He formed “The Pharaohs” in 1961 in Dallas. The other members were Carl Medke, Russell Fowler, Omar "Big Man” Lopez and Vincent Lopez (not related to Omar). In 1962 the group made one record but it did not sell. Tired of playing for $5 per man per night, The Pharaohs disbanded in late 1962.
In May, 1963, Vincent Lopez was playing for a band named “Andy and The Nightriders” in Louisiana. When their organist quit, Sam joined the group as the new organist. “Andy and The Nightriders” was composed of Andy Anderson, David A. Martin, Vincent Lopez and Sam. “The Nightriders” became very popular as the house band at The Congo Club. It was here that Sam became the “The Sham” in a dual reference to the fact that the band’s name was “Andy and The Nightriders” and Andy Anderson was the leader but everyone came to hear Sam sing and the fact that Sam couldn’t really play the organ – he could only play chords.
In June of 1963, “The Nightriders” headed for Memphis, Tennessee and once again became a very popular house band at a club called The Diplomat. In late summer 1963, Andy Anderson and Vincent Lopez left the band to return to Texas. Sam and David A. Martin replaced them with Jerry Patterson and Ray Stinnett and changed the name of the band to “Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs”. Shortly thereafter, the band added saxophonist, Butch Gibson.
After paying to record and press their own records to sell at their gigs, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs wound up with the Pen label in Memphis. There, they recorded what would prove to be their first and biggest hit ever, "Wooly Bully". "Wooly Bully" was a worldwide sensation and sold 3 million copies, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts in the summer of 1965.
The lyrics of "Wooly Bully" were hard to understand, and some radio stations banned it. The song was originally called "Hully Gully". When told by the record company that they couldn't use that phrase, Sam changed the words to the name of cat - 'Wooly Bully'. It became the first American record to sell a million copies during the onslaught of the British Invasion, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Although the "Wooly Bully" single never reached #1 on the national charts, it had great "legs," lingering in the U.S. Top 40 for a then-impressive 18 weeks. It remains the only Billboard 'Record of the Year' not to have topped the Hot 100 chart.
The Pharoahs' next releases-- "Ju Ju Hand" and "Ring Dang Doo"-- were minor chart successes. In late 1965, 11 months after the release of "Wooly Bully", David Martin, Jerry Patterson, Ray Stinnett, and Butch Gibson left Sam over a financial dispute. Sam's business manager Leanord Stogal discovered a band called Tony Gee & The Gypsys playing at the Metropole Cafe in Times Square, New York City. The band personal were Tony "Butch" Gerace, bass/vocals, Frankie Carabetta sax, keys/vocals, Billy Bennett drums/vocals, and Andy Kuha guitar/vocals. It was this new set of Pharaohs that recorded "Lil' Red Riding Hood" which reached #1 at the top of the charts of Cashbox Magazine in the first week of August of 1966.
A series of mostly novelty tunes followed (all on the MGM label) and kept the group on the charts into 1967. The titles of these songs included "The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin", "How Do You Catch A Girl", and "Oh That's Good, No, That's Bad". In 1967 3 girls joined the line up, Fran Curcio, Lorraine Genaro, and Jane Anderson. The new addition was called "The Shamettes". The group traveled to Asia as Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs and The Shamettes. In late 1967, Sam changed the name of the group to The Sam the Sham Revue. In 1970 Samudio went on his own and issued an album called Sam, Hard and Heavy on Atlantic. The album featured Duane Allman on guitar, the Dixie Flyers and the Memphis Horns. He formed a new band in 1974. The early 80s found Sam working with Ry Cooder on the soundtrack for the film The Border.
Sam continues to record, write, and do an occasional concert venue, while his adopted hometown of Memphis has adopted him an official ambassador of Memphis Rock and Roll.
Sam continues his motivational speaking events and will release a much anticipated book of poetry in early 2007. For more news about Sam, go to:
www.samthesham.com
grasshopper
Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Ok, ok! Ow! Ha-ha-ha-ha!)
I got a girl that I love so,
Never, never goin' to let her go,
If she was an apple I'd want to be the tree,
If she was a seagull, I'd want to be the sea,
If she was a bottle, I'd want to be a stopper,
Cuase that would make me be...
A little grasshopper!
Hee-hee-hee-hee, ha-ha-ha!
He be the hubbin' around, hee-hee-hee!
Let's give it to them again!
Ok! Ow! Aaah!
At first it burns, than he starts to free
A good, good love is as sweet as can be.
If she was a passenger, I'd want to be the train.
If she was a picture , I'd want to be her frame.
If she was a bottle, I'd want to be a stopper,
I'm so glad she's not to play the grass,
Cuase that would make me be...
A little grasshopper!
Hee-hee-hee, a little grasshopper!
Look me - he be the hubbin' around!
Hee-hee, ha-ha-ha!
An apple, a tree, a seagull, anything.
Ok, let's give it to them again!
Aaaah!
Pesca la, pesca lo!..
The lyrics of "Grasshopper" by Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs revolve around the idea of love and the singer's deep affection for his girl. The song starts with the singer expressing his commitment to his girlfriend and how he will never let her go. He uses metaphors to describe his love for her, stating that he wants to be the tree if she was an apple and the sea if she was a seagull. He also adds that he is glad that she is not playing games with him because that would make him a little grasshopper.
The song then talks about how the feeling of love can be intense at first but can eventually lead to a pleasant experience. The singer states that a good love is as sweet as can be and uses more metaphors like wanting to be the train if she was a passenger and the frame if she was a picture. Overall, the song praises the feeling of love and the joy it brings to the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a girl that I love so,
I am in love with a girl.
Never, never goin' to let her go,
I will not let her go, ever.
If she was an apple I'd want to be the tree,
I'd rather be the tree that bears her rather than being the apple itself.
If she was a seagull, I'd want to be the sea,
I'd rather be an entity that surrounds and carefully cradles her existence.
If she was a bottle, I'd want to be a stopper,
I'd rather be something that prevents others from accessing her existence.
I'm so glad she's not to play the grass,
I am grateful that she is not something that promotes a temporary pleasure.
Cuase that would make me be...
Because it would make me become...
A little grasshopper!
someone small and insignificant.
At first it burns, than he starts to free
Initially, the feeling is intense, but it eventually becomes liberating.
A good, good love is as sweet as can be.
True love is the epitome of sweetness.
If she was a passenger, I'd want to be the train.
I'd rather be the protective entity that shields her from the world, just like a train shield its passengers.
If she was a picture , I'd want to be her frame.
I would love to be the one that keeps her whole and strong, just like a frame does to a picture.
I'm so glad she's not to play the grass,
I am grateful that she is not something that promotes a temporary pleasure.
Cuase that would make me be...
Because it would make me become...
A little grasshopper!
Someone insignificant and small.
Contributed by Alex V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.