Sammy Drain (March 13, 1945 – July 22, 2016) was a guitarist from Seattle who was well known in the area and considered to be a legend. He also was a friend of rock guitarist

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

and jammed with him before Hendrix found fame. During his lifetime, he was a living link to Hendrix's youth years. During his career, he played with artists such as

Albert Collins Albert Gene Drewery, known as Albert Collins and the Ice Man (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993),Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. ...

Buddy Miles George Allen "Buddy" Miles Jr. (September 5, 1947February 26, 2008) was an American composer, drummer, guitarist, vocalist and producer. He was a founding member of the Electric Flag (1967), a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys (1969–197 ...

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guit ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

. Drain was also a photographer, actor, and the co-founder of the Seattle Blues Society.

Early years and background

Sammy was born to parents Andrew and Carrie Drain on March 13, 1945. He started playing guitar around the age of thirteen. He also played keyboards and drums. He was a local neighborhood and school friend of Jimi Hendrix who hung out with him and knew the family well. When they were young, both Drain and Hendrix got up to some mischief. Hendrix was proud of his

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ancestry and liking the Native American footwear, both Drain and Hendrix each lifted a pair of moccasins. They also played instruments and jammed together. Drain and Hendrix experimented by trading licks and writing songs etc. Drain had played at some of the same clubs that Hendrix played in. Drain's influences were

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

and

Freddie King Freddie King (September 3, 1934December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King and B.B. King, none of whom were blood related). Mos ...

Later years

1990s

Drain was instrumental in having a Jimi Hendrix Day recognized. He approached the mayor of Seattle

Norm Rice Norman Blann Rice (born May 4, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 49th mayor of Seattle, Washington, serving two terms from 1990 to 1997. Rice was Seattle's first elected African-American mayor. Early life Rice graduated from th ...

and talked to him about it. The mayor, knowing the contribution to music Hendrix had made, readily agreed and on November 27, 1992, which would have been the 50th birthday for the guitarist, Mayor Rice issued a proclamation making it Jimi Hendrix Day. Some years later, Drain was recognized for his musical contributions as well, and a Sammy Drain Day was proclaimed in Seattle.

2000s

Drain was a regular player and the main blues artist at Thompson’s Point of View at 23rd and Union. The restaurant had a problem with criminal activity taking place outside the premises which resulted in customers being frightened away. One day, a scuffle broke out in the club and Drain was nearly shot. Consequently, he left the venue. He was interviewed for the 2004 documentary about Hendrix, ''Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best'', which also featured his brother

Leon Hendrix Leon Morris Hendrix (born January 13, 1948) is an American painter, songwriter, and musician who began playing the guitar later in life and has released several albums. He is the brother of American rock guitarist and singer Jimi Hendrix. He i ...

and Octavia inventor Roger Mayer. In December 2003, Sammy Drain & Company were playing at Wazobia. In 2004, it was decreed by King County Council member

Larry Gossett Lawrence Edward Gossett (born February 21, 1945) is an American politician and activist who served as a member of the nonpartisan King County Council, representing District 10 from 1994 to 2006 and District 2 from 2006 to 2020.

that March 13 was "Sammy Drain Day". In November 2010, it was announced that along with the Leon Hendrix band,

Joe Doria Joe Doria is an American Hammond Organ keyboardist from Seattle, Washington. Playing many styles, Doria has backed solo artists from the Seattle area and is a member of several Seattle based groups, some of which have toured nationally. These inc ...

of McTuff, Jabril, Shawn Smith of

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, Brandon Storms,

Barrett Martin Barrett Martin (born April 14, 1967) is an American record producer, percussionist, writer, and ethnomusicologist from Washington. As a producer he has won one Latin Grammy and has been nominated in two other categories. As an ethnomusicologist ...

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, and Drain were to play the Goodfoot Lounge on November 20 for Jimi Hendrix's 68th Birthday Bash. In 2012, he was booked to play at Jimi Hendrix's 70th birthday party. The event featured Septimus,

Robb Lawrence Robb is a surname of Scottish origin, formed from a diminution (reduction) of the name Robert. Robert was a popular name, especially after its use by three Scots Kings in the fourteenth century. Rob is first recorded as a surname in the mid-15th ...

, Stacey Stanford, Ten Twenty, Ashley Holscher and Isaiah Bush.

Death and legacy

During his time, he played with the following :

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, and

. He also did some acting for a while, and appeared in television shows such as ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

''. He also served as a mentor and teacher to young people of both Caucasian and African American backgrounds, teaching them about the guitar, his passion in music and the blues. Sammy Drain died on July 22, 2016 at age 71.

Filmography

Television shows

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Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann (director), Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo ...

'' * ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' * ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Se ...

'' * ''

My Sister Sam ''My Sister Sam'' is an American television sitcom starring Pam Dawber and Rebecca Schaeffer that aired on CBS from October 6, 1986, to April 12, 1988. Synopsis The sitcom follows the lives of a 29-year-old San Francisco freelance photographer n ...

Documentary

* ''Jimi Hendrix, the Uncut Story'' * ''Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best'' - 2004 * ''Jimi Hendrix, The Complete Story'' - 2007

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

Jimi Hendrix - Complete Story (2007)
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Discography

* ''Sammy Drain'' * ''Once Bitten''

References

External links

Sammy Drain on flickr

Sammy Drain on SoundClick

Frank Brown - Cool walkin' Fast talkin' Sammy Drain

Drain and Keith Cook jamming
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drain, Sammy 1945 births 2016 deaths African-American guitarists African-American rock musicians Jimi Hendrix Lead guitarists Musicians from Seattle Guitarists from Washington (state) 20th-century American guitarists