Sam Hooper is an American musician from Cleveland, Ohio. His alluring blend of blues, rock, jazz and funk has thrilled audiences from China, Switzerland, Finland, Japan and the US. His soulful vocals have been compared to Otis Redding, while critics have likened his blistering guitar playing to Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Hooper has released 5 CDs on the FBJoy Records label. His newest CD, "Sam Hooper and Mike Null -HOODOO BLUES" was the winner for 2015 BEST SELF_PRODUCED CD in the Cleveland Blues Society's annual International Blues Challenge competition.
He now performs in the Cleveland area with his band, SAM HOOPER GROUP. To find out more about Sam Hooper or to order CDs, please visit SamHooper.com.
This interview was conducted from his home in Cleveland, Ohio in 2019.
Music by: Manpreet Kaur @manpreetkaurmusic
www.sacred-truths.com
Sam Hooper is an American musician from Cleveland, Ohio. His alluring blend of blues, rock, jazz and funk has thrilled audiences from China, Switzerland, Finland, Japan and the US. His soulful vocals have been compared to Otis Redding, while critics have likened his blistering guitar playing to Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Hooper has released 5 CDs on the FBJoy Records label. His newest CD, "Sam Hooper and Mike Null -HOODOO BLUES" was the winner for 2015 BEST SELF_PRODUCED CD in the Cleveland Blues Society's annual International Blues Challenge competition.
He now performs in the Cleveland area with his band, SAM HOOPER GROUP. To find out more about Sam Hooper or to order CDs, please visit SamHooper.com.
This interview was conducted from his home in Cleveland, Ohio in 2019.
Music by: Manpreet Kaur @manpreetkaurmusic
www.sacred-truths.com
Sam Hooper: I have very much felt it’s been my calling to do music. The more I get involved with it really the more it gives back to me. And the more that I feel that is also kind of helps or affects other people like a ripple effect, you know.
Emmy: My guest today is Sam Hooper, an American musician from Cleveland, Ohio. His alluring blend of blues, rock, jazz and funk has thrilled audiences from China, Switzerland, Finland, Japan and the US. His soulful vocals have been compared to Otis Redding, while critics have likened his blistering guitar playing to Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana.
Hooper has released 5 CDs on the FBJoy Records label. His newest CD, "Sam Hooper and Mike Null-HOODOO BLUES" was the winner for 2015 BEST SELF-PRODUCED CD in the Cleveland Blues Society's annual International Blues Challenge competition.
He now performs in the Cleveland area with his band, SAM HOOPER GROUP. To find out more about Sam Hooper, please visit www.SamHooper.com.
This interview was conducted from his home in Cleveland in 2019.
Emmy: Hi Sam, thanks for joining me today.
SH: Hi, Emmy, how are you, so good to see you!
Emmy: Tell me, when did your interest in music begin?
SH: Well, all I can say is I started Clarinet in like 4th grade and we always had piano lessons growing up too and guitar kind of creeped in there.
Emmy: How did the guitar creep in there?
SH: I’m not sure, I just know that in Junior High School I guess I started showing more interest in it. That was the first performance of the guitar I remember was in Junior High School.
Emmy; Like a school concert?
SH: It was a talent show at the Junior High School.
Emmy: Oh my gosh, do you remember what you played?
SH: Yeah, I played “Jump into the Fire” by Harry Nielson and it was trio with me and bass player Dave Phillips who recently passed away I just found out, and Ken Dermer on drums. The three of us.
I didn’t know anything about keys. Thinking about it, I think I probably played in a different key probably from everybody. There was no singing. It was a very repetitious riff. It was a nice groove. And we just like went for it. Because people still talk to me about that performance because what I did was, I was much into Hendrix at the time and I had a big red guitar and bell bottoms were in of course, so I had some big red bell bottoms.
Emmy: So, can I ask what year we’re talking?
SH: So, this probably ‘68’ ’67 ’68, ’69 at the latest. What I did was, what made it more memorable was I borrowed a white round rug from our bathroom and put it front and center of the stage and at a certain point I went up and got on my knees and just wailed on the guitar and, ya know a lot of feedback and cranked it up.
