Leon Hughes, Sr. (born Leon Hughes, May 6, 1930 in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Los Angeles County, California) is an American rhythm and blues singer. He is the last surviving original member of

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with " Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producin ...

Biography

Leon Hughes is an original member of The Coasters ( Bobby Nunn,

Carl Gardner Carl Edward Gardner (April 29, 1928 – June 12, 2011) was an American singer, best known as the foremost member and founder of The Coasters. Known for the 1958 song "Yakety Yak", which spent a week as Hot 100 number-one hits of 1958 (USA), numbe ...

, and

Billy Guy Billy Guy (June 20, 1936 – November 5, 2002) was an American singer, best known as a lead singer for the Coasters. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Biography Born Frank Phillips in Texas, Guy is best known as a memb ...

). He recorded with the original group line-up until 1958. His tenor voice is heard on many of the group's hits, including "

Down in Mexico "Down in Mexico" is the debut single by the Coasters, released in 1956. The song was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and appears on the 1957 album, ''The Coasters''. It reached No. 8 on the R&B chart in 1956. This song is about a person, ...

", " Searchin", and " Young Blood". The group's national debut happened in 1957, when the group appeared on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

-TV's ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

''. Both of these hits were National Top 10 Hits and the Top R&B Hits of 1957. He also appeared on

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

's popular new national show '' American Bandstand''. He had been working at a car wash when Bobby Nunn had recommended him as second tenor for

. He was replaced after 1957 by Cornel Gunter. Leon's career with the Original Coasters can be seen on the groups timeline at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Leon's career has given him opportunities to travel the world & to appear at many prominent venues. Some of them include the Famous

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, The Historic

Howard Theatre The Howard Theatre is a historic theater, located at 620 T Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Opened in 1910, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In its heyday, the theater was known for catering to an African- ...

, The

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Disneyland. He has appeared with legendary artists of the Rock and Roll Era. Some of these artists include:

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

, Little Richard,

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

Bill Haley and the Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

and many more. The Coasters legendary recordings continue to entertain millions worldwide. Many of their songs are featured in the popular award-winning music revue '' Smokey Joe's Cafe''. Their hits are also featured in major motion pictures such as ''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hea ...

'' and recently in the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's ''

Death Proof ''Death Proof'' is a 2007 American action-thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women with modified cars he purports to be "death-proof". Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito ...

''. With Carl Gardner's death on June 12, 2011, Leon Hughes is now the last surviving member of the original Coasters. Leon has received numerous accolades for his 67 years in entertainment. He received the Rhythm and Blues Pioneer Award in 1994. In 2014, Leon Hughes was honored Inducted into the Doo Wop Music Hall Of Fame in Hollywood California. Leon was given a Recognition for his over 60 years in entertainment by The Mayor of Los Angeles,

Eric Garcetti Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 election, and reelected in 2017. A fo ...

. In addition, he was also given a Certificate of Recognition for his outstanding contributions in entertainment from the U. S. Congress. This honor was presented to him by U.S. Congress Representative

Maxine Waters Maxine Moore Waters (née Carr; born August 15, 1938) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1991. The district, numbered as the 29th district from 1991 to 1993 and as the 35th district from 1993 to 2013, inc ...

(D, CA.) at the Doo Wop Music Hall Of Fame event on April 6, 2014.

Other music groups

Leon was an original member of the Lamplighters during 1952–53 (together with Mathew Nelson and Willie Ray Rockwell). Hughes left the Lamplighters before they recorded with new lead Al Frazier. Before joining

, Leon had been a member of doo wop groups

The Hollywood Flames The Hollywood Flames were an American R&B vocal group in the 1950s, best known for their No. 11 hit " Buzz-Buzz-Buzz" in 1957. Early years They formed as The Flames in 1949, in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, at a talent show where mem ...

. In 1956, he recorded with The Celebritys which included his brother Elder O'Neal. That same year, he also recorded on his own label Leoneal Records with The Signals which included his sister Shirley Hughes and brothers Elder O'Neal and Bernard Mc Cants. Leon also recorded a single as "Leoneal and Janet" (backup vocals by The Signals). After leaving The Coasters, he teamed with Bobby Nunn to record as The Dukes in 1959 for Flip Records. "Looking For You" b/w "Groceries, Sir" (Flip #343), and "I Love You" b/w "Leap Year Cha Cha" (Flip #344) were the singles released. In the 1970s, he recorded with several Coasters groups. In 1975, recorded with "The Coasters Two Plus Two" for Chelan Records. The record "Searchin' 75" b/w "Young Blood" stated that these recordings were from the album called "Reunion." In 1976, he recorded an album with "The World Famous Coasters" which included Will "Dub" Jones. This album was released on American International Records (In Europe on DJM). In 1998, a CD called "Leon Hughes: One Of The First Original Coasters" was released on Oldie CD, and a VHS tape called "The Coasters: Tribute To Their Greatest Hits" was released. Hughes still performs with a Coasters group, sometimes as "Leon Hughes and his Original Coasters." He also has done some performances with a Hollywood Flames group.

Discography

Various group singles and recordings

*This Is My Plea/Juanita (Caroline #2301) (1956) (The Celebritys) *We Made Romance/Absent Minded (Caroline #2302) (1956) (The Celebritys) *Juanita/Show Me The Way (Leoneal #1483) (1956) (The Signals) *No One/What Is This Thing (Leoneal #02) (1956) (Leoneal & Janet) *Leap Year Cha Cha (Leoneal) (unreleased) (1956) (The Signals) *Down In Mexico/Turtle Dovin (Atco #6064) (1956) (The Coasters) * One Kiss Led to Another/Brazil (Atco #6073) (1956) (The Coasters) *Searchin/Young Blood (Atco #6087) (1957) (The Coasters) *Looking For You/Groceries, Sir (Flip #343) (1959) (The Dukes) *I Love You/Leap Year Cha Cha (Flip #344) (1959) (The Dukes) *Searchin ’75/Young Blood (Chelan #2000) (1975) (The Coasters Two Plus Two) *If I Had A Hammer/If I Had A Hammer (Disco Version) (AI #1122) (1976) ("World Famous" Coasters – also issued as The Coasters) *So Fine / Baby What You Want Me To Do (AceHi #M-101) (ca 1977) (The World Famous Coasters) * My Best Friend (2012) (Leon Hughes)

References

External links

The Coasters website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Leon 1932 births Singers from Los Angeles American rhythm and blues singers The Coasters members Living people