Sami Jo (born Jane Annette Jobe on May 9, 1947 in Batesville,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

) is an American former

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

. She is best known for her 1974 single " Tell Me a Lie", which peaked at No. 21 on the

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

that same year. The song also peaked at number 43 in Australia. Sami Jo was raised in a religious family in Batesville, AR. She began singing on local radio at age 3 and was also a local beauty queen during high school. When she was 19 she moved to Dallas, where she acquired the nickname "Sam" from a roommate, which eventually turned into "Sami Jo". Her early career was guided by Atlanta music legend

Sonny Limbo Sonny Limbo was an American record producer, arranger and composer. His production credits include, " I Wanna Come Over" for Alabama, " Tell Me a Lie" for Sami Jo, and albums, '' Just Another Day in Paradise'' for Bertie Higgins and '' Live It U ...

. He connected Sami Jo with

Rick Hall Roe Erister "Rick" Hall (January 31, 1932 – January 2, 2018) was an American record producer, songwriter, and musician who became known as the owner of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As the "Father of Muscle Shoals Music", he was ...

in Muscle Shoals, AL, where she recorded two singles that failed to chart. Sonny then got her a deal with MGM South, which led to Sami Jo's first hit, "Tell Me A Lie". In addition to reaching #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, it also reached #14 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Her follow-up single, " It Could Have Been Me", also did well, reaching #46 pop and #31 easy listening. Her first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, also entitled ''It Could Have Been Me'', peaked at #33 on the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

Albums

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...

. Despite this early success, Sami Jo did not achieve another major hit on either the pop or the country charts. In 1975, after MGM South was folded into its parent label,

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 ...

, Sami Jo charted one record ("I'll Believe Anything You Say") at #62 on Billboard's Top Country Singles chart. When MGM Records was merged into

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, Sami Jo continued recording for the new label, achieving two minor country hits ("God Loves Us" and "Take Me To Heaven") in 1976, working with Jimmy Bowen as her producer. After these two singles, Sami Jo was dropped by her label. She was signed to Elektra/Asylum's country division in 1981 by its president, her former producer Jimmy Bowen. Even though her recordings were produced by Bowen, neither of her two charting singles ("One Love Over Easy" and a remake of Eddie Rabbitt's "I Can't Help Myself") cracked the top 70 on the country chart. In 1983, Elektra stopped recording country music and transferred the artists it recorded in the genre (including Sami Jo) to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. She worked with producer Jim Ed Norman (best known for his work with

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

) on a remake of Brenda Lee's "

Emotions Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...

", but Warner Bros. recalled the single soon after sending promo singles to radio stations. She also recorded some tracks for the Southern Tracks label, but none charted. After her music career ended, Sami Jo managed two stores in Tulsa, OK. She has a son, Tony, and a grandson, Maximus.John O'Dowd, ''Sami Jo: Lady With The Powerhouse Voice''. website article at http://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapayton.com/samijo/index.html, 2006 Sami Jo Cole Website: http://www.samijocole.com/index.html "Tell Me a Lie" was later covered in 1983 by

recording artist A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, ...

Janie Fricke Jane Marie Fricke ( ; born December 19, 1947), known professionally as Janie Fricke, is an American country music singer, record producer, and clothing designer. She has placed seventeen Single (music), singles in the top ten of the US ''Billboa ...

, who turned the song into a No. 1 Country hit.

Additional information

In-depth interview with Sami Jo: http://www.hollywoodstarletbarbarapayton.com/samijo/index.html Sami Jo Cole website: http://www.samijocole.com/index.html

Discography

*''It Could Have Been Me'' (MGM South, S3G 703, 1974) *''Sami Jo'' (MGM South, M3G 4998, 1975)

References

Singers from Arkansas American women singers 1947 births Living people 21st-century American women {{US-singer-stub