Cornell Gunter (November 14, 1936 – February 26, 1990) was an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

singer, most active in the 1950s and 1960s. He was born in Coffeyville, Kansas, and died in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, after being shot in his automobile. He was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

in 1987 as a 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

Gunter was an original member of

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 ac ...

. He had recorded with the yet-unnamed Platters, singing back-up on

Big Jay McNeely Cecil James "Big Jay" McNeely (April 29, 1927 – September 16, 2018) was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist. Biography Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young, McNeely teamed with his older brother Robert McNeely, who played barit ...

's recording "Nervous Man Nervous" on

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The co ...

in 1953. Gunter also was a member of

The Flairs The Flairs (or Flares) were an American doo-wop group known for their 1961 hit "Foot Stompin', Pt. 1." Based in Los Angeles, they went through several lineup changes during their existence. Their notable members included Richard Berry (writer o ...

and

. The title song from the 1957

Susan Oliver Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

film, ''The Green Eyed Blonde'', was sung by Gunter. Will "Dub" Jones and Gunter joined The Coasters as replacements for Bobby Nunn and Leon Hughes in early 1958. After Gunter left the Coasters, he toured with

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

. in 1961, he was part of a group called "D's Gentleman" which featured future members of

The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

Charles Barksdale and Johnny Carter as well as Richard Harris and William Herndon. In 1963, he formed his own Coasters group; they were usually billed as "The Fabulous Coasters". Gunter made several solo singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

of Sam Cooke's "

You Send Me "You Send Me" is a song written and originally recorded by American singer Sam Cooke, released as a single in 1957 by Keen Records. Produced by Bumps Blackwell and arranged and conducted by René Hall. The song, Cooke's debut single, was a mass ...

" on

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

in 1957. In 1987, he was inducted into the

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

along with the rest of The Coasters. Cornell's sister, Shirley Gunter, also recorded with

and released with the Queens and in solo in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Ace Records released a compilation album in 2006 of Shirley's recordings from the 1950s entitled ''Oop Shoop: The Flair and Modern Recordings 1953–1957''. Another sister, Gloria Gunter, recorded the singles "Move On Out" and "Your Love Reminds Me" (Arch #1610) in 1959. "Move On Out" was an answer to The Coasters' hit "

Yakety Yak "Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the Coasters and released on Atco Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as #1 on List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States), the R&B chart ...

", on which Cornell sang. Both sides of the record were made available on CD in 2006. "Move On Out" appears on ''Rock 'n' Roll Mamas'' (Popcorn #6004), and "Your Love Reminds Me" appears on ''Rare Female Doo Wops'' (Popcorn #6005). Gunter (who was gay and in later years preferred to spell his name Cornell Gunther) was in the process of making a new comeback, when an unknown

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

shot him in his car in

on February 26, 1990 (some files say February 27). The survivors of his group continue to tour as "The Original Cornell Gunter's Coasters Inc."

Discography

Singles

*"I Had a Love" (Flair #1012) (1953) *"This is the night for love/Let's make with some love (Flair #1044) (1954) *"True Love" / "Peek, Peek-A-Boo" (Loma #701) (1955) (as The Ermines) *"You Broke My Heart" / "Pretty Baby I’m Used To You Now" (Loma #703) (1956) (with The Ermines) *"Keep Me Alive" / "Muchacha, Muchacha" (Loma #704) (1956) (with The Ermines) *"I'm Sad" / "One Thing For Me" (Loma #705) (1956) (with The Ermines) *"She Loves To Rock" / "In Self Defense" (ABC Paramount #9698) (1956) (with

) *"You Send Me" / "Call Me A Fool" (Dot #15654) (1957) *"Baby Come Home" / "I Want You Madly" (Eagle #301) (1957) *"If We Should Meet Again" / "Neighborhood Dance" (Liberty #55096) (1957) (as Cornel Gunter) *"Lift Me Up Angel" / "Rope Of Sand" (Warner Brothers #5266) (1962) *"It Ain't No Use" / "In A Dream Of Love" (Warner Brothers #5292) (1962) *"If I Had The Key To Your Heart" / "Wishful Thinking (Challenge #59281) (1965) (as Cornell Gunter and The Cornells) *"Love in My Heart" / "Down in Mexico" (Together #101) (1976)

References

External links

The Original Cornell Gunter's Coasters websiteThe Coasters Web Site
*
Rock Hall of Fame Find A Grave Memorial
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunter, Cornell 1936 births 1990 deaths 1990 murders in the United States American rhythm and blues singers Challenge Records artists Deaths by firearm in Nevada Gay entertainers LGBT African Americans LGBT people from Kansas American LGBT singers Liberty Records artists Male murder victims American murder victims People from Coffeyville, Kansas People murdered in Nevada Place of birth missing Singers from Los Angeles The Coasters members The Flairs members The Platters members Unsolved murders in the United States 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century LGBT people

Biography

See also

Discography

Singles

References

External links