Sam the Sham
Domingo Samudio[2] (b. February 28, 1937 in Dallas, Texas, United States), better known by his stage name Sam the Sham, is a retired American rock and roll singer.Sam the Sham is known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with maroon velvet curtains.Samudio made his singing debut in second grade, representing his school in a radio broadcast.[7] Once MGM picked up the record, "Wooly Bully" ended up selling three million copies and reaching No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 5 June 1965, at a time when American pop music charts were dominated by the British Invasion.In late 1965, 11 months after "Wooly Bully", David A. Martin, Jerry Patterson, Ray Stinnett, and Butch Gibson left over a financial dispute.Sam's manager, Leonard Stogel, discovered Tony Gee & the Gypsys at the Metropole Cafe in Times Square, New York City and brought them on as the new Pharaohs.In late 1966, three women, Fran Curcio, Lorraine Gennaro, and Jane Anderson, joined as the Shamettes.The early 1980s found Sam working with Ry Cooder and Freddy Fender on the soundtrack for the Jack Nicholson film The Border.[15] In a 2007 conversation with music writer Joe Nick Patoski, Samudio described his grandparents fleeing the Mexican Revolution and settling in Texas, where his family supported themselves working in the cotton fields.