To Have & To Hold: Alan Eichler On His One-Of-A-Kind YouTube Channel, Preserving The Past And Working With Eartha, Yma & Other Icons
Yma Sumac, Patti Page & Eartha Kitt — three of Alan's angels (Images via head shot) Half the time I’m watching something on YouTube, it turns out to be something uploaded by Alan Eichler.
Eichler, 77, worked as a press agent on shows like Hello, Dolly! and Hair, later representing a wealth of vintage divas he was helping to become trendy again in the twilight of their careers — Eartha Kitt, Yma Sumac, Anita O’Day, Ruth Brown and many more.
If that sounds like every gay kid’s dream, Eichler actually came to be a publicist, promoter and producer because he was a gay kid obsessed with TV.
TVs were relatively newfangled when he was a boy, and Eichler was amazed by the unique connection his provided to celebrities, particularly great female singers.
