Sam Myers: The Blues Is My Story

University Press of Mississippi

"Sam Myers: The Blues Is My Story recounts the life of bluesman Sam Myers (1936-2006), as told in his own words to Jeff Horton. Myers grew up visually handicapped in the Jim Crow South and left home to attend the state school for the blind at Piney Woods. Myers was called to Chicago by his intense desire to become a musician and a scholarship from the American Conservatory School of Music. There in 1952 he joined Elmore James's band as a drummer and was featured on some of James's best-known recordings. Following the elder bluesman's death in 1963, Myers fronted bands of his own and recorded many well-received singles and albums. In 1986, Myers became the W. C. Handy Award–winning front man, vocalist, and harmonica player for Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets. In the book, Myers provides a historical context to a bygone era of the blues and reveals his thoughts and feelings about the musicians with whom he played."