SAM Records
Encyclopedia
SAM Records was an New York
-based independent record company
active between 1977-1983 and 1989-1991. The label was operated by Sam Weiss and Daniel Glass
, who worked as an Vice President.
In the late 1970s, Columbia
, as a CBS subsidiary, had a distribution deal with SAM for about 18 months. The most successful artists of SAM include John Davis and the Monster Orchestra
, Glen Adams Affair
, Gary's Gang
and Komiko
.
and together with his brother Hy Weiss
he became involved in record label business throughout the 1950s; the highlight of doo-wop
and rhythm and blues
music.
Somwehere around the year 1950, Weiss was accused of plagiarism over the parts of his song called "Sam's Song" he presumably copied from Elmer Albrecht's "Elmer's Tune".
In the 1990s, Weiss helped his son, Mike Weiss, to found Nervous Records
. SAM Records catalog was later brought into Nervous Records.
bandwagon therefore SAM Records was born. Weiss hired his son-in-law Daniel Glass
to run the label with him. Glass later joined EMI Music and for record companies like Chrysalis Records
and EMI Records
.
As of November 1980, the label mostly included dance music artists of different popular formats such as disco
, R&B and even reggae
.
Sam Records was technically a division of Win Records, Inc. which was headed by Sam Weiss.
to different charts mostly include boogie
/dance
compositions like "Don't Let Go of Me" (1982, Mike & Brenda Sutton
) peaked at #82 R&B
, "Rock Shock" (1982, B.B.C.S. & A.) peaked at #82 R&B, and "Feel Alright" (1982, Komiko
) peaked at #83 R&B.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based independent record company
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
active between 1977-1983 and 1989-1991. The label was operated by Sam Weiss and Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass is an American music industry executive whose output has included work with artists Billy Idol, Wilson Phillips, Sinéad O'Connor, Jon Secada, Warren Zevon, Blur, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Erykah Badu, Baha Men, Kurupt, Susan Tedeschi, The Pretenders, Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society,...
, who worked as an Vice President.
In the late 1970s, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, as a CBS subsidiary, had a distribution deal with SAM for about 18 months. The most successful artists of SAM include John Davis and the Monster Orchestra
John Davis and the Monster Orchestra
John Davis and the Monster Orchestra were an American disco band, noted for their lead member , who lent his name to the band as well as producing all of their output.-History:...
, Glen Adams Affair
Glen Adams
Glen Adams was a Jamaican musician, composer, arranger, engineer, producer, based since the mid-1970s in Brooklyn, New York.-Career:...
, Gary's Gang
Gary's Gang
Gary's Gang was an American funk/soul/R&B/disco group who just missed having a U.S. Top 40 hit, when their lone Billboard Hot 100 entry, "Keep on Dancin'", reached #41 in 1978...
and Komiko
Komiko
Komiko was a short-lived studio group, best known for their moderate garage/boogie hit written by Nick Braddy, "Feel Alright". It was released in 1982 for SAM Records...
.
Founder's biography
SAM Records was founded in 1976 by Sam Weiss. He was born on September 19, 1926 in RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and together with his brother Hy Weiss
Hy Weiss
-Biography:Born Hyman Y. Weiss in Romania, he was an immigrant to the United States when young and was brought up in the Bronx, New York. He started in the music industry in 1949, setting up Parody Records with his brother Sam....
he became involved in record label business throughout the 1950s; the highlight of doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
and rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music.
Somwehere around the year 1950, Weiss was accused of plagiarism over the parts of his song called "Sam's Song" he presumably copied from Elmer Albrecht's "Elmer's Tune".
In the 1990s, Weiss helped his son, Mike Weiss, to found Nervous Records
Nervous Records (US)
Nervous Records is a New York City record label of underground house music and hip-hop, founded in 1991. Noted for early productions by notables including Armand Van Helden, Mood II Swing, Masters At Work and Josh Wink...
. SAM Records catalog was later brought into Nervous Records.
Description
In the late 1970s, Weiss jumped on the discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
bandwagon therefore SAM Records was born. Weiss hired his son-in-law Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass
Daniel Glass is an American music industry executive whose output has included work with artists Billy Idol, Wilson Phillips, Sinéad O'Connor, Jon Secada, Warren Zevon, Blur, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Erykah Badu, Baha Men, Kurupt, Susan Tedeschi, The Pretenders, Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society,...
to run the label with him. Glass later joined EMI Music and for record companies like Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
and EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
.
