Sam Andrew (born Sam Houston Andrew III, 18 December 1941, in Taft, California, U.S.) is a musician, singer, songwriter, composer, artist and founding member and guitarist of Big Brother and the Holding Company. During his career as musician and composer, Andrew has had three platinum albums and two hit singles. His songs have been used in numerous major motion picture soundtracks and documentaries.
As the son of a military father, he moved a great deal as a child. Sam developed a skill for music at a very early age. By the time he was fifteen living in Okinawa, he already had his own band, called the "Cool Notes". His early influences were Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Little Richard. He also listened to a great deal of Delta blues. Not only did Sam have his own band at age fifteen, but he also had his own weekly
TV show, an Okinawan version of American Bandstand.His brother Leland Andrew frequently stated his brother was the Benny Goodman of Japan.
Shortly after Sam graduated from high school his father was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base in northern California. It was during this period that Sam started attending classes at the University of San Francisco and got involved in the San Francisco folk music scene of the early 1960s. But it was not until he returned from a two-year stay in Paris that he met Peter Albin at 1090 Page Street.
As Big Brother began to gel, Sam brought many songs into the band. He has been a prolific songwriter all of his life, penning his first tune at the age of six. Of his early compositions, "Call on Me" and "Combination of the Two" have been two of Big Brother’s most enduring classic tracks.. Sam continues today in his original role as musical director of the band.
Janis Joplin was recruited by band manager Chet Helms to join Big Brother as le
ad singer on June 4, 1966. They soon landed a record contract, issuing their first album on Mainstream and their second - a top seller - on Columbia Records.
Sam and original band mate James Gurley were known for their searing, psychedelic guitar work
. In February 1997, Guitar Player magazine listed Andrew's and Gurley's work on "Summertime" as one of the top ten psychedelic solos in music history.
In December 1968 Sam along with Janis Joplin left Big Brother and the Holding Company to form the Kozmic Blues Band. After about nine months and one album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, Sam returned to Big Brother.
After Big Brother stopped performing in 1972, he moved to New York where he studied harmony and counterpoint at the New School for Social Research and composition at Mannes School of Music. During this period he also scored several films in the US and Canada as well as writing two string quartets and a symphony. He remained in New York City for eight years before returning to San Francisco where he began playing clarinet and saxophone. Big Brother and the Holding Company reunited in 1987.
During the 1990s in addition to touring with Big Brother, Andrew was involved with his solo project, The Sam Andrew Band, that toured across North America, and the spoken word quartet, Theatre of Light, that featured The Vagabond Poet, Tony Seldin, keyboardist, Tom Constanten and harpist/pianist, Elise Piliwale.
Andrew is also Music Director of the play Love, Janis, a biopic based on the life of Janis Joplin, written by Laura Joplin and directed by Randal Myler.
Andrew performed at the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock Concert on August 22, 2009 at Bethel Woods, New York.
Sam lives in northern California with his wife Elise Piliwale. He has one daughter, Mari Andrew, from his marriage to Suzanne Thorson.
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