Born: November 30 1924
Died: November 20 1973
By PETER TATCHELL (reprinted from LAUGH MAGAZINE #9, 1994)
In the area of song parodies Allan Sherman has no peer. The 1960s saw this one-time producer of “The Steve Allen Show” move from party favourite to public performer by creating lyrics to famous classical compositions. Later, when his newfound fame meant money could be spent on adapting more recent (and copyrighted) songs, he produced a number of popular LPs and singles poking fun at them. Unfortunately his success was not to last beyond a handful of years and when he died in 1973 the vogue had passed. Twenty years later though, a series of ‘best of’ releases pays tribute to the wit and nonsense of a funny man and a true one-of-a-kind.
A Satchel And A Seck (duet with Sylvia Froos)/Jake’s Song
Jubilee 78rpm (1951)
Allan Sherman And Friends
Jubilee LP JGM 5019
features the above two Sherman tracks, plus vocals and monologues by other artists
My Son, The Folk Singer
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1475 (December 1962)
The Ballad Of Harry Lewis
Shake Hands With Your Uncle Max
Sir Greenbaum’s Madrigal
My Zelda (Matilda)
The Streets Of Miami
Sarah Jackman
Jump Down, Spin Around (Pick A Dress O’Cotton)
Oh Boy
Shticks And Shtones
My Son, The Celebrity
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1487 (March 1963)
Al ‘N Yetta
Barry Is The Baby’s Name + Horowitz + Get On The Garden Freeway
Mexican Hat Dance
The Bronx Bird Watcher
Let’s Call Up The A.T. And T. And Protest To The President March
Harvey And Sheila
Won’t You Come Home Disraeli?
No One’s Perfect
When I Was A Lad
Come Back To Sorrento
Shticks Of One And A Half A Dozen Of The Other
My Son, The Nut
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1501 (October 1963)
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louis
Automation
I See Bones
Hungarian Goulash No. 5
Headaches
Here’s To The Crab Grass
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!
One Hippopotami
Rat Fink
You’re Getting To Be A Rabbit With Me
Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue
Hail To Thee, Fat Person
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!/Here’s To The Crabgrass
Warner Bros single 5378 (1963)
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie/The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
Warner Bros single 5406 (1963)
My Son, The Vampire/I Can’t Dance
Warner Bros single 5419 (1963)
The Drop-Outs March/Skin
Warner Bros single 5435 (1963)
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (original and new version)
Warner Bros single 5449 (1964)
Allan In Wonderland
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1539 (May 1964)
Skin
Green Stamps
Holiday For States
You Need An Analyst
The Drop-Outs March
I Can’t Dance
Night And Day
Little Butterball
Good Advice
Pop Hates The Beatles/Grow Mrs. Goldfarb
Warner Bros single 5490 (1964)
The End Of A Symphony (with the Boston Pops Orchestra)
R.C.A. single 47-8412 (1964)
Songs For Swinging Livers Only
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1569, Rhino CD RHM2 7891 (1965)
Grow, Mrs. Goldfarb
Your Mother’s Here To Stay
Pills
Shine On, Harvey Bloom
J.C. Cohen
Pop Hates The Beatles
Beautiful Teamsters
Kiss Of Myer
Crazy Downtown
The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
Bye, Bye, Blumberg
Crazy Downtown/The Drop-Outs March
Warner Bros single 5614 (1965)
The Drinking Man’s Diet/The Laarge Daark Aardvark Song
Warner Bros single 5672 (1965)
My Name Is Allan
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1604 (January 1966)
It’s A Most Unusual Play
The Laarge Daark Aardvark Song
That Old Back Scratcher
Call Me
Peyton Place, U.S .A .
The Drinking Man’s Diet
Secret Code
The Painless Dentist Song
Chim Chim Cheree
Go To Sleep, Paul Revere
An Average Song
Allan Sherman Live!
