Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller hit for The Drifters in 1959, which introduced the use of strings for saxophone-like riffs, tympani for the Brazilian "baion" rhythm they incorporated, and lavish production values into the established black R&B sound, laying the groundwork for the soul music that would follow. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller; (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as "Hound Dog" (1952) and "Kansas City" (1952). Later in the 1950s, particularly through their work
National Academy of Songwriters Billy James, Bruce Kaplan, Pat and Pete Luboff, Kevin Odegard, Mark Spier, Gordon Pagoda, Paul Zollo, Steve Schalchlin, Dan Kirkpatrick, Dan Kimple and Kevin McCarley. Hundreds of songwriters came through to learn the craft and business of songwriting and get advice on how to market their songs. The organization also lobbied for better copyright protection, and published the magazine "SongTalk", a newsprint publication with original interviews of hit songwriters. In December 1985, the National 'Academy' of Songwriters started their annual "Salute To The American Songwriter" concerts which over the years featured performances by artists such as Carole King, Jackson Browne,