Sam Myers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam Myers
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Myers in concert, 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Samuel Joseph Myers |
| Born | February 19, 1936 Laurel, Mississippi, United States |
| Died | July 17, 2006 (aged 70) Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Blues |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocalist, drums, blues harp |
| Associated acts | Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets |
Samuel Joseph Myers (born February 19, 1936 – died July 17, 2006) was an American blues musician. He was a talented singer and played the harmonica, also known as the blues harp. Sam Myers played drums for famous blues artists like Elmore James for many years. Later, he became well-known as the main singer for the band Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets. He helped create many blues recordings over five decades.
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Sam Myers' Early Life
Myers was born in Laurel, Mississippi, in the United States. When he was seven years old, he got a problem with his eyes called juvenile cataracts. This made him legally blind for the rest of his life, even after he had surgery. He could see shapes and shadows, but he could not read anything. He learned to read using Braille.
Becoming a Musician
Sam became interested in music when he was a schoolboy in Jackson, Mississippi. He became very good at playing the trumpet and drums. He even received a special scholarship to study music at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Myers went to school during the day. At night, he often visited the music clubs in the South Side area of Chicago.
There, he met and played with many famous blues musicians. These included Jimmy Rogers, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Little Walter, Hound Dog Taylor, and Robert Lockwood, Jr.. Myers played drums with Elmore James regularly from 1952 until James passed away in 1963. He is credited on many of James's important recordings for Chess Records. In 1956, Myers wrote and recorded his most famous song, "Sleeping in the Ground." Many other blues artists, like Blind Faith, Eric Clapton, and Robert Cray, have also sung this song.
Touring and Later Career
From the early 1960s until 1986, Myers performed in clubs around Jackson and other parts of the South. These places were part of what was known as the Chitlin' Circuit, a group of venues where Black musicians often played. He also traveled around the world with Sylvia Embry and the Mississippi All-Stars Blues Band.
In 1986, Myers met Anson Funderburgh from Plano, Texas. He then joined Funderburgh's band, The Rockets. Myers toured all over the United States and the world with The Rockets. This musical partnership lasted until he passed away on July 17, 2006. He died in Dallas, Texas, from problems after surgery for throat cancer. Just before he died, Myers toured as a solo artist in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark with a Swedish band called Bloosblasters.
Sam Myers' Achievements
In the same year Myers passed away, his autobiography was published. An autobiography is a book about a person's life written by that person. The book was called Sam Myers: The Blues is My Story. A writer named Jeff Horton helped tell Myers's story and shared his memories of traveling and performing.
Awards and Recognition
Sam Myers and The Rockets won nine W. C. Handy Awards together. These awards are very important in the blues music world. They won three awards for Band of the Year. In 2004, they won the award for Best Traditional Album of the Year. In 2005, Myers's album Coming from the Old School was nominated for Traditional Blues Album of the Year.
In January 2000, Myers was honored by being added to the Farish Street Walk of Fame in Jackson, Mississippi. He shares this honor with other famous musicians like Dorothy Moore and Sonny Boy Williamson II. In 2006, just a few months before he died, the Governor of Mississippi gave him the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was also named the state's Blues Ambassador by the Mississippi Arts Commission.
