Sam Blue
Encyclopedia
Sam Blue (also known as Sam Blewitt) is an English
hard rock
singer, who has been part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samson's Empire
, Ya Ya, Ultravox
, GTS, and Burns Blue
. He has also worked as an artist manager at Plan C Management with Christian Ulf-Hansen. The company's artists include the singer-songwriter
, Tobias Fröberg (Sweden
); the writer and producer Ken Rose (UK
); and Ulf-Hansen manages Teitur (Faroe Islands
).
' chart-topping single "Dry Your Eyes
". He also entered the UK finals for the Eurovision Song Contest
in 1996 (as part of the duo Esseness with the song "I Never Knew") and in 1997 (as a solo artist with the song "For The Life You Don't Yet Know"), both of which involved prime-time performances on BBC One
.
Blue reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
in 2006, with the Phat Beach
/ Naughty Boy version of the Baywatch
theme, "I'll Be Ready". He also sang on the Tsunami relief record for Mike Read and producer Steve Levine
.
His more recent credits and appearances include on the Thomas the Tank Engine
film
, Hero of the Rails (2010), Day of the Diesel's ( 2011) and on the TV series singing the end titles, written by Robert Hartshorne.
Blue was a backing vocalist
on the theme music for the BBC TV series New Tricks
, backing Dennis Waterman
.
He also appeared as Lead & backing vocalist for Dizzee Rascal
, both on Later... with Jools Holland& 2009 Hootenany show, also the 2009 BBC Electric Prom's at the Roundhouse London.
His work with Dizzee Rascal continued for Festivals (including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Bestival) and concert appearances in 2010.
His other work included singing lead and backing for Phonat and Vanessa Amorosi
in June 2010. In 2011, Blue worked as a vocal coach on BBC Introducing
. He also collaboated with The Bays
, who used his pre-recorded vocals for some of their live shows.
Other recent appearances include lead and backing vocals on Urban Myth cover of "Africa" 2010/11
and featured on Lauren Simeca re-mix of Roxanne in 2010
|-
! Artist
! Album / Single
! Year
|-
| Montserrat Caballe
| Friends for Life
| 1998
|-
| Phoenix Down
| Under a Wild Sky
| 1999
|-
| Various Artists
| Familiar Faces: A Tribute to Rod Stewart & the Faces
| 2000
|-
| The Streets
| A Grand Don't Come for Free
| 2004
|-
| Billy Currie
| Pieces of the Puzzle
| 2004
|-
| Phat Beach
| "I'll Be Ready" (Baywatch Theme)
| 2006
|-
| Young Punx
| "Your Music is Killing Me"
| 2007
|-
| Phonat
| "Set Me Free", "Get Down My Dirty Street", "Warm Welcome" and "Learn to Recycle"
| 2009
|-
|Dizzee Rascal
| Tongue n' Cheek
- Deluxe Edition (live from the BBC Electric Proms
) on "Fix Up Look Sharp" and "Brand New Day"
| 2010
|-
| Lauren Simeca
| Roxanne re-mix 2010
|-
| Urban Myth
| Africa 2010/11
|-
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
singer, who has been part of the bands Emerson, Axis, L. A. Secrets, Paul Samson's Empire
Samson (band)
Samson was a British hard rock band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick , who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a...
, Ya Ya, Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
, GTS, and Burns Blue
Burns Blue
Burns Blue are a British hard rock group formed by former Ultravox singer Sam Blue and former Dare/Ten guitarist Vinny Burns. Joining the project was FM drummer Pete Jupp and Wishbone Ash bassist Bob Skeat...
. He has also worked as an artist manager at Plan C Management with Christian Ulf-Hansen. The company's artists include the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, Tobias Fröberg (Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
); the writer and producer Ken Rose (UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
); and Ulf-Hansen manages Teitur (Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
).
Career
Arguably his most famous work, credited as Sam Blewitt, was as the vocalist on The StreetsThe Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
' chart-topping single "Dry Your Eyes
Dry Your Eyes
"Dry Your Eyes" is a UK garage song written by English rapper The Streets for his second album A Grand Don't Come for Free . The song describes the persona trying to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. It was released as the album's second single on 19 July 2004...
". He also entered the UK finals for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in 1996 (as part of the duo Esseness with the song "I Never Knew") and in 1997 (as a solo artist with the song "For The Life You Don't Yet Know"), both of which involved prime-time performances on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.
Blue reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 2006, with the Phat Beach
Phat Beach
Phat Beach is a 1996 American comedy film, written and directed by Doug Ellin, which stars Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins, Coolio and Brian Hooks.-Plot:...
/ Naughty Boy version of the Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
theme, "I'll Be Ready". He also sang on the Tsunami relief record for Mike Read and producer Steve Levine
Steve Levine
Steve Levine is a British record producer, most famous for his work on Culture Club's studio albums.Levine also has produced work for John Howard, China Crisis, Motorhead, Ziggy Marley, Westworld, The Beach Boys, and Gary Moore....
.
His more recent credits and appearances include on the Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Hero of the Rails (2010), Day of the Diesel's ( 2011) and on the TV series singing the end titles, written by Robert Hartshorne.
Blue was a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on the theme music for the BBC TV series New Tricks
New Tricks
New Tricks is a BBC television drama series which follows the work of the Metropolitan Police Service's Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad . Led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes...
, backing Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
.
He also appeared as Lead & backing vocalist for Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, both on Later... with Jools Holland& 2009 Hootenany show, also the 2009 BBC Electric Prom's at the Roundhouse London.
His work with Dizzee Rascal continued for Festivals (including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Bestival) and concert appearances in 2010.
His other work included singing lead and backing for Phonat and Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Amorosi is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.-Early life:...
in June 2010. In 2011, Blue worked as a vocal coach on BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
. He also collaboated with The Bays
The Bays
The Bays are a group of English musicians that only play live improvised jazz and dance music. They have never rehearsed nor recorded in a studio as they do not release music commercially. This means they are also completely independent of record labels...
, who used his pre-recorded vocals for some of their live shows.
Other recent appearances include lead and backing vocals on Urban Myth cover of "Africa" 2010/11
and featured on Lauren Simeca re-mix of Roxanne in 2010
Guest appearances
{| class="wikitable"|-
! Artist
! Album / Single
! Year
|-
| Montserrat Caballe
| Friends for Life
| 1998
|-
| Phoenix Down
| Under a Wild Sky
| 1999
|-
| Various Artists
| Familiar Faces: A Tribute to Rod Stewart & the Faces
| 2000
|-
| The Streets
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
| A Grand Don't Come for Free
A Grand Don't Come for Free
A Grand Don't Come for Free is the second studio album from British garage and Hip hop act The Streets. It was released on 18 May 2004 and is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die...
| 2004
|-
| Billy Currie
Billy Currie
Billy Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...
| Pieces of the Puzzle
| 2004
|-
| Phat Beach
Phat Beach
Phat Beach is a 1996 American comedy film, written and directed by Doug Ellin, which stars Jermaine 'Huggy' Hopkins, Coolio and Brian Hooks.-Plot:...
| "I'll Be Ready" (Baywatch Theme)
| 2006
|-
| Young Punx
| "Your Music is Killing Me"
| 2007
|-
| Phonat
| "Set Me Free", "Get Down My Dirty Street", "Warm Welcome" and "Learn to Recycle"
| 2009
|-
|Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
| Tongue n' Cheek
Tongue N' Cheek
Tongue n' Cheek is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009 and includes the number one singles, "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco"...
- Deluxe Edition (live from the BBC Electric Proms
BBC Electric Proms
The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
) on "Fix Up Look Sharp" and "Brand New Day"
| 2010
|-
| Lauren Simeca
| Roxanne re-mix 2010
|-
| Urban Myth
| Africa 2010/11
|-