[2] He founded the first of several labels, Sittin' In With, in 1948, where he produced Lightnin' Hopkins, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Smokey Hogg, Peppermint Harris, Curley Weaver, and others.
[2] On the subsidiary label he produced, among others, jazz musicians Sarah Vaughan, Maynard Ferguson, the Clifford Brown/Max Roach quintet, Billy Eckstine and Dinah Washington.
[2] He also worked in pop (with Patti Page, Vic Damone, and The Platters) and blues (with Hopkins again and Big Bill Broonzy).
He also formed the Brent label (primarily for West Coast signings) and had hits with Skip & Flip, The Chevrons and Bertha Tillman.
[2] Shad died of a heart attack, aged 65, in Beverly Hills, California in 1985 and was buried in the Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.