Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs

Fronted by vocalist Domingo ‘Sam’ Samudio (born in Dallas Texas on February 28, 1937), Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs was a garage rock group best known for the classic rock and roll hits “Wooly Bully” (1965) and “Li’l Red Riding Hood” (1966). Domingo Samudio formed his first group during high school with classmates that included Trini Lopez. After high school, he joined the Navy and spent six years in Panama before returning to Texas after he was discharged. He formed the Pharaohs in 1961, with stage outfits inspired by Yul Brynner’s character in The Ten Commandments, the group was a popular live act but after one unsuccessful single, the group split up. One of the members of the Pharaohs went on to play in a band called Andy and the Nightriders and when their organist quit, Domingo Samudio stepped in and began performing under the name Sam the Sham. By 1963, the Nightriders line-up had changed, and the group morphed into Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs. The group’s first single, “Wooly Bully,” was released on an independent label, but was soon acquired by MGM Records, who re-released the single. The song rose to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also sold impressively in the UK, Canada, and elsewhere. The group’s debut album, Wooly Bully (1965), was a Top 30 smash and included other charting singles including "Ju Ju Hand" (#26), "Ring Dang Doo" (#33) and "Red Hot" (#82). In 1966, the single “Li’l Red Riding Hood” – taken from the album of the same name – became their second hit, climbing to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. The 1966 singles “The Hair on My Chinny Chin Chin” and “How Do You Catch a Girl” made the Top 30, but Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs’ garage rock sound began to sound dated next to the new sounds emerging during the Summer of Love and the hits dried up. Sam the Sham released his first solo album, Ten of Pentacles, in 1968, and another solo album, Sam, Hard and Heavy (1971) under the name Sam Samudio. Like many groups from the 1960s, Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs were largely forgotten in the 1970s, but their garage rock beat attracted new generations of fans when several compilations were released over the years including Pharaohization! The Best of Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs (1985) and The MGM Singles (2011).

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