Emmy: Like Jimi Hendrix.
SH: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so red bell bottoms on a white rug, red guitar, white and red shirt, yeah. (laughs)
Emmy: When were you more drawn to guitar?
SH: Again, junior high school, well I guess when I got to high school there was a jazz band in high school so I could play guitar in that band and I played clarinet in band and marching band that sort of thing too; it was just more fun, guitar was more fun than keyboards or clarinet. And we always, my sisters and I sang in the church choir and my parents liked to sing so we always had singing.
Emmy: When did you know that you might be good at making music?
SH: Maybe high school, because I had to make some decisions about college. So,
I wanted to go to Berklee College of Music in Boston and initially did, but my dad and was like ‘no’, you should go somewhere where you can have more than just music, not just to fall back on but to have a more rounded education.
First of all, I found a college here in Ohio, Wittenberg University where I could be a double major, or a dual major, in music and business wow, then I realized, I found out about half way through that program, I wasn’t taking any courses that actually dealt with the music industry. I took business courses and they were just business and I took music courses, but nothing that really combined the two.
A buddy of mine I went to high school was at the University of Miami in Florida, and at one point I was looking at his catalogue at one point on vacation and they had like one of the first music business programs in the country, so I was able to transfer down there. So, part to answer your question, part of it was going through the different like of realizing that I had aptitude, that I was good enough, I had the audition processes for these things, I always did good with my clarinet contests and my clarinet instructor here always got me involved with a lot of competitions, and I always did well.
Emmy: Do you recall when you knew that you were good at music, and how that felt as a young person?
SH: Just joyful. I mean, I always liked philosophy too. And when I first went to college I was thinking well, do I want to go into Philosophy or do I want to go into Music. I really enjoyed thinking and the different philosophers, so do I want to
be a philosophy professor or play on the stage, (laughs) you know, and that was an easy choice and the stage won because it was more fun.
I think I remember in junior high school too, there was a day when we had, we didn’t have regular classes, and we had like different people come in from different professions and kind of talk about things and showed us different things about what they did or whatever.
And I remember a guy came in I think maybe from a radio station and he played a song by Free called “Woman”, and it just had an effect on me, I’ll never forget it, it was just wow, what is that, you know. It was like a spiritual connection to that.
(Starts vocalizing) You know, just the groove just like kind of put me in a trance almost, you know, and it was like, wow, you know, I wanted to connect with that in whatever way I can continue to connect with that.
Emmy: Did you ever doubt your ambition?
SH: I’ve been pretty tenacious about pursuing it because it’s just the thing I loved the most, you know. Even when I graduated from college, I worked for a record company here for almost a year doing music merchandizing. My Major at the university at Miami was Music Merchandizing and I got a job as a Music Merchandizer here although the two were not exactly the same, and it was a taste of the music busines and it was like, there was no music involved. I was watching someone else do it.
I didn’t have time to practice or I didn’t have time to rehearse, book gigs, or whatever because I was constantly promoting these other artists, where it was one of those jobs where you can never do enough and it was like, when that ended it was like, “Ok, do I want to keep doing that because I have experience doing that or do I want to make a shift?” So, I decided to make a shift so I could do more actual playing, writing, performing, recording music. So, financially, that was not as lucrative, you know, but it has always been the more satisfying choice.
Emmy: Yes, it sounds like you took a chance and answered the call.
SH: Right! Right! Right! Right! Answering the call. You hear ministers and stuff about being called to ministry; you’re called to do whatever you do, you know.
I have had very much felt it’s been my calling to do music. The more I get involved with it really the more it gives back to me. And the more that I feel that is also kind of helps or affects other people like a ripple effect, you know.
Emmy: When you speak now about doing music, is it your own music or is it performing?
SH: It’s both. I always maintain my own band while I’m here, and if there’s music to get the music, I’m the only one who will get it out. I went to Berklee in Boston for song writing and I’ve been successful.
I’ve had a couple of things on TV. I keep going back to I need to do more of that, and that’s what’s most satisfying when I’m doing my own thing, when I’m writing songs, I’m connecting with people, connect with me, connect with my soul. It’s not easy either, it’s tough, but it’s always been worth it.
