Sammy Masters
Sammy Masters (born July 18, 1930 in Sasakawa , Oklahoma , † March 8, 2013 in Orange , California ) was an American rockabilly singer. His biggest success was Rockin 'Red Wing .
Life
Childhood and youth
Sammy Masters is the son of an oil field worker. According to himself, Master's father went to the nearest town when he was born to get a doctor. When the doctor arrived, Sammy Masters was already born. He became interested in music from an early age. He was influenced by the cowboy singers Gene Autry , Roy Rogers and Tex Fletcher , whom he saw in the cinema as well as the Grand Ole Opry and Bob Wills . At the age of twelve he made his first appearance on radio KVOO. Shortly thereafter, he made an appearance with Johnny Lee Wills, the brother of Bob Wills. In the late 1940s the family moved to California , where he successfully finished his school days. He also played for about six months with country singer Spade Cooley , who was very popular at the time.
Beginnings
His first single, Lost Little Nickel , was recorded on Cormac Records in 1950. After his second record, Crazy River , he was drafted into the army and transferred to Korea , where he took part in the Korean War . When he was released in 1954, he signed a recording deal with 4 Star Records .
Career
His first release there, Turn The Cards Slowly , would later become a hit with Patsy Cline . But Masters was not interested in other country titles, he would rather devote himself to rockabilly. In 1956, the first rockabilly session with guitarist Jimmy Bryant took place, during which the tracks Pink Cadillac and Whop-T-Bop were recorded. It is worth mentioning here that Masters did not play rhythm guitar at the rockabilly session in November 1956, but played and sang double bass . In addition to Masters and Bryant, the background band also consisted of Jerry Miller ( steel guitar ) and Jimmy Randall ( drums ). Other sources cite Ralph Roe as the lead guitarist. A year later the Pink Cadillac was re-released on Modern Records with mixed drums under the name Johnny Todd. Meanwhile, Masters released his next single, the ballad Angel . In the same year he made various appearances in the Town Hall Party , one of the most successful radio and television shows on the west coast. However, he did not make a breakthrough. His last single Jodie , with the B-side If I Could See The World , which was also covered by Patsy Cline, was released in 1957. Disappointed by the failures of the singles, he left 4 Star.
Masters then found a job with American Music as a songwriter . Shortly afterwards, at the request of Terry Fell , he signed with his label Lode Records and released the title Rockin 'Red Wing . The track was recorded in 1927 by country musician Riley Puckett and was written by musician Chattaway. Surprised by the success (the title reached number 64 on the Billboard Pop Charts), he released more records - but this time without success. In 1961, Patsy Cline's Crazy topped the charts. The track was written by Willie Nelson , a good friend of Masters, and the B-side featured Masters song Who Can I Count On? who benefited from the enormous success. Many well-known singers, including Bobby Darin and Wayne Newton , recorded their version of the title. In the same year Masters had founded his own label, on which he continued to release singles in the following years. At the same time he managed a career as a TV and radio presenter. He had a radio show with Johnny Horton until his death and hosted television shows such as Jukebox Saturday Night and Country Music Time in the 1960s and 1970s .
In the 1980s Masters achieved fame especially in Europe as part of the rockabilly revival and performed with other rockabilly stars such as Joe Clay , Merrill Moore and Otis Williams at the Rock'n'Roll Weekend in England . Masters died in Orange, California in 2013 at the age of 82.
Discography
year | title | Record company |
---|---|---|
1951 | Lost Little Nickel / May I Call You Darlin '? | Cormac Records |
1956 | Pink Cadillac / Some Like It Hot | 4 Star Records |
1956 | Pink Cadillac / What's Up | Modern Records * |
1956 | Whop-T-Bop / Flat Fleet | 4 Star Records |
1956 | Whop-T-Bop / 2 Rock-A-4 | 4 Star Records |
1957 | Angel / My Heart is a Hobo | 4 Star Records |
1957 | Tall Grow the Sycamores / The Drifter | Decca Records |
195? |
EP
|
Sammy Masters (4 Star) |
approx. 1958/1959 |
EP
|
4 Star Records |
1958 | Jodie / If I Could See the World | 4 Star Records |
1958 | Whop-T-Bop / 2 Rock-A4 | Moonglow Records |
1958 | Pink Cadillac / Some Like It Hot | Moonglow Records |
1959 | Rockin 'Red Wing / Lonely Weekend | Warner Bros. Records |
1960 | Rockin 'Red Wing / Lonely Weekend | Lode Records |
1960 | Charolette (In the Pink Corvette) / Golden Slippers | Lode Records |
1960 | 'Charolette (In the Pink Corvette) / Golden Slippers | Dot records |
1961 | Never / Pierre the Poodle and the Puppy Dogs | Lode Records |
1962 | Stick Around Joe / Remind Me Baby | Galahad Records |
1963 | All Alone in San Antone / Roses Remind Me Of You | Galahad Records |
1964 | I Fought The Law (And the Law Won) / A Big Man Cried | Kapp Records |
1964 | Louisiana Jane / Barcelona Baby | Kapp Records |
1965 | You Can Have Her / You Can Have Her (Instr.) | D&D Records |
The Letter (from South Vietnam) / Little Ben | Galahad G-538 | |
Unpublished titles | ||
|
||
1959 |
|
Warner Brothers |
* Version of Pink Cadillac with mixed drums
Web links
- Sammy Masters at Allmusic (English)
- biography
- Discography with audio samples
Individual evidence
- ↑ American Roots Music: Rockabilly Guitar Solo Gems: The 1950s
- ↑ Obituary. Mellow's Log Cabin
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Masters, Sammy |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rockin 'Red Wing |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and rockabilly musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 18, 1930 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Sasakawa , Oklahoma |
DATE OF DEATH | March 8, 2013 |
Place of death | Orange , California |