardner and Nunn. Carl is to lead his group for more than 50 years.
1958
Nunn and Hughes are replaced by Will "Dub" Jones and Cornell Gunter. Billy Richards Jr and Bobby Sheen join the Robins.
1961
Gunter leaves the Coasters to join Dinah Washington. Earl Carroll joins the true Coasters.
1862
Bobby Nunn starts a "competing" Coasters group late this year - originally called "The Coasters, Mark II" - featuring Billy Richards Jr, Bobby Sheen and soon also Grady Chapman.
1963
Gunter starts a Las Vegas Coasters group - originally called "The Fabulous Coasters" - featuring remnants from the Penguins.
1968
Will “Dub” Jones leaves the true Coasters early this year, soon replaced by Ronnie Bright.
1973
Billy Guy leaves the true Coasters, replaced by Jimmy Norman. Randy Jones sings with Cornell Gunter´s Coasters (and also acts with Nunn’s group).
1975-1977
Leon Hughes acts with a group called "The Original Coasters" in California - featuring Grady Chapman and Jerome Evans and also waxes a single featuring Bobby Nunn.  Hughes and Will Jones record as "The World Famous Coasters". Guy and Jones wax "Coasters" recordings in Nashville.
1983
Billy Guy and Will Jones start to occasionally act with "their" Coasters up to 1999.
1986
Bobby Nunn dies, but Billy Richards Jr continues to act with the group - now managed by Larry Marshak. Grady Chapman forms a new fake Coasters group (often called "The Fabulous Coasters") - featuring Randy Jones, Jerome Evans and also Bobby Sheen (none of the three any longer with us). These off-springs will multiply into several new versions of "Coasters".
1988
Early Clover joins a Larry Marshak-managed bogus "Coasters".
1990
Gunter dies, but remnants from his group, featuring Charlie Duncan and Edwin Cook start "Cornell Gunter´s Coasters, Inc" (a group which ten years later later will split to "Edwin Cook and his Cornell Gunter Coasters”). During the 1990s several other fake and long-shot Coasters relatives act with different Coasters groups. Sometimes as many as nine different Coasters groups are active.
1997
Billy Richards Jr cancels his contract with Marshak and signs an out-of-court settlement with Gardner - Billy now calling his group "Billy Richards’ Coasters". Marshak finds new singers to continue his promoting of "The Coasters" - a group now completely fake.
1999
Billy Guy hands over "his rights" to Marshak, who now uses the name "Billy Guy´s Coasters" for the Marshak group.
2000
Guy settles with Gardner and retires. Gunter´s sister Shirley hands over the "rights" of "Cornell Gunter’s Coasters" to the Marshak fake group (which actually will multiply itself in different versions throughout the States and Canada).
2002
Gardner’s son Carl, Jr  (who had joined his father in 1998) starts a "Coasters Review" group in California. Grady Chapman now reforms his "Coasters" into a new Robins group.
2004
Carl Gardner, Jr returns to his father's true Coasters group in November.
2007
Marshak’s Coasters still act as Cornell Gunter's Coasters, but Charlie Duncan now introduces his The “Original” Cornell Gunter’s Coasters.

THE COASTERS and their off-shoots SHEET  (pdf.file)

OFF-SHOT COASTERS ALBUMS
The following albums do not include Carl Gardner´s Coasters, but contain recordings done by former members of the original and classic Coasters or by new-formed faked groups.
 



Edited by Claus Röhnisch, June 20, 2008.

 
The Golden ´50s
 
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