As of November 1980, the label mostly included dance music artists of different popular formats such as disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, R&B and even reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
Sam Records was technically a division of Win Records, Inc. which was headed by Sam Weiss.
Moderate success
During the late 1970s, SAM Records artists enjoyed some success especially on Billboard Disco charts. Artists that crossed overCrossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
to different charts mostly include boogie
Boogie (genre)
Boogie is an electronic/funk-influenced variation of post-disco.Boogie, as one of the post-disco subgenres, lacks the four-on-the-floor beat, which is a "traditional" rhythm of disco music. Aside from the moderate influence of synthpop, boogie heavily draws from funk music...
/dance
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
compositions like "Don't Let Go of Me" (1982, Mike & Brenda Sutton
Mike & Brenda Sutton
Mike & Brenda Sutton was an American musical duo composed of Michael B. Sutton and Brenda Sutton. Mike & Brenda Sutton are best known for their dance song called "Don't Let Go of Me ". It was remixed by Shep Pettibone.-History:...
) peaked at #82 R&B
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, "Rock Shock" (1982, B.B.C.S. & A.) peaked at #82 R&B, and "Feel Alright" (1982, Komiko
Komiko
Komiko was a short-lived studio group, best known for their moderate garage/boogie hit written by Nick Braddy, "Feel Alright". It was released in 1982 for SAM Records...
) peaked at #83 R&B.
Selected discography
| Year | Catalog | Song | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | S-102 | "Woman Of The Ghetto" | Doris Duke Doris Duke (soul singer) Doris Duke is an American gospel and soul singer, best known for her 1969 album I'm A Loser.-Biography:She was born as Doris Curry in Sandersville, Georgia, and reportedly started singing with gospel groups including the Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker and Caravans, though this has been questioned... |
First single issued by SAM |
| 1978 | S-12458 | "Keep On Dancin'"/"Do It At The Disco" | Gary's Gang Gary's Gang Gary's Gang was an American funk/soul/R&B/disco group who just missed having a U.S. Top 40 hit, when their lone Billboard Hot 100 entry, "Keep on Dancin'", reached #41 in 1978... |
Debut single |
| 1980 | S-12332 | "Just How Sweet Is Your Love"/"I Found Love In You" | Rhyze Rhyze Rhyze was an American R&B and funk band. The group consisted of Roscoe Taylor , Elisworth "EI-T" Anderson , Vince Jackson , Charles Holmes , Joseph "Jo Jo" McKnight , Kevin Barbee , Richard Menter and Kenneth Hicks... |
— |
| 1981 | S-12342 | "We'll Make It" | Mike & Brenda Sutton Mike & Brenda Sutton Mike & Brenda Sutton was an American musical duo composed of Michael B. Sutton and Brenda Sutton. Mike & Brenda Sutton are best known for their dance song called "Don't Let Go of Me ". It was remixed by Shep Pettibone.-History:... |
— |
| 1981 | 81-5021 | "It's Hot"/"Hupendi Muziki Wangu?!" | K.I.D. K.I.D. K.I.D. is an italo disco group best known for their SAM import and club hit "You Don't Like My Music " that entered the Billboard Club charts. The name is a pseudonym used by Geoffrey Bastow.-Career:... |
— |
| 1982 | 82-5027 | "Rock Shock" | B.B.C.S. & A. | — |
| 1982 | S-12352 | "Hold On" | Kreamcicle | — |
| 1982 | S-12354 | "Under The Wear" | The Webboes | — |
| 1982 | S-12339 | "The Wikka Wrap" | Evasions | — |
| 1982 | S-12351 | "Don't Let Go Of Me" | Mike & Brenda Sutton Mike & Brenda Sutton Mike & Brenda Sutton was an American musical duo composed of Michael B. Sutton and Brenda Sutton. Mike & Brenda Sutton are best known for their dance song called "Don't Let Go of Me ". It was remixed by Shep Pettibone.-History:... |
— |
| 1982 | S-12344 | "Feel Alright" | Komiko Komiko Komiko was a short-lived studio group, best known for their moderate garage/boogie hit written by Nick Braddy, "Feel Alright". It was released in 1982 for SAM Records... |
— |
| 1982 | VS 486-12 | "This Beat Is Mine" | Vicky "D" Vicky D Vicky “D” was a short-lived New York-based post-disco/garage house group best known for their club hit "This Beat Is Mine". As of January 23, 1982, "This Beat Is Mine" peaked at #30 on Billboard Club Play Singles chart. In April 3, 1982, the song already reached very low position #74... |
— |
| 1983 | S-12358 | "Somebody's Loving You" | Klassique | — |