Number One Songs—Kansas City
"Kansas City" was a product of the prolific and legendary songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was a #1 hit in 1959 for bluesman Wilbert Harrison.
Wilbert Harrison was a talented and successful songwriter in his own right. He penned the blues classic "Let's Work Together," which hit #26 on the Top 40 charts in 1970 for iconic L.A. blues rockers Canned Heat.
"Little Willie Littlefied
I'm going to Kansas City
I'm gonna be standing on the corner
Well I might take a train
(guitar solo)
Now if I stay with that woman
Alternate lyrics:
I'm going to Kansas City
I'll be standing on the corner
Well I might take a train
I'm gonna pack my clothes
"Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller have written some of the most spirited and enduring rock and roll songs: 'Hound Dog' (originally cut by Big Mama Thornton in 1953 and covered by Elvis Presley three years later), 'Love Potion No. 9' (the Clovers), 'Kansas City' (Wilbert Harrison), 'On Broadway' (the Drifters), 'Ruby Baby' (Dion) and 'Stand By Me' (Ben E. King). Their vast catalog includes virtually every major hit by the Coasters (e.g., 'Searchin’,' 'Young Blood,' 'Charlie Brown,' 'Yakety Yak' and 'Poison Ivy'). They also worked their magic on Elvis Presley, writing 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Treat Me Nice' and 'You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)' specifically for him. All totaled, Presley recorded more than 20 Leiber and Stoller songs.
"As pop auteurs who wrote, arranged and produced countless recordings by the above-mentioned artists and others, Leiber and Stoller advanced rock and roll to new heights of wit and musical sophistication. They were particularly influential during rock and roll’s first decade, beginning with the original recording of 'Hound Dog' in 1953 and continuing through to the Drifters’ 'On Broadway' in 1963. They brought a range of stylistic flavor to their story songs, which ranged from wisecracking, finger-popping hipster tunes to quieter love ballads. They even made a foray into country & western at Elvis Presley’s request, penning 'Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello.' About all that their songs had in common was a fundamental grounding in rhythm & blues...." —Rock Hall of Fame
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," a largely forgotten bluesman originally from Houston, Texas, issued a single in the early 50s called 'K.C. Lovin'.' The track featured Littlefield's understated vocals, backed by a bouncing bass line and a bleating sax. It was superb rhythm and blues, occupying the top position on the national R&B chart for nearly two months back in 1952. What's more, you could even consider the tune one of the first bona fide pieces of cock n' roll, pre-dating the likes of 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' and '(We're Gonna) 
