Sam Dees (17 Dec 1945) is 77 today. His name may not trip off the tongue by many other than real soul enthusiasts as he is predominantly a
songwriter.
He recorded a few albums including the highly regarded "The Show Must Go
On" (Atlantic 1975) and "Secret Admirer" on his own Pen Pad
label (1989/90), but much of his previously unreleased solo material (many recorded as demos to sell his songs to artists/labels) has been released on compilations
by Ace/Kent over the years. His music is highly regarded in rare soul circles.
He recorded around 24 singles (20 solo, one duet, another as member of
Pat & The Neuronics, and two as a group Black Haze Express)
but 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 which was later covered by Loleatta Holloway in 1976.
His biggest selling song is "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).
Last year we did a comprehensive feature on him so rather than repeat
here are the links but included below as a taster is his 1975 Atlantic album "The Show Must Go On".
Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved
1 comment:
A monument, I tell you. Especially as a composer.
Yves
Post a Comment