Samantha Sang

Samantha Sang (born Cheryl Gray, 5 August 1953,^[1] Melbourne, Australia) is a pop singer.

She adopted the stage surname of her father, Reg Gray, for the earlier part of her career.

Career

She began her singing career at the age of eight on Australian radio, and during this time she entered and won several talent contests. By the age of 15 she had her first hit record in Australia, with the song "You Made Me What I Am", and she won a 'Best Female Vocalist' award. She quickly became a well known celebrity on Australian television, but she felt her career was limited if she remained in Australia. She travelled to the United Kingdom and performed with such groups as Herman's Hermits, The Hollies and the Bee Gees. Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees wrote "The Love Of A Woman" for her, and her recording became a hit in some European countries.

By the mid 1970s she had changed her name to Samantha Sang (under the guidance of then manager Robert Stigwood), and had moved to the United States where she renewed her acquaintance with the Bee Gees. The Gibb brothers wrote another song for her, which coincided with their huge level of popularity, and the single "Emotion" (with back-up vocals by Barry Gibb) became a major hit worldwide. It reached number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, and earned Sang a platinum record. It also climbed to #11 in the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

Determined to succeed on her own merits, she would not record another Gibb song to capitalize on her success, and chose a disco track, "You Keep Me Dancing" as her next single release. The song did not become a hit, stalling at #57 in the U.S., and her career faltered.

In 2004, and residing again in Melbourne, Sang announced that she would return to live performing, and that her three albums would be released for the first time on CD.

References

• The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop - Ian McFarlane - Allen & Unwin, Sydney - 1999 - ISBN 1 86508 072 1
• Noel McGrath's Australian Encyclopedia of Rock & Pop - Rigby Publishers - 1978 - ISBN 0 7270 1909 0

External links

• Official website
• Pop Archive feature "Emotion"

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