Licorice Soul Records

LS: How was Alshire set up and how did Al Sherman meet D.L. Miller?

DS: In 1954, Al Sherman began a distributorship named Independent Record Sales Co. in Los Angeles. It was a successful enterprise and Al eventually contracted with labels such as MGM, Reprise, United Artists, etc., including D.L. Miller’s labels Stereo Fidelity and Somerset. Record Sales became the sole distributor for Miller’s labels for the 17 Western states. It was so successful that D.L. Miller approached Al Sherman about buying the label. The purchase was finalized in 1965. The corporation Alshire International handled the business of this acquired label, including manufacturing and licensing. Thereafter, as Al Sherman enlarged the catalog and recorded many new albums, the label name was changed to "Alshire Presents" and then to Alshire.

LS: How did they pick/choose/find their session musicians?

DS: When the purchase was originally made, there was a recording contract in effect with the Hamburg, Germany, concert hall and symphony orchestra. That remained in effect for three years. Thereafter the decision was made to use London as a base for recording. Al came into contact with Jack Dorsey, who was hired to arrange and conduct the recording sessions in London for many years. Mr. Dorsey hired session musicians individually for each recording session.

LS: Did any famous musicians pass through the Alshire Recording Studios?

DS: While Jack Dorsey arranged and conducted most of the sessions, some albums were contracted with other well known writers and arrangers, including Les Brown and Nelson Riddle. Others who are known within the industry were Bill Lowden and Monte Kelly.

LS: Where did the idea for "101 Strings" come from?

DS: This name was conceived from the sheer size and makeup of the orchestra. Unlike most recording orchestras of the day, "101 Strings" usually consisted of 65 or more musicians, utilizing extra strings to give the recordings their distinctive sound.

LS: Why was the track listing for "Astro Sounds" only used in the States?

DS: I don’t know the answer to this one. I believe "Animated Egg" was a repackaged album that utilized some of the tracks from the original "Astro Sounds." Both were released in the States.

LS: Who was responsible for the European section of the company at this time?

DS: Al Sherman was the driving force behind Alshire from its inception. Alshire was a United States corporation only. We were ‘international’ in that many licenses were issued to foreign companies to produce "101 Strings" music. At one time as many as 25 companies were licensing "101 Strings" music, in Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Australia, etc. This number varied through the years until the library was sold in 1995.

LS: What happened to Alshire after the mid-70's?

DS: Business was conducted as usual throughout the 70's and 80's. Regular recording sessions were held in London and elsewhere. Each year the MIDEM conference was held in Nice, and much business was derived from contacts there. Many special projects were contracted for "101 Strings" music throughout Europe and Scandinavia. Also, popular radio stations licensed "101 Strings" music to produce special albums. During this time, Alshire invested in manufacturing equipment and became a manufacturer of vinyl records. Later state of the art high speed audio cassette duplicating equipment was added. Alshire now not only produced its own product, but became a custom manufacturer for many independent labels as well. When the "101 Strings" library was sold in 1995 Alshire became exclusively a manufacturer, currently for cassettes, compact discs, and DVD’s.

LS: How did you personally become involved with Alshire?

DS: Of course I was acquainted with the business, being the son of Al Sherman. During my youthful years I became familiar with the day to day operations. After moving out of California for several years, I moved back and accepted a position with the company in 1976. During the ensuing years I became well acquainted with each and every catalog item of 101 Strings. Even now I can recall catalog numbers for many of the releases on the Alshire label, including the all-time best seller, "Soul of Spain," a lush recording arranged by Monte Kelly. Although I was never involved with the actual recording process, I learned each step in the manufacturing process, from mastering to artwork to production and inventory.

As an afterthought, Al Sherman established the Al Sherman Family Foundation, which has donated to various non-profit organizations over the years. He is an emeritus member of the board of the Providence St. Joseph Medical Center here in Burbank, being one of the largest donors to that facility.