Elisberg Industries
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like
Decent Quality Since 1847

Stand By Them

5/19/2013

0 Comments

 
A few years ago, I wrote an article for The Huffington Post explaining why I thought that legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller should be Kennedy Center Honorees.  A few days later, my phone rang and the voice on the other said, "Hi, is Robert there?  This is Mike Stoller."  It was a joyful conversation, and he said that he and Jerry Leiber were having a book signing for their new, joint-autobiography that very night in Venice, California, only about 20 minutes from where I live, and he'd love to have me come. (Oh, thank you kismet!)  I've stayed in touch with Mike Stoller since, on-and-off, and he's stayed as gracious as that phone call.

I’ve written about Mike Stoller a couple times, always with his longtime partner Jerry Leiber of 60 years.  When I say "legendary," and one of the great songwriting teams in music history, that is not hyperbole.  Their songs include “Hound Dog,” “Stand by Me,” “Spanish Harlem,” “On Broadway,”  “Jailhouse Rock,” “I’m a Woman,” “Love Potion No. 9,” “Is That All There Is?” and…oh, a few hundred more.   The team is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their show Smokey Joe’s Café is the longest-running revue in Broadway history, and they really should have received the Kennedy Center Honors long ago, most especially before Jerry Leiber passed away in 2011.  They were the soundtrack of a generation.  As I wrote, “What they did with songs helped changed the culture.  Their influence has impacted American cultural life. Leiber and Stoller took rhythm & blues, mixed it with rock 'n roll, and merged the sounds of black and white music into something that erupted onto America.”

This piece here today, however, is about Mike Stoller alone.  Well, actually, not really.  It’s also about his wife of 43 years, Corky Hale Stoller, one of the great jazz harpist, pianist and singers.  That’s not hyperbole either.  Among the artists she’s worked with include Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Nat “King” Cole, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, even Björk, and George Michael, and…oh, a whole lot more.  She’s performed at the White House with Tony Bennett, at Carnegie Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, and...well, you get the idea.

There’s a point to all this.  It begins with understanding what a remarkable couple this is, one of the most little-known as far as legends go.  And also, honestly, sometimes I just like to say nice things behind peoples’ backs.  When people do good things in their life, it shouldn’t be taken for granted.  And if people get an impressive recognition, that shouldn’t go without notice, as well.  Especially when they just naturally tend to fly under the wire by choice.

More than music icons, you see, the Stollers have long been cultural civic leaders in Los Angeles.

Three years ago, the historic Pasadena Playhouse hit hard times.  Founded in 1917, the Playhouse was part of the heartbeat of the Southern California cultural life, but its financial struggles were so deep that the bankrupt company was set to close its doors for good, after 93 years.  Fortunately, the theater received a huge infusion of cash (an anonymous $1 million gift, which spurred significant matching donations), and got a second life, and has thrived since.  Four months ago, the Pasadena Playhouse decided it didn’t want to keep the secret any longer.  It announced that that anonymous gift had been from Corky and Mike Stoller.

Their involvement in the arts transcends that.  She was one of the financial backers of the Oscar-nominated documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America – Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.  He recently co-wrote the Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The People in the Picture.  She’s produced numerous stageplays and musicals. 

More than the arts, though, the couple has long been outspoken in civic and political life of the country.  The Mike Stoller and Corky Hale Stoller Foundation has been involved for many years in impacting human rights, public health, and beyond.  They’ve helped build the state-of-the-art Dorothy Hecht Health Center in Los Angeles (and another center is in the process of development).  They serve on the board of The National Coalition to Ban Gun Violence, and are active advocates of the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Corky Hale serves on the national advisory boards of Planned Parenthood and NARAL.  Last year, in fact, as a result of their donation and personal involvement, Planned Parenthood named their new facility in Los Angeles the Stoller-Filer Health Center.

But it was last week when someone actually decided to return the favor and do something especially nice for the Stollers.

Montgomery, Alabama, will forever be identified as one of the hearts of the Civil Rights movement, with the bus boycott there lead by Dr. Martin Luther King.  It’s also the home of the renowned Southern Poverty Law Center,  founded by Morris Dees, which has been at the center of fighting intolerance since 1971.  Montgomery takes its Civil Right very seriously.  Their Civil Rights Memorial (designed by Maya Lin, who created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.)  honors the names of those who died in the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement.  The Wall of Tolerance digitally displays the names of over 500,000 people who have pledged to fight injustice on behalf of tolerance.  A “Wheel of Water” has the biblical admonition  “let justice roll down like waters, righteousness like a mighty stream.”

And in the midst of all this now, standing with them, is the Mike Stoller and Corky Hale Stoller Memorial Center Theater.  They had nothing to do with this honor -- the Southern Poverty Law Center decided that it wanted to make this dedication, and did so as a surprise only weeks ago.

It was no small occasion, just cut a ribbon, have some cake and that’s it.  The Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP Julian Bond opened the festivities.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi turned down attending the recent White House Correspondents Dinner with the President of the United States and instead flew to Montgomery to be there.  The United States Congressional Record even took note of the event.

“It is appropriate that the theater is named for Mike and Corky because of their ongoing commitment to the civil rights movement,” it stated.  “They are tireless in their work. They are idealistic and compassionate, dedicated and determined. They know what they believe and recognize what's needed to follow through and get the job done. Thanks to their boundless energy, their beautiful relationship with one another, and their friendship with so many others, they have made a difference in advancing the cause of civil rights.”

After a lifetime of doing for others and bringing so much pleasure to people and the culture, sometimes it’s nice to get a little in return.

Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.

    Picture
           Available on Amazon

    Picture
           Available on Amazon

    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    International
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2025
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like