Emmy: So, let’s talk more about that idea, of how, when you’re doing your true work which is making music, it’s feeding you and it’s feeding other people. Can you describe how it feels when you know you are doing the work you are meant to do?
SH: Congruent. It feels like there a kind of a congruence in my body, my voice, in my guitar playing and in the way the audience, where it’s hitting the audience and where they’re coming back to me saying their reaction to it.
Once of the most poignant things that ever happened with my music was when my band was in Shanghai and we had been playing at the House of Blues and Jazz and I think this was one of times we were there about 4 or 5 months, playing 6 nights a week. And one of those nights, every week we had a “Jam Night”, so we had people who were coming through town, or who lived in town, or other musicians coming through jamming with us.
So we developed, that was one of the ways was to develop a real community with the other musicians in town. Plus, there was a club, that a lot of us went to after we finished playing or whatever club we went to there was another club we went to after-hours where we jammed or hang out until, like, 4 in the morning or sunrise or whatever, you know, so we developed a lot of friendships and got to hear the beautiful musicianship from these musicians who were in Shanghai but from all over the world. There was a singer from France who was incredible. And there was a singer and whole band from Mauritius, that was incredible, and I had never heard of Mauritius before, it’s a little island off of Africa. So, Brazilian, ya know, Japanese, whatever, German, you know, and Chinese, of course. We were like a melting pot, you know.
So, our bass player, Jordan, had a great idea for our final week at the club, after being there for all these months, we were going to do a couple of final performances where we would ask some of our favorite performers and singers in the community to pick one of their favorite songs from our repertoire to perform, you know. So this one guy, Gilbert, from Mauritius, wanted to sing a ballad that I’d written, called “Leaving Me Too”. He was a drummer and a lead singer, a really talented cat and when I heard him start singing that in rehearsal, it just brought tears to my eyes, because it was like, this is why I wrote this, you know, it’s not just about me; he is interpreting what I wrote and it’s touching people, it’s touching me. And I know, it was a tearful, hard experience to write that song for me, you know, and I have that whatever spiritual connection of that coming through him.
It was powerful. That was a real moment of congruence for me. And it was a surprise for me, we were playing it and he started singing it and it just sounded so beautiful
I was like, holding back the tears. They were just coming.
Emmy: We’d like to hear a song from you. Would you kindly introduce your first song here, Sam?
SH: Yes, thanks, Emmy. This first song, was written back when I was living in Boston. I had many friends of the Baha’i faith and that time around there and they were very active. They had a Race Unity Day, yearly, a big celebration and I think they had a little parade and a party and everything afterwards and they asked me to write a song to commemorate Race Unity Day this particular year. I took the challenge and struggled with it and kind of stayed up all night coming up with something that I felt would represent their philosophy and my philosophy, of the oneness of humanity, the oneness of the world, the oneness of mankind.
And this is what I came up with, it’s a song called “Heaven Made Me, Too.” This recording was done in Boston; I’m playing all the acoustic guitars, and singing on it. This is called “Heaven Made Me, Too.”
Sings:
Sometimes we’re scared
Of the unknown.
We turn away
Rather be alone.
Then touch someone
Or something new.
The veil of fear
Covers what’s true.
Why don’t you
Why don’t you try
And take a little time
To know me.
There’s no need to hide
I won’t hurt you, no.
I am just like you,
Heaven made me too.
We’re family.
I may not know your name or language,
But we have the same
Smiles and tears.
I am just like you.
Heaven made me too,
We’re family.
An open mind.
An open heart.
These are the tools
With which to start.
They let hate out
And let Love in
Help turn a foe into a friend.
Why don’t you, why don’t you try
And take a little time
To know me.
There’s no need to hide
I won’t hurt you, no.
I am just like you,
Heaven made me too.
We’re family.
I may not know your name or language
But we have the same
Smiles and tears.
I am just like you.
Heaven made me too,
We’re family.
Take a little time, take a little time.
To know me.
There’s no need to hide
I won’t hurt you, no.
