Record:My Son, the Folk Singer

Allan Sherman began his show business career as a comedy writer and then tried his hand at performing. After experiencing minimal success, he moved to a behind-the-scenes role in television, creating and producing the long-running quiz show "I've Got a Secret." Following a stint as the writer-producer of "The Steve Allen Show," Sherman applied his skills to musical parody with his 1962 album, "My Son, the Folk Singer." To the amazement of recording industry gurus, radio stations started playing the record's songs with familiar tunes matched to new lyrics about Jewish-American life. The album's status as a hit inspired both copycat parodists and a follow-up record from Sherman, 1962's "My Son, the Celebrity." "My Son, the Nut" in 1963 featured the hit novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" and topped the sales charts for eight consecutive weeks.