Sammy Rae

Samantha Bowers (born January 4, 1994), known professionally as Sammy Rae, is an American singer and songwriter who leads the band Sammy Rae & The Friends.[1][2][3] Her[lower-alpha 1] first EP The Good Life was released in 2018.[5][6] Her musical style is influenced by a number of genres, including funk, jazz, rock, folk, and pop.[7]

Sammy Rae
Born
Samantha Bowers

(1994-01-04) January 4, 1994
Derby, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2016–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • Piano
  • Ukulele
  • Banjo
  • Guitar
Labels
Websitesammyrae.com

Early life

Sammy Rae was born as Samantha Bowers in Derby, Connecticut, on January 4, 1994. In 2013, at the age of 19, Rae moved to New York City to pursue songwriting and study music at Manhattan College.[8][4] She eventually left school and worked waiting tables while pursuing music in her free time. She also took up a six-month residency at the Cotton Club jazz lounge in Harlem. Rae regularly sang at open mic shows and began writing and recording her own songs.[9] It was during this time that she met the six other musicians who would become her future bandmates.[4]

Career

In 2016, Rae joined together with six other musicians in Brooklyn to form their band, Sammy Rae & The Friends. The band consists of Sammy Rae (vocals), Kellon Reese (alto saxophone), Max Zooi (tenor saxophone), James Quinlan (bass), Debbie Tjong (keys and background music), Will Leet (guitarist), and C-Bass Chiriboga (drums).[4] Rae stated she was influenced by church music (particularly gospel) and classic rock, as well as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon for vocals, and the E Street Band for their group dynamics.[10] The band's style is influenced by the diverse musical backgrounds of all its members, with genres such as jazz, rock, funk, folk, theater, and world music.[4]

In 2018, her band, Sammy Rae & The Friends, released their EP The Good Life, followed in 2021 by their EP Let's Throw a Party.[11] Through 2021 and 2022, the band gained popularity on Spotify, partly due to being featured on the platform's "Discover Weekly" playlist.[4]

Originally, Sammy Rae & The Friends were set to tour in 2020, but the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to cancel.[4] In 2021, the band embarked on the Follow Me Like The Moon Tour, playing shows across the United States, as well as Toronto, Ontario.[12][13] In 2022, the band completed their If It All Goes South tour.[14] In 2023, the band released an album composed of live recordings from this tour, called The If It All Goes South Tour (Live). In 2023, the band began its 'CAMP: The Tour!' world tour.[15]

Personal life

Sammy Rae identifies as queer and uses she/her or they/them pronouns. As a result, her music often includes themes of queer and female empowerment. This is most apparent in her song "Jackie Onassis," which Rae has stated is "a love song to my first crushes, and it’s also a love song to all young women."[16]

Discography

EPs
Release Date EP Name Song Name
2018 The Good Life 1. The Feeling

2. Good Life

3. Flesh & Bone

4. Talk It Up

5. Kick It to Me

2021 Let's Throw A Party 1. Whatever We Feel

2. Jackie Onassis

3. Living Room Floor

4. Creo Lo Sientes (feat. C-BASS)

5. Let's Throw a Party!

Albums
Release Date EP Name Song Name
2023 The If It All Goes South Tour (Live) 1. Follow Me Like the Moon - Live at the Marquee Theater

2. Talk It Up - Live at Koko

3. Whatever We Feel - Live at the Electric Brixton

4. Check In - Live at the Saturn

5. Creo Lo Sientes - Live at The Fonda Theatre

6. Living Room Floor - Live at The Saturn

7. The Box - Live at The Saturn

8. For the Time Being - Live at The Saturn

9. Denim Jacket - Live at the Roadrunner

10. Jackie Onassis - Live at the Roadrunner

11. If It All Goes South - Live at the Roadrunner

12. Believe - Live at the Fonda Theatre

13. Flesh & Bone - Live at The Showbox

14. Good Life - Live at First Avenue

15. Let's Throw a Party! - Live at the Fillmore Silver Spring

16. Hotel California - Live at the Roadrunner

17. Friends in Low Places - Live at The Saturn

18. Kick It to Me - Live at the Crystal Ballroom

Singles
  • Cold-Hearted Man (2023)
  • Closer to You (2023)
  • If It All Goes South (2022)
  • For the Time Being (2022)
  • Follow Me Like the Moon (2022)
  • Everybody Wants to Rule the World (2021)
  • Last Christmas (2020)
  • Living Room Floor (2020)
  • Jackie Onassis (2020)
  • Whatever We Feel (2020)
  • Denim Jacket (2019)
  • The Box (2019)
  • Saw It Coming (2019)
  • Kick It to Me (2018)

Notes
  1. Rae uses she/her and they/them pronouns;[4] for consistency, this article uses she/her.

References
  1. Feldberg, Isaac (7 February 2020). "Conn.-raised jazz-rock singer Sammy Rae brings her Friends to the Sinclair this weekend". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  2. Bastian, Annie (16 November 2020). "Artist of the Month: Sammy Rae". Ball State Daily. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  3. Shaffer, Delaney (2021-10-12). "Sammy Rae & The Friends set to perform at Westcott Theater with Sarah Gross". The Daily Orange. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  4. Doyle, Céilí. "Why Sammy Rae & The Friends is the perfect band for the pandemic era". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  5. Morris, C. Zawadi (6 November 2018). "Sammy Rae Takes on Brooklyn! (And She's Got a Band of Friends)". BK Reader. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  6. Forte, Camilla (2019-02-26). "Jazz-Rock Mashup Sammy Rae Is Amy Winehouse's Punchier Young Sister". Study Breaks. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  7. Adams, Jordan (29 January 2020). "Sammy Rae & the Friends Want to Be Your Pals". Seven Days. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  8. "Sammy Rae & The Friends". Bandcamp.
  9. Pollauf, Colette (9 April 2022). "More than a band: Sammy Rae & The Friends creates community for queer youth". The Huntington News. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  10. "Sammy Rae & The Friends ready to change the world". Boston Herald. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  11. Walthall, Catherine (16 April 2022). "Sammy Rae & The Friends: We're Throwing a Party & You're Invited". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  12. "About".
  13. "How Sammy Rae & The Friends Have Fans Following Them To The Moon: Rae Co-Manager Doug Shaw & Paladin Artists' Seth Rappaport Break It Down - Pollstar News". 9 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  14. "ReImagined At Home: Sammy Rae Scats Through A Bouncy Rendition Of Billy Joel's "The River Of Dreams"". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  15. "Gigs + Hangs". Sammy Rae & The Friends. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  16. Watson, Rob (November 11, 2022). "Sammy Rae & The Friends bring musical effervescence to LA". Los Angeles Blade. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
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