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1649
Taking Lessons
A Waste Of Money
Smog Gets In Your Eyes
Sorry ‘Bout That
Mononeucleosis
Dodgin’ The Draft
The Rebel
When I’m In The Mood For Love (You’re In The Mood For Herring)
Second Hand Nose/
Sam, You Made The Pants Too Long
If I Could Play Piano
Son Of Peyton Place
Odd Ball/His Own Little Island
Warner Bros single 5806
Westchester Hadassah/Strange Things In My Soup
Warner Bros single 5896
Togetherness
Warner Bros LP W(S) 1684 (April 1967)
Westchester Hadassah
Strange Things In My Soup
Turn Back The Clock
Signs
Down The Drain
Plan Ahead
Togetherness
Spanish Flea
My Aunt Minnie
If I Were A Tishman
There’s No Governor Like Our New Governor
Peter And The Commissar
R.C.A/Victor LP LM/LSC 2773
Peter And The Commissar
Introduction
Variations on How Dry I Am
The End Of A Symphony
The Fig Leaves Are Falling/Juggling
R.C.A. single 47-9693 (1969)
Allan Sherman can also he heard singing Sue Me (with Debbie Reynolds) on the 1963 LP of Guys And Dolls (Reprise 2016)
the following discs feature reissues of the above vocals:
Mexican Hat Dance/Won’t You Come Home, Disraeli
(British) Warner Bros single WB 115 (November 1963)
Me/No One’s Perfect
(British) Warner Bros single WB 122 (January 1964)
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (2nd version)/You Need An Analyst
(British) Warner Bros single WB 140 (Sepember 1964)
Crazy Downtown/You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
(British) Warner Bros single WB 160 (April 1965)
Shine On Harvey Bloom/Your Mother’s Here To Stay
(British) Warner Bros single WB 5725 (August 1965)
Twelve Gifts Of Christmas/Crazy Downtown
(British) Warner Bros single WB 5736 (November 1965)
It’s A Most Unusual Play/Peyton Place, U.S.A.
(British) Warner Bros single WB 5741 (January 1966)
Second Hand Nose/If I Could Play The Piano
(British) Warner Bros single WB 5749 (June 1966)
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah!/Sarah Jackman
Warner Bros single 7112
My Son, The Nut (volume 1)
(British) Warner Bros EP wep 6120/wse 6201
You’re Getting To Be A Rabbit With Me
Hungarian Goulash No.5
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!
Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
Hail To Thee, Fat Person
My Son, The Celebrity (volume 1)
(British) Warner Bros EP wep 6127
No One’s Perfect
Mexican Hat Dance
Me
Harvey And Sheila
Won’t You Come Home, Disraeli?
(British) Warner Bros EP wep 605
Won’t You Come Home, Disraeli?
Green Stamps
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
Crazy Downtown
The Best Of Allan Sherman
(British) Warner Bros LP W 1132, Valiant LP VS 112
Won’t You Come Home, Disraeli?
The Bronx Bird Watcher
Skin
Mexican Hat Dance
Crazy Downtown
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (2nd version)
Sir Greenbaum’s Madrigal
Green Stamps
Little Butterball
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
The Very Best Of Allan Sherman
(British) Warner Bros LP K 56056 (1976)
That Old Back Scratcher
Your Mother’s Here To Stay
Sarah Jackman
Shine On, Harvey Bloom
Painless Dentist Song
Second Hand Nose
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!
Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
Mexican Hat Dance
My Zelda
Waste Of Money
Bye Bye Blumberg
The Best Of Allan Sherman
Rhino LP RNLP 005
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!
Crazy Downtown
Eight Foot Two, Solid Blue
Harvey And Sheila
When I Was A Lad
Good Advice
Sarah Jackman
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
J.C. Cohen
One Hippopotami
Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
Hello Muddah, Hello Faddüh! (2nd version)
The Gift Of Laughter – The Best Of Allan Sherman (Volume 2)
Rhino LP RNLP 70818 (1986)
A Waste Of Money
Grow, Mrs. Goldfarb
Shake Hands With Your Uncle Max
Lotsa Luck
You’re Getting To Be A Rabbit With Me
Me
Shticks Of One, Half A Dozen Of The Other
Al ‘N Yetta
The Rebel
Pop Hates The Beatles
Rat Fink
Chim, Chim, Cheree
The Streets Of Miami
Hail To Thee, Fat Person
My Son, The Greatest – The Best Of Allan Sherman
Rhino CD R21S 75771 (October 1988)
Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!
Crazy Downtown
A Waste Of Money
Harvey And Sheila
Good Advice
Sarah Jackman
You Went The Wrong Way, Old King Louie
One Hippopotami
Shake Hands With Your Uncle Max
You’re Getting To Be A Rabbit With Me
Shticks Of One And Half A Dozen Of The Other
Al ‘N Yetta
The Rebel
Pop Hates The Beatles
The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
Chim Chim Cheree
Lotsa Luck
The Streets Of Miami
Hail To Thee, Fat Person
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