Shem was born on March 9th to parents Arthur and Lynda Schroeck in Lake Tahoe, California. Artie was just establishing himself as a major force in the New York City record industry producing and arranging for artists such as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Paul Anka, Kenny Rankin, Laura Nero and John Sabastian and The Lovin' Spoonful. He scored Francis Ford Coppola's film "You're a Big Boy Now" and was also creating a reputation in the jingle business with songs for Timex, Pan Am and McDonald's.
As a young boy, Shem would observe many of these sessions and see the recording process first hand. As Artie recalls, "Shem, who was probably only about three years old, would love to come to the recording studios with me and talk to the musicians and engineers. All I needed to say to him was, 'Now, when the red light goes on, you have to sit there and be very quiet' ." When The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album was released, Artie brought home two copies; one for himself and one for his three-year-old son. These experiences would be a major musical foundation for Shem in the years to come. |
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Artie moved his family from Carteret, New Jersey to the Air Force Base town of Mountain Home, Idaho where Shem would spend the next six years. Artie bought a one and a half acre ranch for $10,000 and raised horses and cows. "It was such a perfect environment for a kid to grow up in," Shem remembers. "Being outdoors around the animals, the smell of the alfalfa fields across the way, the view of the mountain ranges to the east. Watching the F-111 jets fly over the house was always a big thrill for me. It was such a time of safety and sheer innocence. I feel very fortunate to have lived that life in early childhood." In the fall of 1971, Shem would witness the birth of a horse and then a month later, welcome the birth of his sister, Joelle.
Artie, who was sort of living in early retirement, still made music a big part of his life and shared it with the family. Due to his fathers influence, Shem was exposed to the operas of Richard Wagner, along with the music of bands like Yes, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan. In 1973, Artie took the family to see Wagner's "Siegfried" at the Seattle Opera. "Those years in Idaho were where my first opinions and personal impressions on music were formed. There was plenty of time to listen and learn from many different styles of music being played in the household. I would spend my time after school playing drums and writing songs at my dad's Hammond B3 organ." |
