Al Kohn (1919-2015) was elected to The Lambs in 1965 as a Professional member.
Kohn was a 50-year veteran of the music industry, was Vice President, Licensing for Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., when he retired in 1993. Al is co-author of “Kohn On Music Licensing,” a 1,600-page treatise on the business and legal aspects of the music publishing business. USA Today called the book, “the bible of legal issues in the music world.”
Prior to his 23-year association with Warner Bros., he served for over 11 years as the U.S. representative for the London-based Francis, Day & Hunter music publishing organization, developing acquisition patterns which moved them into the global pop music market. Prior to that Al was a member of the creative team at Hummert Radio Features and was the key arranger for some of the syndicate’s major network radio programs including Waltz Time and Manhattan Merry-Go-Round.
During World War II, Irving Berlin tapped Al to orchestrate his all-soldier show, This Is the Army. He also served as an arranger for orchestras, including those of Paul Whiteman, Abe Lyman, Ted Dale, Orrin Tucker and others, and arranged night club revues at Lou Walter’s Latin Quarter, Billy Rose’s Diamond Horseshoe, and the Steel Pier Music Hall.
Later, he served as a television arranger for the Milton Berle, Katherine Murray, George Jessel, Martha Raye, and Jane Pickens shows. He also arranged or conducted for Bob Hope, Billy Rose, Jerry Vale, and many others. Al was a member of The Lambs, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, the Masonic Fraternity, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Johnny Mercer Foundation.
Al Kohn died in 2015 in Tarzana, California. In 2001, his son, Robert Kohn was elected to The Lambs. He informed the shepherd that his father had been buried in his Lambs’ blue club blazer.