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Mr Schackner is a musician, entertainer and performer of wide and varied accomplishments. He has appeared on TV, the legitimate stage, in motion pictures and radio. Alan has been heard as a soloist in concert halls, night clubs and theatres all over the world. As a matter of fact, the late Robert Ripley devoted an article to Mr Schackner in his famous "Believe It Or Not" feature - the only harmonicist ever to be so honored. Alan started making music on the harmonica at the tender age of ten. He learned quickly, and soon was performing regularly on the CBS Children's Hour. This was followed by many appearances on the Kate Smith program, after which he was chosen to play a featured part in William Saroyan's play, "The Time Of Your Life." Alan played the music he had composed especially for the play in which dancer Gene Kelly performed to his music. Incidentally, the show won the Critics Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize! The young harmonica virtuoso then went on to become a featured performer on the Arthur Godfrey & Friends TV show, and also toured for awhile with Milton Berle. Alan has written music for several motion picture and theatre productions as well as the score for the nationally broadcast ABC-TV Unicef program. He composed some of the music for the film "Portrait Of Jennie" and also wrote the hit tune "The Happy Cobbler." A lifelong ambition was realized when he appeared as soloist at New York's Town Hall. Cy Coleman, the composer, was his accompanist at the time. Alan Schackner is a graduate of the New York College of Music, as well as a thoroughly trained advocate of the Schillinger System of Musical Composition (an advanced technique which he studied at New York University). Today, Alan, or "Blackie" as his friends call him, is one of the most successful harmonicists in the United States. He is a well established recording artist, composer and performer who still holds the all time record for performances at the famed Concord Hotel in New York (33 in a single year!). He has shared concerts with such notables as Robert Merrill, Sergio Franchi, Bob Hope, Bob Newhart and other top ranking performers. TV appearances go back as far as The Ed Sullivan Show, and include guest spots with Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas and the Tonight Show. "Blackie" has even been a mystery guest item on "What's My Line" where he taught Beverly Sills and Gene Shalit how to play the harmonica. He has also performed for 3 Presidents of the United States: Eisenhower, Nixon and Carter!!! Alan is in constant demand for TV commercials, and his harmonica can be heard promoting several automobile companies, Pepsicola, Nabisco cookies, McDonald's products, frozen foods and many others. He has recorded for RCA, ABC Paramount, Grand Award, and a "How To" album for Columbia called "Anyone Can Play The Harmonica." His latest for RCA is called "Yesterday When I Was Young." He is also the author of nine very popular music folios, as well as three top selling Warner Brothers Publications called "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Chromatic Harmonica," plus two followups for the blues and rock harmonica fans.