Sam Fletcher (born Ira Levi Fletcher, "Sam Fletcher", Fresh Sound Records
Retrieved 7 July 2019 January 15, 1934 – April 25, 1989) was an American singer who recorded in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Life and career

Fletcher was born in rural

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and grew up in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. His family were members of the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is an international Christian perfection#Holiness Pentecostalism, Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and a large Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi ...

(COGIC), and as a child he would attract church audiences for his singing. After studying at college, he joined the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, served during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, and while stationed in Germany sang with the Seventh Army Jazz Concert Band. On returning to the US he began performing popular secular music despite the opposition of his family and church. From 1958, he released several singles on the

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

and Cub labels, both subsidiaries of

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

. He performed in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

supper club A supper club is a traditional dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class imag ...

s in New York City, and appeared in an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of ''

The Amen Corner ''The Amen Corner'' is a three-act play by James Baldwin. It was Baldwin's first work for the stage following the success of his novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain''. The drama was first published in 1954, and inspired a short-lived 1983 Broad ...

''. Manager

Lee Magid Lee Magid (born Leon Magid; April 6, 1926 – March 31, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues producer and manager, who worked with artists such as Clara Ward, Al Hibbler, Sam Fletcher, and Della Reese.''ASCAP Biographical Dictionary,'' Fourth ...

signed him to

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

in 1960, and he released further singles, produced by

Hugo Peretti Hugo E. Peretti (December 6, 1916 – May 1, 1986) was an American songwriter, trumpeter, and record producer. Born in New York City to an Italian American family, Peretti began his music career as a teenager, playing the trumpet in the Bor ...

and

Luigi Creatore Luigi Federico Creatore (December 21, 1921 – December 13, 2015) was an American songwriter and record producer. Creatore was born in New York City in 1921, the son of noted Italian-born bandleader and composer Giuseppe Creatore. After serving ...

, including "Tall Hope" (from the musical ''

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

''), and his

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

, " I Believe In You" in 1961. While regionally successful, none of his records made the national charts. Singer

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

sought out Fletcher to appear in her

television shows A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platfo ...

. He appeared in her ''The Best is Yet To Come'' end-of-season special in 1963, and later on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...

'' and other television variety shows. After moving to Los Angeles, he became a popular

nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

act, and opened for such stars as

Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric stage persona, Self-deprecation, se ...

and

Mitzi Gaynor Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber (September 4, 1931 – October 17, 2024), known professionally as Mitzi Gaynor, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films included ''We're Not Married!'' (1952), ''There's No Business ...

. As "The Man With The Golden Voice", "Sam Fletcher", Fresh Sound Records
Retrieved 7 July 2019 he signed for

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

, who released his first album, ''Sam Fletcher Sings 'I Believe in You – featuring a re-recording of his earlier song, and

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

s by

Bill Finegan William James Finegan (April 3, 1917 – June 4, 2008) was an American jazz bandleader, pianist, arranger, and composer. He was an arranger in the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Life and career Born in Newark, New Jers ...

– in 1964. Fletcher's single, "I'd Think It Over", produced by

Calvin Carter Calvin Tollie Carter (May 27, 1925 – July 9, 1986) was an American record producer, record label manager and songwriter of jazz and pop songs. Calvin Carter was born in Gary, Indiana, in 1925. He joined Vee-Jay Records, founded by his sis ...

and released on Vee-Jay's subsidiary Tollie label in 1964, was later popular on Britain's

Northern soul Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod (subculture), mod scene, based on a particular style of African American music, Black American ...

scene. Continuing to appear on shows presented by both Dinah Shore and

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

, Fletcher recorded his second album, ''The Look of Love – The Sound of Soul'', a collection of jazz standards and other songs including "

God Only Knows "God Only Knows" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album ''Pet Sounds''. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, it is a Baroque pop, baroque-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and complex ...

", arranged by

Harry Betts Harry Betts (September 15, 1922 – July 13, 2012) was an American jazz trombonist. Background Born in New York and raised in Fresno, California, he was active as a jazz trombonist and played with Stan Kenton's orchestra in the 1950s. He can be h ...

, for

Vault Records Vault Records was a record label founded by Jack Lewerke and Ralph Kaffel in Los Angeles in 1963. Vault is known for contributing to the popularity of surf rock by releasing ''Surfbeat'', the debut album of the Challengers. ATCO Records distribu ...

in 1967. Fletcher's career was derailed and effectively ended by his arrest in Los Angeles on

narcotics The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

charges in December 1967. "Singer Sam Fletcher Booked On Narcotics Charges", ''Jet'', December 7, 1967, p. 60
/ref> He went into rehabilitation and attempted to revive his career but was restricted to local performances and occasional more public events such as

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

's wedding to Veronica Porche in 1977. He also worked as a teacher in Los Angeles. He was injured in a street robbery in the early 1980s, and performers at a benefit event for him included O. C. Smith and his friend

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Washington; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. ...

. "About Sam Fletcher", ''SoulSource.co.uk'', 24 April 2007
Retrieved 8 July 2019 He died in Los Angeles in 1989 (not 1984 as sometimes reported), and was buried with military honors at

Memphis National Cemetery Memphis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the Nutbush neighborhood in northeast Memphis, Tennessee. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of the end of 2007, h ...

. A CD containing both his albums has been released by Fresh Sound Records. "Sam Fletcher", ''Blue Sounds Records''
Retrieved 7 July 2019

Albums

* ''Sam Fletcher Sings "I Believe In You"'' (Vee-Jay, 1964) * ''The Look of Love – The Sound of Soul'' (Vault, 1967)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Sam 1934 births 1989 deaths Vee-Jay Records artists Northern soul musicians 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers