Editing Atlantic Records (section)

===Leiber and Stoller===
[[File:Atlantic Records logo.svg|thumb|200px|Atlantic Records logo from its inception in 1947 to 1966 (it was still used on 7" single releases), used again from 1979 to 1981 and 2004 to 2015.]]

[[Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]] wrote "Smokey Joe's Cafe", which became a hit for The Robins. Their label Spark was bought by Atlantic, and they were hired as America's first independent record producers, free to produce for other labels. Two members of The Robins formed [[The Coasters]] and recorded hits for Atlantic, such as "[[Down in Mexico]]" and "[[Young Blood (The Coasters song)|Young Blood]]". "[[Yakety Yak]]" became Atlantic's first No. 1 pop hit. Leiber and Stoller also wrote the hit "[[Ruby Baby]]" for [[The Drifters]].<ref name="Atlantic Records Story"/><ref>Wade & Picardie 1990, p. 102.</ref>

Record producer [[Phil Spector]] moved to New York to work with Leiber and Stoller. He learned his trade at Trey Records, a label in California owned by [[Lester Sill]] and [[Lee Hazlewood]] and distributed by Atlantic. Sill recommended Spector to Leiber and Stoller, who assigned him to produce "[[Corrine, Corrina]]" by [[Ray Peterson]] and "[[Pretty Little Angel Eyes]]" by Curtis Lee. Both became hits, and Atlantic hired him as a staff producer. Ahmet Ertegun liked him, but Leiber said, "He wasn't likable. He was funny, he was amusing—but he wasn't nice". Wexler disliked him. Miriam Bienstock called him "a pain in the neck".<ref>Wade & Picardie 1990, p. 101.</ref> When Spector criticized Bobby Darin's songwriting, Darin had him thrown out of the house.<ref>Wade & Picardie 1990, p. 103.</ref>

Atlantic tolerated Spector, but with diminishing returns. He produced "[[Twist and Shout]]" for The Top Notes, and it flopped. Songwriter Bert Berns hated Spector's arrangement and thought it ruined the song, so Berns re-recorded it with [[The Isley Brothers]] and it became a hit. During his short time at Atlantic, Spector produced music for LaVern Baker, Ruth Brown, [[Jean DuShon]], and Billy Storm. In 1961, he left the label, returned to Los Angeles, and founded [[Philles Records]] with Lester Sill. Spector became one of the most successful record producers of the 1960s.<ref name="Atlantic Records Story" />

Although Leiber and Stoller wrote many popular songs for Atlantic, their relationship with the label was deteriorating in 1962. The breaking point came when they asked for a producer's royalty. It was granted informally, but their accountant insisted on a written contract and an audit of Atlantic's accounts. The audit revealed Leiber and Stoller had been underpaid by $18,000. Although Leiber considered dropping the matter, Stoller pressed Atlantic for payment. Wexler replied that the payment would mean the end of their relationship with the label. Leiber and Stoller backed down, but the relationship ended anyway. Their assignment to work on The Drifter's next recording was given to Phil Spector.<ref>Wade & Picardie 1990, pp. 104–106.</ref>

Leiber and Stoller worked briefly for [[United Artists Records|United Artists]], then started [[Red Bird Records|Red Bird]] with [[George Goldner]]. They had hits with "[[Chapel of Love]]" by [[The Dixie Cups]] and "[[Leader of the Pack]]" by [[The Shangri-Las]], but Red Bird's finances were precarious. In 1964 they approached Jerry Wexler and proposed a merger with Atlantic. When interviewed in 1990 for Ertegun's biography, Wexler declined to discuss the matter, but Ertegun claimed these negotiations were a plan to buy him out. In September 1964, the Ertegun brothers and Wexler were in the process of buying out the company's other two shareholders, Sabit and Bienstock,<ref name="Broven, 2009, p. 71">Broven 2009, p. 71.</ref> and it was proposed that Leiber and Stoller buy Sabit's shares. Leiber, Stoller, Goldner, and Wexler suggested their plan to Ertegun at a lunch meeting at the [[Plaza Hotel]] in New York. Leiber and Stoller told Ertegun they had no intention of buying him out, but Ertegun was aggravated by Goldner's attitude and was convinced Wexler was conspiring with them. Wexler told Ertegun if he refused, the deal would be done without him. But the Ertegun brothers held the majority of stock while Wexler controlled about 20 percent. Ertegun started lifelong grudges against Leiber and Stoller, and his relationship with Wexler was damaged.<ref>Wade & Picardie 1990, pp. 111–116.</ref>