Sherm Feller
| Sherm Feller | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 29, 1918 Brockton, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 27, 1994 (aged 75) Stoughton, Massachusetts |
| Occupation | Radio personality, composer |
| Spouse(s) | Judy Valentine |
Sherman "Sherm" Feller (July 29, 1918 – January 27, 1994) was an American musical composer and radio personality, perhaps best known for serving as the public address announcer for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park for 26 years.
Sherman (Sherm) Feller was born to Harry and Fannie Feller, both Russian immigrants. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Sherman and his sister were raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts, then a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. While census data identified his father as a stitcher in a shoe factory, his father also served as a cantor in a synagogue. Sherm graduated from Roxbury Memorial High School, and then attended Suffolk College (today Suffolk University), where he began to study law, but left before graduating.
Sherm Feller decided he wanted to work in radio, and he first worked in Manchester NH at WMUR. His first radio job in greater Boston was in Lowell, where he was hired by WLLH in late 1941. It was there where he met the woman who became his wife, vocalist Judy Valentine. They married in 1945. By this time, Feller was not only known as an announcer; he had begun writing songs, several of which would be sung by Valentine. The duo became known on air as "A Feller and His Girl." By 1948, Feller was on the air in Boston, at station WEEI, where he became well known as host of "Club Midnight," and also wrote a music column for the Boston American newspaper Some sources say he was the first Boston announcer to do a call-in talk show, although back then, it was not possible to put callers on the air. Announcers would repeat or paraphrase what the caller was saying. As was the custom in that era, announcers frequently left one station to work for another. Among the stations where Feller worked were WLAW in Lawrence, beginning in August 1952, where he did a dance music and interview program; he was also the host of a live program from the station's Boston studio.
After WLAW left the air in the summer of 1953, Feller moved to WVDA in Boston, where he continued to write songs, and work as an announcer, frequently interviewing celebrities. Among the famous performers he knew and counted as friends were Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Tommy Dorsey.
While Feller would later become known for his work with the Red Sox, he was a prolific song-writer, credited with writing or co-writing more than 1,000 songs. Among his pop hits were "Snow Snow Beautiful Snow," recorded by Fred Waring; "Francesca," named for his mother, and recorded by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops; "She Was Five and He Was Ten," a hit for the Mills Brothers; and "It's Easter Time," recorded by Vaughn Monroe. In the top-40 era, he became known for a hit he co-wrote with Tom Jameson in 1958, "Summertime Summertime" by The Jamies. " In addition, Feller composed numerous orchestral works including "Ode to JFK". And even after he became the Public Address announcer for the Red Sox, Feller continued to do a big-band oriented radio program, on station WROL from 1970 till 1985.
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