Al Sherman

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Not to be confused with Allan Sherman.
Al Sherman
Sherman in 1948.
Sherman in 1948.
Background information
Birth nameAvrum Sherman
Also known asAlbert Sherman
Born(1897-09-07)September 7, 1897
Kyiv, Russian Empire, now Ukraine
DiedSeptember 16, 1973(1973-09-16) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California, United States
GenresTin Pan Alley
Occupation(s)Songwriter, composer
Years active1916–1973

Avrum Sherman (September 7, 1897 – September 16, 1973), pen name Al Sherman, was a Russian-American songwriter and composer active during the Tin Pan Alley era in American music history.[1][2] Some of his most recognizable song titles include "You Gotta Be a Football Hero",[2] "Now's the Time to Fall in Love" and "Lindbergh (The Eagle of the U.S.A.)". Sherman is one link in a long chain of family members who were musical. Most notably, his sons, Robert and Richard (referred to popularly as the Sherman Brothers) were to join the ranks of America's most highly regarded songwriters. Pairing up and mentoring the Sherman Brothers team has often been referred to as Al Sherman's greatest songwriting achievement.[2]

Early life

Al Sherman was born into a musical Jewish family in

Royal Court of Emperor Franz Josef
. Within a year or so of his arrival, Samuel's family came to live with him in Prague.

As a young boy, Al attended concerts in the royal court. Conspicuously he hid in the gallery wings while his father performed for the Emperor. Sherman would later remark that it was these moments which originally incited his interest in music.[3]: 90  In 1909 the Samuel Shermans relocated to New York City. In 1911, frustrated with the lack of work available, Samuel left his wife Lena and their five young children, Olga, Al, Edith, Regina and newborn Harold. At age 13, Sherman quit school and became the family's chief breadwinner. By age 16, he had taught himself to play the piano and was able to find work playing in bands. Despite his parents' separation and the position it put him in, Sherman maintained a great respect for his father and kept in close contact with him until Samuel's death in 1947.

Despite youth and scant knowledge of English, his natural talent for piano improvisation soon earned him a reputation as a top "

Universal signed Al to do bit parts in silent films as well. He later appeared in motion pictures with Mary Pickford, Mary Fuller, Clara Kimball Young and William Powell
.

Al's composing career began in 1918 when he became a staff pianist for the Remick Music Company. There, he worked alongside

ASCAP
) in 1919.

Personal life

In the summer of 1921, Al was at the piano, leading his orchestra when he met a

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks).[4]

Career

In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Al collaborated with songwriters including Sam Coslow, Irving Mills, Charles O'Flynn, Al Dubin, B.G. deSylva, Harold Tobias, Howard Johnson, Harry M. Woods, Alfred Bryan, Buddy Fields, Archie Fletcher, Al Lewis, Abner Silver, Edward Heyman, Buddy Feyne, among many others.[5]

Sherman quickly rose to become one of Tin Pan Alley's most sought after songwriters. Between 1931 and 1934, during the last days of

Ninety-Nine Out of a Hundred (Wanna Be Loved)". Maurice Chevalier's American breakthrough hit was an Al Sherman/Al Lewis song entitled "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" from the Paramount Picture The Big Pond. "You Gotta Be a Football Hero" has been played, sung and marched to since 1933 when Fred Waring and his "Pennsylvanians" introduced it on the radio. The Sherman/Fletcher song "On a Little Bamboo Bridge" became a hit for Louis Armstrong.[citation needed
]

Some of his most memorable songs include songs for major Broadway revues, including the Ziegfeld Follies, George White's Scandals, The Passing Show and Earl Carroll's Vanities. Beside writing "Livin' in the Sunlight" for The Big Pond, Al also wrote for many other films including songs for the motion pictures: Sweetie, The Sky's the Limit and Sensations of 1945.[5] Sherman's style and settings are suggested by such song titles as "Got the Bench, Got the Park", "Woodland Reverie", "Never a Dream Goes By" and "When You Waltz with the One You Love". Although he would continue to write songs and musical compositions until his death, he wrote his last big song in 1952, "Comes A-Long A-Love", and was sung by Kay Starr.[3]: 88–125 

Last years

In 1973 the Associated Press wrote, "Al Sherman helped raise the spirits of a Depression-era generation with his hit 'Now's the Time to Fall in Love'. Al wrote more than five hundred songs but gained his greatest fame for that happy tune." Always capable of finding the "silver lining", "Potatoes Are Cheaper" became Al's signature song. In 1973 he wrote his autobiography entitling it Potatoes Are Cheaper for this reason.[5]

Al Sherman died in Los Angeles, California, on September 16, 1973, at the age of 76.[6]

Posthumous achievements

In 1983, Sherman's song, "

Billboard pop albums chart (US). In 2003, the album was ranked number 494 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2013, the album was ranked number 63 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time.[7]

Alongside his sons Robert and Richard, Al Sherman became the subjects of a London musical concert, A Spoonful of Sherman narrated by Sherman's grandson, Robert J. Sherman.[8] A Double CD of A Spoonful of Sherman was released by SimG Records in 2015.[9] A Spoonful of Sherman was revived twice in London, once in 2014 and then in 2017 and then completely reworked once again as a musical stage show revue in 2018 touring the UK and Ireland.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Rochlin, Margy (2012-12-06). "A Spoonful of Sugar for a Sourpuss". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c "Oscar®-Winning Mary Poppins Songwriter Robert B. Sherman, Of The Legendary Sherman Brothers, Dies In London At Age 86; His Credits Include Beloved For The Jungle Book, Winnie The Pooh, Plus 'its a small world (after all)'". thewaltdisneycompany.com (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  3. ^ a b c Sherman, Robert B. (1998). "Al's Time". Walt's Time: From Before To Beyond. Santa Clarita, California: Camphor Tree Publishers.
  4. ^ "Al Sherman: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Al Sherman". Songwriters' Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  6. ^ "Al Sherman". discogs.com.
  7. ^ "The 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time > 63 – 'She's So Unusual'". Rolling Stone. March 22, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  8. ^ Shenton, Mark (4 March 2014). "A Spoonful of Sherman: A Celebration of Song by Three Generations of Songwriters". playbill.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
  9. ^ "SimG Records releases A Spoonful of Sherman". simgproductions.com. 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  10. ^ "A Spoonful of Sherman UK/Ireland Tour". A Spoonful of Sherman. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. ^ Carter, Roz. "Review: A Spoonful of Sherman (Greenwich Theatre) ★★★★★". West End Wilma. Retrieved 10 April 2018. The whole show is filled with whimsy, magic and some of the most memorable songs ever written; it does the Sherman family proud. I can't remember when I spent a more joyful or moving evening at the theatre.

External links

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