Mike & Corky Stoller Music Center Debuts at Homeboy Art Academy
A new Los Angeles music facility — featuring a professional recording studio and expanded Music Heals programming — was made possible in part by a $1 million gift from the Stollers.
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Lester Cohen/Getty Images for Homeboy Industries/Homeboy Art Academy
Mike Stoller — the songwriter behind enduring classics such as “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Charlie Brown” and “Poison Ivy,” written with his partner Jerry Lieber — and his wife, musician Corky Stoller, have endowed a permanent music space at Homeboy Art Academy to nurture creativity and recovery through music.
The newly dedicated Mike & Corky Stoller Center houses a professional recording studio and anchors the Music Heals initiative. The facility opened thanks in part to the Stollers’ $1 million contribution and equipment donations from Roland Corporation and Fender, which supply instruments and tools for hands-on instruction.
“Art and music are central to transformation,” said Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries. “The Stollers’ generous support ensures our community can continue to find its voice — places where hope and healing take root.”
Reflecting on their connection to Homeboy, Mike Stoller said the couple first became involved more than a decade ago, with Corky participating in programs like tattoo removal. “At a morning gathering I heard a trainee describe life on the streets and mention he’d once played trumpet. That conversation sparked Music Heals,” Stoller said. He credited collaborators including Walter Zoi, the Young Musicians Foundation and lead teaching artist Martin Flores for getting the program underway, initially at artist Fabian Debora’s studio. “We’re proud to provide a lasting home for Music Heals and the Homeboy Art Academy,” he added.
Father Boyle launched what would become Homeboy Industries in 1998. Since then, the organization — which offers job training, mental-health support and arts programming for formerly gang-involved and justice-impacted people — has served thousands of clients, with more than 7,800 individuals having participated in its services.
