ALLAN SHERMAN
Arguably the most successful musical humorist in pop history, song parodist Allan Sherman was born Allan Copelon in Chicago on November 30, 1924. After entering show business as writer for the likes of Jackie Gleason and Joe E. Lewis, Sherman attempted to mount his own career as a performer, but initially found little success; "A Satchel and a Seck," a 1951 duet with comedienne Sylvia Froos satirizing Frank Loesser's "A Bushel and a Peck," went nowhere, and an ambitious attempt to release a full-length Jewish parody of the musical My Fair Lady met with legal resistance from the estate of composers Lerner & Loewe.
Sherman consequently turned to television, creating and producing the long-running quiz show I've Got a Secret. A tenure as the writer-producer of The Steve Allen Show followed, but when the series ended in 1961, Sherman found himself on the unemployment line. After signing a contract with Warner Bros., he released the parody collection My Son, the Folk Singer in 1962. To the shock of the recording industry, radio quickly picked up on the album despite Sherman's obscurity as a performer; according to legend, even President John F. Kennedy was spotted in a hotel lobby singing the cut "Sarah Jackman" (a parody of "Frere Jacques"), further boosting the record's popularity.
Ultimately, My Son, the Folk Singer topped the charts, and spawned a cottage industry of copycat releases. Nonetheless, Sherman remained the unquestioned king of the parody hit, and in late 1962, he returned with a follow-up, My Son, the Celebrity, which, like its predecessor, reached the number one spot. 1963's My Son, the Nut was even more successful, topping the charts for eight consecutive weeks on the strength of the Top Five novelty hit "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh," a summer camp-themed take on Ponchielli's 1876 composition "Dance of the Hours."
If, as legend dictates, President Kennedy helped establish Sherman as a star, he also inadvertently contributed to the comedian's drop-off in popularity: following Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, the nation became serious and solemn, with little interest in the breezy fun offered by song parodies. Released in early 1964, Sherman's fourth album, Allan in Wonderland, reached only number 25 on the pop charts; issued later that year at the height of Beatlemania, the concurrent For Swingin' Livers Only! and Peter & the Commissar (recorded with Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops) fared even more poorly, with the latter record failing even to crack the Top 40.
1965's My Name Is Allan was his last chart effort, reaching only number 88. Still, Sherman soldiered on, recording Live in front of a Las Vegas audience. After 1966's Togetherness, he was dropped by Warner Bros., effectively ending his career as a performer. After publishing an autobiography, A Gift of Laughter, Sherman died in California on November 20, 1973. He was just 48 years old.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Artistes similaires
-
My Name Is Allan - Allan Sherman Sings Great Movie Hits & Songs from the Cutting Room Floor
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 14 mai 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter and the Commissar by Allan Sherman
ALLAN SHERMAN, The Boston Pops
Humour - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 28 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Funny Letters from Camp Granada
Humour - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 29 déc. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son the Nut
Humour - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 21 août 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allan Sherman Nutty But Nice
Diction - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 27 juil. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live! (Hoping You’re the Same) (Live)
Pop - Paru chez Too Lost le 14 févr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Allan Through the Looking Glass (Not Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Pop - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 29 avr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nutty But Nice (Not Naughty But Nice)
Diction - Paru chez Allan Sherman le 10 janv. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Cat in the Hat and Other Dr Seuss Stories -- BONUS EDITION
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Too Lost le 25 mai 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son the Folk Singer -- Live!
Diction - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 8 janv. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live! (Hoping You’re the Same)
Pop - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 16 févr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter and the Commissar
Pop - Paru chez RCA - Legacy le 19 déc. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rhino Hi-Five: Allan Sherman
Humour - Paru chez Rhino le 17 janv. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
This is Nutty
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 20 déc. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Funny Campfire Songs from Camp Granada
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 5 févr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Funny Christmas Songs
Musiques de Noël - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 15 nov. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Complete Extended & Expanded Reissued & Re-Released Special Deluxe Limited Edition Greatest Hits Album
Enfants - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 18 sept. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Allan Sherman is Nutty But Nice (Not Naughty But Nice) [Live]
Pop - Paru chez Curtain Call Hits le 11 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Name Is Allan
Humour - Paru chez Rhino - Warner Records le 12 févr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo