Sandy's Story
He's a dreamer.
He was born at The Columbus Hospital in Chicago. His father was a doctor and his mother was opera singer, Mildred Gerber from whom he acquired his love of music and singing. He received his A.A. degree from Loop Jr. College and his B.S. Degree from Tennessee State University. But he never dreamed of becoming a playwright…until recently.
Sandy’s mother, [Mildred Gerber], studied voice with renowned opera singer Madam Pavlaska. Mildred sang with The Chicago Civic Opera Company and Radio City Music Hall in New York. She was also written up three times in the “Who’s Who of American Jewry”. From her Sandy got his love of tone and music naturally, but the hard work that it took to become a singer and a writer did not come to him as naturally that's where the work came in.
It is worth mentioning that Sandy’s mentor and manager, Finis Henderson, besides being the manager to Brook Benton and Lola Falana, was Sammy Davis’ right hand man and also the brother of jazz singer/actor Bill Henderson and father of Finis Henderson, impressionist/entertainer.
Sandy’s career began at The Crown Room in Indianapolis, then going on to work in Miami Beach, Florida at the Boom Boom Room of the Thunderbird Hotel. He later toured the Playboy Clubs and soon after became a big band singer touring the country with the Sy Zentner Orchestra. When entertainer Billy Williams heard Sandy sing, he invited him to became a member of The Billy Williams Review. While appearing at the North Shore Club on the north side of Lake Tahoe he had the opportunity to sing at the CalNeva resort for Frank Sinatra who recommended Sandy for a contract with Frank’s fledgling record company, Reprise Records. Sandy also worked in theatre and Summer Stock.
Although “All For A Song” has all original material, for Sandy, creating the show is his way of respectfully paying it forward. Passing along what he heard, sang and lived enabling him to give the work perspective and to recreate those times accurately while hopefully still crafting an entertaining show.
His explanation is simple…“I lived through those songs and those times. I deeply respect them and believe that just because rock & roll came along, what came before can still be honored. The yin-and-yang, the good and bad taken in balance, there is a lot to pass on. I see a value in what these entertainers and the people who wrote for them created. And in so many cases the struggle was worth the effort and I feel good knowing that the form, structure, and sensitivity was created by people who, like me, were dreamers and creators of dreams.”