Sam Henry (musician)

Samuel William Henry (December 28, 1956 – February 20, 2022) was an American drummer, best known for his work with the punk rock group The Wipers. He was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2011.[1]

Sam Henry
Birth nameSamuel William Henry
Born(1956-12-28)December 28, 1956
OriginPortland, Oregon, U.S.
DiedFebruary 20, 2022(2022-02-20) (aged 65)
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1970–2022

Musical career

Sam Henry has been drumming in bands in Portland for four decades. He has played in The Wipers, The Rats, Napalm Beach, Poison Idea, Snow Bud & The Flower People, Morgan Grace, DON'T, Jenny Don't And The Spurs, and others. His bands were a staple at Portland's legendary Satyricon. Though some may think of Sam as Portland's quintessential punk drummer, he has also played funk with Shock, 1930s swing jazz with the Stolen Sweets and even country roots music with Michael Dean Damron, as well as most every other genre of music. Sam is also a music instructor giving drum lessons to many up-and-coming musicians.

— Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2011[1]

The Wipers

Henry played with multiple bands growing up but it was not until 1975/76 when he met Greg Sage and Dave Koupal that he formed his first serious band. The trio played for a year or so together before moving to Cape Coral, Florida, and forming what then became the band The Wipers in 1977, with the original lineup of Sam Henry on drums, Dave Koupal on bass, and Greg Sage on guitar and vocals. According to Henry they had to move out of Portland because the insurgence of the 70's disco left them with no place to play. After moving out of Florida and back to Portland The band recorded and released their first two singles ("Better Off Dead" and "Alien Boy"), as well as their first full length "Is This Real".[2] The band continued to move around the country including making a move to New York, but in 1979 Henry left the band and joined Fred Cole and his wife Toody Cole to play in the pre-Dead Moon band called The Rats.

Napalm Beach

Henry was the drummer in The Rats until 1981 when he left the band and joined Chris Newman to play in Napalm Beach.[3] Napalm Beach was Henry's longest running band, playing their final show on Sam's 60th birthday.[4]

Jenny Don't and the Spurs

In 2009 Henry formed the Portland band "Don't" with Jenny Connors, Dan Lowinger, and David Minick.[5] The group released a full-length LP titled "Away, Away" and two 45's on Kelly Halliburton's label "Doomtown Sounds" and one single on the Long Island label "Dead Broke Rekerds". Don't went on tour with Pierced Arrows as direct support for two U.S. tours in 2011 and 2012 and toured Europe in 2013.

Henry and Jenny also joined with Kelly Halliburton to form the roots/alt-country band Jenny Don't and The Spurs. The trio released their first single on Fred Cole's label Tombstone Records.

Personal life and death

Henry died from complications of stomach cancer on February 20, 2022, at the age of 65.[6]

References
  1. "2011 Inductees". Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  2. "Wipers - Is This Real?". Discogs. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  3. Meyer, Erika (December 28, 2016). "Introducing Napalm Beach". skullmanrecords.com.
  4. "Portland Mercury BLOGTOWN Things To Do Tonight". portlandmercury.com. September 4, 2013.
  5. "DD Auto Info". DD Auto Info. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  6. "Απεβίωσε ο αυθεντικός ντράμερ των Wipers, Sam Henry". Rocking.gr. February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
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