Sam Carr

about

Sam Carr (1926-2009) Blues Drummer & Bandleader, Dundee The Delta Widely acclaimed as one of the best drummers in the blues, Sam Carr was born Samuel Lee McCollum in 1926 outside of Marvell, Arkansas. His father was the influential blues guitarist and vocalist Robert Lee McCollum, who recorded under the names Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk, but Carr didn’t meet him until he was seven years old. About a year and half after his birth, Sam’s mother, Mary Griffin McCollum, left Sam to the care of the Carr family, who adopted him and raised him on their farm near Dundee, Mississippi. Carr’s first instruments were the harmonica and "Jew’s harp," and around age 16 he moved to Helena, his father’s then residence, where he collected money at the door during his father’s performances at the river city’s thriving clubs. During this time Carr also worked as a chauffeur and played bass for his father, who was already an established professional musician. Between 1937 and 1940, McCollum recorded twenty-six songs under the name "Robert Lee McCoy" for the Decca and Bluebird labels, including the song "Prowling Night Hawk," whose popularity lended him the artist name "Robert Nighthawk." During this period he also appeared as a sideman on many records by artists including Sonny Boy Williamson 1, Big Joe Williams, Peetie Wheatstraw, Walter Davis and Speckled Red. On all these recordings he played acoustic guitar, but by 1942, Carr recalled, Nighthawk was playing electric guitar with

top songs

albums

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Sennelants Islands

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The Last Of The Jelly Roll Kings

Delta Jukes - Down In The Delta

Blues (Pain Created To Heal Pain)

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The End of An Era: 20 Years in Bluesland

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Blues(pain created to heal pain)

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Let The Good Times Roll

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Last Of The Mississippi Jukes Soundtrack

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Ashsard Islet

Down In The Delta

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Last of the Jelly Roll Kings

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Lachlan Disstrack Final

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