- Big Sam (musician)
Big Sam (Sammie Williams) is a trombonist and band leader from New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been a member of the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band and currently leadsBig Sam's Funky Nation . In youth he studied with educator and saxophonistKidd Jordan and atNew Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Playing with the Dirty Dozen allowed him to meet and play with other touring bands and musicians such as Karl Denson,Dave Matthews ,Widespread Panic andJames Brown . After one year with the Dirty Dozen Williams began a side project broadening his musical ambitions. Over the following two years it would become his main band with weekly New Orleans gigs, Big Sam's Funky Nation. Funky Nation is primarily a funk and jazz brass band (with guitars) that can also have elements of traditional jazz, contemporary jazz, acid jazz and even punk.Williams learned only in adulthood that he is the great-grandson of
Buddy Bolden , the famed New Orleans cornetist.In September 2006 Williams married long-time associate Shanekah Peterson, a former fellow student at NOCCA and owner of the New Orleans club, The Funky Butt.
Selected Discography
*"Peace Love & Understanding"-Big Sam's Funky Nation 2008
*"Birth of a Nation" - Big Sam's Funky Nation 2003
*"Take Me Back" - Big Sam's Funky Nation 2006References
* [http://offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_60.shtml "Big Sam's Funky Nation", Christopher Blagg, OffBeat Magazine]
* [http://offbeat.com/artman/publish/article_1459.shtml "Review of Take Me Back", Robert Fontenot, OffBeat Magazine]
* [http://www.smoothvibes.com/movabletype/archives/cat_the_hot_seat.html "Big Sam's Funky Nation", Kalen Marie Grant, SmoothVibes.com, September 19, 2006]External links
* [http://www.bigsamsfunkynation.com/ Official Site: Big Sam's Funky Nation]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/25055882 MySpace: Big Sam's Funky Nation]
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