With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood", "Charlie Brown", "Poison Ivy", and "Yakety Yak", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller.

[3] The Coasters were formed on October 12, 1955, when Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn left Los Angeles–based rhythm-and-blues group The Robins and signed to Atlantic Records.

[4] Dubbed The Coasters because they had moved from the West Coast to the East Coast, the original lineup comprised the vocal quartet of Gardner, Nunn, Billy Guy, and Leon Hughes (who was replaced by Young Jessie on a couple of their early Los Angeles recordings), plus guitarist Adolph Jacobs up until his departure in 1959.

[4] In late 1957, Carl Gardner and Billy Guy moved to New York with newcomers Cornell Gunter and Will "Dub" Jones to reform The Coasters.

[4] The following year, the Coasters crossed over to the pop chart in a big way with the double-sided "Young Blood"/"Searchin'".

"Yakety Yak" (recorded in New York), featuring King Curtis on tenor saxophone, included the famous lineup of Gardner, Guy, Jones, and Gunter, and became the act's only national number one single, topping both the pop and R&B charts.

[4] During this time, Billy Guy was also working on solo projects; the New York singer Vernon Harrell was brought in to replace him for stage performances.

In Britain, a 1994 Volkswagen TV advertisement used the group's "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have to Pass", which led to a minor chart placement in that country.