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Dr. Alan Shiner - Quotable Experiences
In his 30+ year
career as bandleader, songwriter and dentist, Dr. Alan Shiner has had
the opportunity to play with a diverse and extensive group of
entertainers and clientele. As a result, Shiner has amassed a
lifetime’s worth of anecdotes. The following is a handful of
notable experiences in Shiner’s own words.
Quotes included here:
- On pitching and recording an original composition with Mariah Carey
- On writing the ‘967-11-11’ jingle for Pizza Pizza
- On playing with singer Tina Turner
- On having Paul Shaffer of Late Show with David Letterman substitute
for Shiner early in their respective careers for CBC variety show
On meeting and recording an original composition with Mariah Carey:
“When Mariah Carey was in Toronto several years ago, I was able
to get her to listen to a demo of a song called ‘First
Mistake,’ which was co-written with the female vocalists from
Nova Sounds (Shiner’s live event band).”
“I was looking to pitch a commercial jingle when Mariah had just
finished a press conference in the building I was in. I happened to
have a demo of ‘First Mistake’ in my car. I ran out for the
demo, came back in and she was walking out of the studio. I was lucky I
got through Mariah’s entourage.”
“I walked over to Mariah and said, ‘I wrote this song for
Céline Dion, would you like to hear it?’ According to the
press, she wasn’t getting along with Céline at the time,
so Mariah listened to the tune right then and there. She liked it, and
we worked on the tune at a nearby piano for an hour. We even played
some of her earlier hits since I played them often with Nova Sounds.
She turned to me and asked how I knew all her tunes. I replied,
‘I play them at bar mitzvahs.’ She laughed and thought I
was joking, but it was the truth.”
“I thought that would be it and I’d never hear from her
again. The next thing I know, Mariah’s people called me and flew
me to London (England) to demo ‘First Mistake.’ I was in
London for a week and got to record the song with some of my idols,
such as Babyface and Walter Afanasieff, who both co-produced the track.
One handled the rhythm section of which I was a part, while the other
handled a string section borrowed from the London Symphony Orchestra.
There was a deal cut for exclusive use of the song, but unfortunately,
Mariah’s own record deal fell apart soon afterwards. It was a
fantastic experience, even if it was the lucky break that never
was.”
On writing the ubiquitous Toronto-area commercial jingle ‘967-11-11’ for Pizza Pizza:
“I was picking up a friend and waiting in the driveway, and [the
Pizza Pizza job] had just been handed to me. The phone number itself
had just been purchased from another company. I wrote the tune in 15
minutes while waiting in someone’s driveway, and it’s still
being used.”
“I’ve heard from friends that the Pizza Pizza jingle is one
test question for Canadians crossing the border from the U.S. to find
out if they’re really from Toronto. [Border officials] would say,
‘Sing the Pizza Pizza commercial.’ If you knew it,
they’d let you in.”
On playing with Tina Turner, who by chance, was in
the audience when Shiner’s band played at the Windsor Arms Hotel
in Toronto:
“A couple of years ago, Nova Sounds was the house band at the
Windsor Arms Hotel. Tina was in-town for a Toronto concert and was
staying at the Windsor Arms. However, you might recall she had a virus
and had to delay her show by a week. While she was recuperating, Tina
had to call downstairs to shut our band down early so she could get
some sleep.”
“When Tina was back in Toronto to make-up the postponed concert,
our band was still playing at the Windsor Arms. We were playing
‘Simply The Best,’ and didn’t know Tina was in the
room sitting in the corner. We saw her and called her over to join us,
so she sang with us.”
On Paul Shaffer (Music Director of the CBS Orchestra for
Late Show with David Letterman) as Shiner’s occasional substitute
as Music Director for CBC’s early-1970’s variety show
‘Marc’s Grab Bag,’ during which time Shiner was also
completing dental studies at the University of Toronto:
“Paul was hanging out at the CBC studio when Mary Ann McDonald
(who had performed with Paul in the 1972 Toronto production of
Godspell) was first a guest. Paul came back to the studio several times
and was friends with the host. We got to know Paul, and he actually
‘sub-bed’ for me whenever I had to miss a show because I
was in dental school. That usually happened when there was a dental
exam scheduled on the same day as tapings.”
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For more information:
Alan Shiner, Creative Director & President
Tel: 416-926-1918
Email: alan@novasounds.ca
Sasa Shorteno, Promotion and Marketing Manager
Tel: 416-926-1918, Cell: 416-333-7975
Email: sasa@novasounds.ca
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