Sammy Drain

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 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, Buddy Miles, Bobby Womack and Stevie Wonder. Drain was also a photographer, actor, and the co-founder of the Seattle Blues Society.

Sammy Drain
Birth nameSamuel Lee Drain
BornMarch 13, 1945
United States
DiedJuly 22, 2016(2016-07-22) (aged 71)
GenresBlues, rock, rnb
Occupation(s)Musician, actor
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1960s to 2016

Early years and background

Sammy was born to parents Andrew and Carrie Drain on March 13, 1945.[1]

He started playing guitar around the age of thirteen.[2] He also played keyboards and drums.[3]

He was a local neighborhood and school friend of Jimi Hendrix who hung out with him and knew the family well.[4][5] When they were young, both Drain and Hendrix got up to some mischief. Hendrix was proud of his Cherokee ancestry and liking the Native American footwear, both Drain and Hendrix each lifted a pair of moccasins.[6] They also played instruments and jammed together. Drain and Hendrix experimented by trading licks and writing songs etc.[7][8] Drain had played at some of the same clubs that Hendrix played in.[9] Drain's influences were B.B. King, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, Albert King and Freddie King.[10]

Later years

1990s

Drain was instrumental in having a Jimi Hendrix Day recognized. He approached the mayor of Seattle Norm Rice 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.[11][12][13] Some years later, Drain was recognized for his musical contributions as well, and a Sammy Drain Day was proclaimed in Seattle.[14]

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.[15][16] He was interviewed for the 2004 documentary about Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best, which also featured his brother Leon Hendrix and Octavia inventor Roger Mayer.[17]

In December 2003, Sammy Drain & Company were playing at Wazobia.[18]

In 2004, it was decreed by King County Council member Larry Gossett that March 13 was "Sammy Drain Day".[19] In November 2010, it was announced that along with the Leon Hendrix band, Joe Doria of McTuff, Jabril, Shawn Smith of Brad, Brandon Storms, Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, and Drain were to play the Goodfoot Lounge on November 20 for Jimi Hendrix's 68th Birthday Bash.[20]

In 2012, he was booked to play at Jimi Hendrix's 70th birthday party. The event featured Septimus, Robb Lawrence, Stacey Stanford, Ten Twenty, Ashley Holscher and Isaiah Bush.[21]

Death and legacy

During his time, he played with the following : Albert Collins, Con Funk Shun, Buddy Miles, Bobby Womack, and Stevie Wonder.[22][23] He also did some acting for a while, and appeared in television shows such as L.A. Law.[24] 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.[25] Sammy Drain died on July 22, 2016, at age 71.

Filmography

Television shows

Documentary
  • Jimi Hendrix, the Uncut Story[26]
  • Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best - 2004[27]
  • Jimi Hendrix, The Complete Story - 2007[28]

Discography
  • Sammy Drain
  • Once Bitten

References
  1. The Stranger, Thursday, January 24, 2008 - Music & Nightlife, Business, Sammy Drain Day by Trent Moorman
  2. Seattle Peace - Sammy Drain
  3. Seattle Met, 3/13/2010 - Arts & Culture, Today is Officially Sammy Drain Day By Jonathan Cunningham
  4. Jimi Hendrix FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Voodoo Child, By Gary J. Jucha - 1 I'm Wondering If They Don't Want Me Around, At Last the Beginning
  5. Amy Winehouse and the 27 Club, By Howard Sounes - One, THE YOUNG DIONYSIANS, 2
  6. The Age, Saturday, January 15, 1994 - Page 137 Who owns Jimi Hendrix?
  7. Jimi Hendrix: Soundscapes, By Marie-Paule Macdonald - 46 - 47
  8. The Washington Post, December 19, 1993 - WHO OWNS JIMI HENDRIX? By Richard Lei
  9. Capitol Hill Times, 21/2/2017 - Gossett receives update on Jimi Hendrix Park, King County councilmember supported $35K contribution to project efforts By Brandon Macz
  10. Seattle Peace - Sammy Drain
  11. Hendrix: The Lllustrated Story, By Gillian G. Gaar, Jaan Uhelszki - Page 194
  12. Northwest Music Scene, September 11, 2017 - News, Read this excerpt of upcoming Hendrix book; ‘Hendrix: The Illustrated History’
  13. City Arts, May 14, 2014 - ‘Jimi: All Is By My Side’ Opens SIFF 2014 By Gillian G. Garr
  14. Seattle Met, 3/13/2010 - Arts & Culture, Today is Officially Sammy Drain Day By Jonathan Cunningham
  15. The Seattle Times, December 26, 2010 - New life for Central District corner By Sonia Krishnan
  16. Seattle Met, 3/13/2010 - Arts & Culture, Today is Officially Sammy Drain Day By Jonathan Cunningham
  17. Night Flight, November 27, 2017 - Castles made of sand, fall in the sea, eventually: “Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best” By Bryan Thomas
  18. The Stranger, Dec 11, 2003 - Live Music/DJ Listings SUNDAY 12/14
  19. Seattle Met, 3/13/2010 - Arts & Culture, Today is Officially Sammy Drain Day By Jonathan Cunningham
  20. Pdxpipeline.Com - Win Tickets: Jimi Hendrix 67th Birthday Bash @ Goodfoot Lounge
  21. South Florida Nights Magazine, November 26th, 2012 - Jimi Hendrix 70th Birthday Party
  22. Shelbyville Times-Gazette, Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - Guitar legend hits right notes By DAVID MELSON
  23. Seattle Met, 3/12/2010 - Arts & Culture, Today is Officially Sammy Drain Day By Jonathan Cunningham
  24. The Stranger, Thursday, January 24, 2008 - Music & Nightlife, Business, Sammy Drain Day by Trent Moorman
  25. The Stranger, Thursday, January 24, 2008 - Music & Nightlife, Business, Sammy Drain Day by Trent Moorman
  26. Sound Click - Sammy Drain
  27. Thomas, Bryan (November 27, 2017). "Jimi Hendrix: By Those Who Knew Him Best". Nightflight.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  28. Rotten Tomatoes - Jimi Hendrix - Complete Story (2007)
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