Today we're celebrating the 76th birthday of
Sam Dees (born in Birmingham, Alabama 17 Dec 1945). Many of his recordings are possibly not 'that' well known to even many soul music lovers apart from the real
connoisseurs as he's had a relatively low profile. Although recording a
few albums including "The Show Must Go On" (Atlantic 1975) and "Secret Admirer"
(1989/90) (on his own Pen Pad label) (there have also been many compilations) and around 24 singles (20 solo,
one duet, another as member of Pat & The Neuronics, and two as a group Black Haze Express) he's best respected for
his song writing. Only six of his own singles dented the US R&B chart with
just one reaching the top 50, that being "Worn Out Broken Heart" which got
to #15 in 1974.
His biggest selling song is most probably "One In A Million You" recorded
by Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone and Graham Central Station)
which was a #1 R&B and #9 hot 100 hit for him in 1980. Other notable
songs include "Am I Dreaming" (Atlantic Starr), "Save the Overtime (For
Me)" (Gladys Knight and The Pips), "Love All the Hurt Away" (George Benson
and Aretha Franklin), and "Lover For Life" (Whitney Houston).
His own recording career began in 1968 with a song which has become a
Northern Soul anthem from the 80s Stafford period, "Lonely For You Baby", which was the flip to a doo-wop
style ballad "I Need You" on Nashville label SSS International named after
founder Shelby S Singleton. Two singles followed on Calla subsidiary Lo Lo
in 1969-70 and then a couple on Chess (1971) and another two as a member
of Black Haze Express (1971-72). His next label was Clintone before a
moderately successful spell at Atlantic who released six singles and an
album between 1973-75. In 1976 he recorded a duet with Bettye Swann on a
Billy Vera song "Storybook Children". His last two singles in the 70s
where one-offs on New London International, "In My World" in 1977, which
was reissued by Polydor as "My World". in 1978.
In the 80s he released a few singles and an album on his own Pen Pad
label and in the 90s two singles on UK label Ardent.
As with the Willie Hutch profile post last week, I will split this over a
number of parts to keep the size of each post to the minimum. The other instalments will be Part 2: The Albums, Part 3: The Compilations and Part 4: The Songwriter dedicated to songs that he has written that have been recorded by others and finally Part 5: Interview with Richard Searling from 1989.
Before I launch into his full singles discography if you have never heard the gem "After All" from 1989 then bend your ears around this beauty which features Ernie Watts on sax. I've also embedded a very rare performance of him performing #1 hit for Larry Graham "One In A Million You". There is also a 30 minute interview with Robbie Vincent from 1989.
To tie it all up there is a playlist of 22 sides of his singles that are available on Spotify in chronological order of release.
Interview with Robbie Vincent on BBC Radio 1 16 Sep 1989
Singles Discography
NB tracks prefixed with * indicates link to YouTube, all others are to
Spotify.
Links on Cat. No. are to Discogs or in some instances 45Cat where not
available on Discogs.
SSS International
1968/02 -
I Need You Girl
/
Lonely For You Baby
[SSS International #SSS-732]
Pat & The Neurotics (as male lead singer) (unconfirmed!)
1969 - St James Infirmary / *I Like The Way You Do Your Thing [Crown Ltd.#113]
Lo Lo
1969/08 - *It's All Wrong
/ *Don't Keep Me Hanging On [Lo Lo #L 2103]
1970/03 - *Easier To Say Than Do
/ *Soul Sister
[Lo Lo #L 2306]
Chess
1971 - *Maryanna
/ *Love Starvation
[Chess #1033]
as Black Haze Express
Sam Dees recorded two hard funk singles under the name Black Haze Express
in 1971-72, one released on Clintone Records, the other on Vulcan.
1971 -
Pretty Soon
/
Won't Nobody Listen
[ClinTone #CT-005]
1972 - Stop This Merry Go Round / Black Tattler [Vulcan #V-111]
Clintone
1972/11 -
Claim Jumping
/ *I'm So Very Glad
[Clintone #CT-010]
in Blast Furnace Band & The Grapevine Singers
1973 - Hammering Hank Part I / Hammering Hank Part II [Clintone #CT-012]
Atlantic
1973/07 -
Just Out Of My Reach
/ *I'm So Very Glad
[Atlantic #45-2937]
1973/11 -
So Tied Up
/
Trouble Child
[Atlantic #45-2991]
1973/11 -
So Tied Up
/
Signed Miss Heroin
[Atlantic #45-2991]
1974/09 -
Worn Out Broken Heart
/
Come Back Strong
[Atlantic #45-3205]
1975/01 -
The Show Must Go On
/
Child Of The Streets
[Atlantic #3243]
1975/07 -
Fragile, Handle With Care
/ *Save The Love At Any Cost
[Atlantic #45-3287]
Big Tree
1976/01 - with Bettye Swann:
Storybook Children
/
Just As Sure
[Big Tree #BT-16054]
New London International
1977 -
In My World (Long)
/ In My World (Short) [New London International #NL-1003]
Polydor
Pen Pad
1988 - *Just Wait Until I Get You Home (Long & Short Versions) (Short) / *I'll Be Loving You [Pen Pad #PP1000] 12"
Ballad/Stepper / Ballad
Flip is the instrumental
RCA (UK)
1989 - *After All
/ *True Believer In Love
/ After All (Edited Version) / Always Something [RCA #PT 43140] UK 12"
NB: "After All" link is to an 'unofficial' 8:57 extended version
Ardent (UK)
1992 - *Get The Message Out (Burning Hope Mix)
/ *Say It's Only A Rumour
/ (Theme From) After All [Ardent #ADX 9012] UK only 12"
Reissues & Previously unreleased UK releases
2010 - *Lonely For You Baby
(45 Version) /
Lonely For You Baby (Alternate Version)
[Outta Sight #CHV 002]
2010/10 - *Fool Of The Year
/ *Train To Tampa
[Shotgun #SHOT 103]
These two previously unissued tracks were recorded in the early 1970s in
Birmingham, Alabama. Later found in 2006 via the same batch that yielded
Rozetta Johnson's 'You Better Keep What You Got' and others by Sam,
Rozetta, Bill Brandon etc. Train To Tampa was also featured in the 2009
movie Clubbed
2014 -
Touch Me With Your Love
/
Run To Me
[Kent #CITY 035]
No comments:
Post a Comment