We heard the sad news as we pulled into our driveway yesterday. It made me regret never getting around to seeing Al perform too. He was quite a fixture of Milwaukee pride around Summerfest and the city’s somewhat conservative Jazz cliques.
Like most people, I never heard of him until his mainstream Pop hit, “We’re In This Love Together” around 1981. It would take me another decade to gain a greater appreciation of his music though. WBZN lives!
One really cool thing I always loved about Al was his good nature on SCTV. Unlike SNL, the more daring Canadian show would integrate the musical guest into a couple skits. For him, he played the reluctant son in their parody of The Jazz Singer. Their twist, Al didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps (a Pop star), he wanted to be a cantor.
Thanks for all the great music and smiles Al! I hope Milwaukee builds a statue to you and your generosity.