Samantha Sang

Cheryl Lau Sang (born 5 August 1951), known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teen singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1969. She first received nationwide recognition in Australia in 1967, after releasing the top ten single "You Made Me What I Am".

Not to be confused with Cheryl Lau.
Samantha Sang
Birth nameCheryl Lau Sang
Also known asCheryl Gray
Born (1951-08-05) 5 August 1951
Melbourne, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1966–1981; 1999; 2004; 2007
Labels
Associated actsBee Gees

By 1969, Sang relocated to the United Kingdom, where she worked with the Bee Gees, before returning to Australia in 1975. Sang reconnected with the Bee Gees in 1977, and had an international hit with their song "Emotion", peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number two in Australia, and number eleven in the United Kingdom. The single's parent album Emotion (1978) reached the top thirty on Billboard 200 and included two other singles.

Early life

Sang was born to Reg and Joan (née Clarke) Sang in Melbourne, Australia,[1] the great-great-granddaughter of a Chinese herbalist and surgeon.[2] Her dad, Reg, ran a singing school and performed professionally as Reg Gray.

First recordings

Sang began her career, at the age of eight, by singing on Australian radio.[3] She entered and won talent contests. In December 1966, she released her debut single, "The Real Thing" (not to be confused with fellow Australian Russell Morris' 1969 hit song "The Real Thing") under the name Cheryl Gray.[4] It was issued by EMI Records on their HMV label and was quickly followed by her second single, "In a Woman's Eyes".[5]

Her third single, "You Made Me What I Am", was released in May 1967 and reached number eight on the Go-Set Top 40.[4][6] Teen magazine, Go-Set ran a poll in August for pop performers and Gray was voted third in the 'Top Girl Singer' category behind Lynne Randell and Bev Harrell.[7] Sang released three more singles on HMV but none charted.[4] She became a singer on Australian television, but she felt her career was limited if she remained in Australia. In 1969, Sang travelled to the United Kingdom where Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) heard her singing and urged his manager, Robert Stigwood, to sign her. Under Stigwood's management she changed her name to Samantha Sang. Barry co-wrote "Love of a Woman" with his brother Maurice.[8] Sang's version – with Barry Gibb supplying backing vocals, guitar and producing – was released in August.[4][9] It was a minor hit in some European countries.[3]

Sang followed with "Nothing in the World Like Love" written by UK pop singer-songwriter Labi Siffre.[4][10] Visa restrictions forced her out of the UK and she returned to Australia. By 1975, Sang had changed management and signed with Polydor which released three singles and her debut album, Samantha Sang and Rocked the World. She starred in the Australian production of The Magic Show. In 1977, she recorded "When Love Is Gone", the theme song, for French drama film, Bilitis.[11]

Mainstream success

She visited Barry Gibb in France whilst Bee Gees were recording songs for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. A new song, "Emotion", was written for her by Barry and Robin Gibb. The single was co-produced by Barry with Bee Gees' production team of Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. Released in 1978, with backing vocals by Barry, it showcased a softer style and became a major hit worldwide.[4] It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 in March 1978, and earned a platinum record.[12][13] It peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart and at number two on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.[14][15]

Her following album Emotion, although not produced by Barry Gibb, included a version of "Charade", a little-known Bee Gees song from their 1974 album Mr. Natural. Emotion peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 and achieved a gold record in March 1978.[13][16] Determined to succeed on her own merits, Sang did not record another Gibb song to capitalise on her success, but chose a disco track, "You Keep Me Dancing" as her next single. It peaked at No. 56 on the U.S. Hot 100[17] (NZ # 21,[18] Canada AC #10[19]) and was followed into the charts by her cover of Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour".[12] She recorded a cover of Eric Carmen's Top 20 single, "Change of Heart", featured as the B-side of "You Keep Me Dancing". Her third album, From Dance to Love, was released by United Artists in 1979.[4]

Residing again in Melbourne, in 1999 Sang made a short return to live performing, with her father, Reg, as guest vocalist. In 2004, Sang's three albums were released for the first time on CD in a two-piece set as the compilation, The Ultimate Collection.

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References
  1. "Family Notices – Births – Sang (née Clarke)". The Argus. Daily Mirror Group. 7 August 1951. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  2. "Samantha Sang... and the World listened". About Samantha. Samantha Sang. Archived from the original on 19 July 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  3. "Emotion". Super Seventies RockSite. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  4. McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Samantha Sang'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 26 June 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  5. Kimball, Duncan (2002). "Record Labels – HMV Records (Australia)". Milesago: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. Ice Productions. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  6. Nimmervoll, Ed. "Go-Set search engine results for "Cheryl Gray"". Go-Set. Waverley Press. Retrieved 26 December 2010. Note: Go-Set published its national charts from October 1966 until August 1974.
  7. Kent, David Martin (September 2002). The place of Go-Set in rock and pop music culture in Australia, 1966 to 1974 (PDF) (MA). Canberra, ACT: University of Canberra. p. 256. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2015. Note: This PDF is 282 pages.
  8. ""Love of a Woman" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  9. Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs : 1969 : Samantha Sang". Columbia University. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  10. ""Nothing in the World Like Love" at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  11. "When love is gone [music] : theme from Bilitis / lyrics by Paul Evans & Bryan Wells ; music by Francis Lai". catalogue. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  12. "Samantha Sang > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  13. "RIAA Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  14. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  16. "Samantha Sang > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  17. [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002]
  18. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 13 August 1978. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  19. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4596&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4596.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4596
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