Mike Stoller Awarded American Celebration Lifetime Achievement in the Arts

Mike Stoller, the Grammy Award winning composer who is one half of the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller, will be honored with Chapman University's 30th Annual American Celebration Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award at a Black-tie Gala to be held on Saturday, November 5, 2011 from 6:00 - 11:30 p.m. at Chapman Auditorium in Memorial Hall; Chapman University; One University Drive; Orange, CA 92866.

The Gala, an annual fundraiser for the Chapman Scholarship Fund, will kick off with a Champagne Reception for Event Sponsors at 6:00 p.m., followed by a fully costumed and choreographed Broadway-style show performed by students from Chapman's College of the Performing Arts at 7:00 p.m., dinner at 8:00 p.m., and dancing at 9:45 p.m. The Gala, which is open to the general public to attend, takes place in and around Chapman's Memorial Hall. Individual Tickets begin at $2,000, with tables ranging from $15,000 to $100,000. For tickets and further information, please call 714-744-7958, and visit online at www.chapman.edu/amcelebration/gala/.

Wylie A. Aitken, Chair of the American Celebration Gala with his wife Bette Aitken, said: "I am pleased and honored to announce that Mike Stoller has been selected to receive Chapman's 2011 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. I cannot think of an entertainment figure more deserving of this award. Mike has accomplished so much as a songwriter. Not only has he established an incomparable legacy, but his eclectic talents continue to inspire an emerging generation of artists - many of whom attend Chapman University."

Wylie continued: "American Celebration has generated close to $20 million for student scholarships during its history, breaking all Orange County fundraising records and setting a new bar. Every dollar raised by American Celebration goes towards student scholarships. More than 85% of Chapman's students receive financial aid, and would not have access to a quality education without help."

Former recipients of the American Celebration Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award have included: Jerry Lewis, Mitzi Gaynor, Tommy Tune, Rita Moreno, Debbie Reynolds, William Friedkin and Sherry Lansing, Jane Seymore and James Keach, Doris Roberts, Gregory Hines, Nell Carter, Karl Malden, Gerald R. Molen, Natalie Cole and Donald O'Connor.

Mike Stoller is one half of the legendary songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller. Over the course of a 61 year partnership, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller created enduring classics in a variety of genres including Rhythm & Blues, Pop, Country, Jazz, Cabaret, and-perhaps most notably-Rock & Roll.

If Elvis Presley was the king of Rock & Roll, then Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were certainly two of the most important powers behind that throne. It's impossible to think of Elvis without thinking of "Hound Dog," "Loving You," or "Jailhouse Rock"- all creations from the pen and piano of Leiber and Stoller.

To carry the analogy a step further, the court jesters of the Rock & Roll kingdom would have to be The Coasters. Leiber and Stoller wrote and produced all of The Coasters' hits, including "Searchin'," "Young Blood," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," "Along Came Jones," "Poison Ivy" and "Little Egypt."

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