“The Three Bells” was the biggest hit for The Browns, Jim Ed Brown and
his sisters Bonnie and Maxine Brown. It was nominated for both Record of 
the Year and the Best Group or Vocal Performance in the Grammy award
categories in 1959.

The Browns today are from left: Maxine, Bonnie and Jim Ed Brown

 
             (August 24, 1912 – March 15, 2000)

Homer Durward Kirby known professionally as Durward Kirby was a
television host and announcer. He is best remembered for his work
on The Garry Moore Show on CBS from 1950 to 1967 and candid
Camera, where he co-hosted with Allen Funt from 1961 through 1966.

Durward Kirby with Garry Moore

Sollie Paul Williams, known professionally as Tex Williams, was a Western
swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois. Williams is best known for his talking  
blues style such as his biggest hit novelty song, “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!
(That Cigarette)”. It held the number one position on the Billboard charts
for six weeks in 1947. "Smoke" was the No. 5 song on Billboard’s Top 100
list for 1947, and was No. 1 on the country chart that year. It can be heard
during the opening scenes of the 2006 movie, Thank You for Smoking.

(AP)-Jerry Leiber, who with longtime partner Mike Stoller wrote “Hound Dog,”
“Jailhouse Rock,” “Yakety Yak” and other hit songs that came to define early
rock `n’ roll, died Monday. He was 78.

He was surrounded by family when he died unexpectedly of cardiopulmonary
failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said his longtime publicist, Bobbi Marcus.

With Leiber as lyricist and Stoller as composer, the team channeled their blues
and jazz backgrounds into pop songs performed by such artists as Elvis Presley,
Dion and the Belmonts, the Coasters, the Drifters and Ben E. King in a way that
would help create a joyous new musical style.

From their breakout hit, blues great Big Mama Thornton’s 1953 rendition of “Hound
Dog,” until their songwriting took a more serious turn in 1969 with Peggy Lee’s
recording of “Is That All There Is?” the pair remained one of the most successful
teams in pop music history.

Pictured from left: Jerry Leiber, Elvis Presley, and Mike Stroller