Samuel Strain Jr. (born December 9, 1939) is an American R&B vocalist, known for his time as a member of

Little Anthony and the Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

(1958–1972; 1992–2005) and

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...

(1975–1992). He holds the unusual distinction of being twice inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

: in 2005 with the O'Jays and in 2009 with Little Anthony and the Imperials.

Early life

Strain was born to Sammy Strain Sr. and Margaret Mosley in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in 1939. He visited the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

as a teenager, and dropped out of Alexander Hamilton High School, Brooklyn age 16.

Career

Strain formed

The Chips The Chips were a short-lived New York City doo-wop vocal group consisting of teenage friends Charles Johnson (lead vocal), Nathaniel Epps (baritone), Paul Fulton (bass), Sammy Strain and Shedrick Lincoln (tenors). The group's first recording is t ...

with several friends in 1956. He sang with a

tenor voice A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wi ...

. In 1958, Strain joined

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

; they later reunited with their lead singer and reformed

. From 1975 to 1992, Strain was part of

replacing original member William Powell as he was diagnosed with colon cancer, he rejoined the Imperials, and sang with them until retiring in 2005. Strain was twice inducted into the

: in 2005 with the O'Jays and in 2009 with Little Anthony and the Imperials.

Personal life

Strain married the singer

Yvonne Fair Flora Yvonne Fair Strain (''née'' Coleman; October 21, 1942 – March 6, 1994), known professionally as Yvonne Fair, was an American singer, best known for her 1975 recording of " It Should Have Been Me". Life and career Flora Yvonne Coleman ...

. He is currently married to DeBorah and has two sons.

Notes

:1.Some sources give Strain's year of birth as 1940 or 1941. However, he celebrated his 80th birthday in 2019 and most sources give 1939 as the year of birth, including the detailed biography in ''Echoes Of The Past'' magazine.http://classicurbanharmony.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Sammy-Strain-Story-Part-1-The-Chips.pdf

References

External links

* * 1939 births Living people American soul singers Musicians from Brooklyn American tenors 21st-century African-American male singers 20th-century African-American male singers {{US-R&B-singer-stub