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
Similar artists
-
My Son The Nut
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Allan Sherman on 8 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son the Folk Singer Live
Humour - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 20 Dec 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Number One Hits (and others too) Best of Allan Sherman’s Greatest Hits
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Allan Sherman on 24 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son, The Celebrity
Humour - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 4 Jan 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For Swingin' Livers Only
Humour - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 3 Jan 1964
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allan Sherman‘s My Son the Nut
Pop - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 31 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son the Nut Is Allan Sherman
Children - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 7 Sep 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
There Is Nothing Like A Lox: The Lost Song Parodies Of Alan Sherman
Humour - Released by Liberation Hall on 10 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp) [Remastered] - Single
Pop - Released by Bacci Bros Records on 11 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son the Celebrity Folksinger
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 12 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allan In Wonderland
Humour - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 8 Feb 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son, The Funny Folk Singer
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Mach60 Music on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Son, The Folk Singer
Jazz - Released by ViewFinder Music on 25 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Togetherness
Humour - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 15 Jun 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At The Hollywood Bowl
Humour - Released by Liberation Hall on 1 Jan 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At The Sands
Humour - Released by Liberation Hall on 13 Mar 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Name Is Allan (Not My Name Is Barbara Streisand)
Pop - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 12 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peter and the Commissar
Pop - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 14 Mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Twelve Gifts of Christmas (45 Version) / You Went the Wrong Way, Ole King Louie
Humour - Released by Rhino - Warner Records on 15 Dec 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allan Sherman Is the Cat in the Hat and Other Dr Seuss Stories (Bonus Edition)
Children - Released by Camp Granada on 10 Jun 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Allan Through the Looking Glass (Not Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Pop - Released by Curtain Call Hits on 29 Apr 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo