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Sammie began writing songs in 1968 and took her efforts to Nashville. There
a publishing company contracted four of her songs, sponsored a recording
featuring her vocals, and encouraged her to become a professional singer -
songwriter, to test the public's response to her songs by taking her music
directly to the public. She soon launched her career as a
pianist/vocalist, and since has traveled extensively performing her music
to receptive and enthusiatic throughout the U.S., in Mexico, Canada, and
two tours of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. |
| During a six-year tenure in Hawaii, Sammie was hired to direct Keiki Choir,
80-plus comined voices age 3-13, for which she also wrote special
material. Following a holiday performance which included one of her
original songs, Sammie was invited to join Hawaii Songwriters Association.
She became an active member, developing, scripting and directing four
television programs with HSA and Oceanic Cable, featuring Hawaii
songwriters, composers and their music. She also served as producer for
two of those shows. |
| The first of Sammie's songwriting awards came in 1985. In 1988, having
written hundreds of songs over a period of twenty years, she became a
professional songwriter after receiving a first place award in the Royal
Hawaiian/KCCN Radio Christmas Song Contest. Her winning entry, "Christmas
in Hawaii Nei" as recorded by the Jive Sisters, was released in 1989, and
receives ongoing radio airplay each holiday season in Hawaii. |
| In December, 1998, Sammie had a most unsual experience. Following her
regular hospital rounds playing music for the patients, she stopped into
the local market to pick up two grocery items. The in-store music system
was playing Bing Crosby's recording of "White Christmas." She recounts it
this way: |
| "The music put me in a great holiday mood. I decided to linger a bit and
pick up a few more items, which I did as the next song played. I was
wheeling my purchases to the check-out stand, when unmistakably familiar
music began to play, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Here in the grocery
store in Puyallup, Washington, I heard famous steel guitarist Jerry Byrd's
introduction to my Hawaii Christmas song and then the Jive Sisters began to
sing it. I was stunned, had no idea how something like that could happen.
Upon investigation, I discovered that it was part of the Muzak system!
I've been away from Hawaii ever since it was released and never heard it
played on the radio. It's the first time I ever heard it anywhere but in
my car or my apartment! Now I'm on Muzak! |
| "I remembered a dream I had, shortly after I began writing songs thirty
years ago. In my dream I had just walked into a big store with high
ceilings, and heard a song playing. I knew it was my song, and wondered
how it could have come about, when I had no knowledge of it. At the time,
I thought it was a department store because it was so huge. Turns out to
be a grocery store! We did not have such large food stores back then! It was, literally, a dream come true - thirty years in the making!" |
| Sammie is currently working on several recording projects and developing material
for numerous future recordings. Instrumental harp releases: Journey to the Ocean and Journey into the
Heart.
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