I am just like you,
Heaven made me too.
We’re family.
I may not know your name or language
But we have the same
Smiles and tears.
I am just like you.
Heaven made me too,
We’re family.
Emmy: Sacred Truths with Emmy Graham. My guest today is Sam Hooper and we just listened to his song, “Heaven Made Me, Too.”
Would you speak more about your international experiences? I don’t want to speak a cliché, but it almost sounds like you’re describing how music breaks down international barriers and cultural barriers.
SH: (sarcastic) Well, YEAH!! (Laughs!) (Emmy Laughs)
Emmy: Would you talk more about that in your own personal experience?
SH: I’ve just been fortunate to be able to see that first hand. I’ve always had a kind of international outlook on life.
When I was in high school and it was my first time going away from the country. And I studied French and we had a program where the students who studied French went to France on Spring Break, and the ones who studied Spanish went to Spain.
I loved it. Of course, I found Rue Pagalle where all the music stores were.
Emmy: Were you in Paris?
SH: Yeah, Paris yes, excuse me, in Paris. And just connecting with those cats, those musicians, those different music stores and playing guitars. I had my little translation book trying to speak to people and stuff, you know.
It was kind of like 48th street in New York if you know about that. I haven’t been there in a while, but it used to be like the mecca, you had a block where there’s all these music stores. And not just all these amazing music stores, but you had a lot of famous cats who, musicians who come there to buy stuff, hang out there, whatever. I saw one of the Doobie Brothers on 48th street, I saw Lou Reed there a couple of times on 48th Street in New York and so this was like the Paris equivalent. Feel the vibe and that was back in high school.
China may have been the next time I got to really go out of the country. But before I went to China. And I went to Berklee, and of course at Berklee College of Music in Boston, there were musicians from all over the world. So, I met these Japanese cats and who were really into the Blues, you know and we got to be friends. And it turns out that they had these concerts in their home towns every year where their big thing was bringing American musicians to join them and talk about what they did.
Me and the sax player got invited to do his. So that was amazing.
Emmy: So, you went to Japan!?
SH: Yeah, yeah, I went to Japan. And we played in Ichinomiya and we played in Nagaoka.
We got to hang out in Tokyo, but we didn’t play in Tokyo. One of my big things in Tokyo was I wanted to go to the Yamaha Factory and find this particular guitar that I hadn’t been able to find, you know.
So I went to Yamaha and talked to the people and they were like, we only export that guitar, we don’t sell them here in Japan, we only export them, and I was “What?” (laughs)
Emmy: What year were you in Japan?
SH: Same year: 1990. 1990 was a huge year for me. I did that trip on Spring Break, and it was the same year that one of my songs won one of the big songwriting/performer contests when I was at Berklee. And it was my last year at Berklee and as soon as I finished Berklee, then I got the call from my buddy to go to China with the singer Juming Ying.
Emmy: Tell us about that.
SH: My buddy Richard Malcolm worked at he was head of Audio/Visual at Boston Conservatory which was pretty much right across the street, a block away from Berklee, but he also did a lot of stuff for Berklee so I met him playing a recital at Berklee so we stayed in touch. He knew the singer Juming Ying so I guess she was taking classes at both, she was studying dance and whatever other classical stuff at the Boston Conservatory.
Emmy: She was in Boston then.
SH: And her dream was to bring an American Band with her back to China to tour, and kind of show what she had learn, and she was somebody who had been groomed, since she was a kid to be like an artist, singer, dancer, you know, several different styles and everything. She was a big star at the time.
They called her “The Chinese Madonna” and I mean she was like super popular, and I didn’t know how popular until we got over to China, and so luckily I was chosen to do this and I met the manager and everything and they selected me.
I guess they wanted a Black guitar player; they didn’t have a Black guy in the mix, so I sang and played guitar and I kind of focused on the Blues, which is really an American Art form so I kind of fit with what they were looking for.
And most of the other musicians too were Baha’i’s, part of the Baha’i faith so they were very involved in the idea of racial equality among all cultures. Everything.
The tap dancer who came, she was Jewish. She had taught the singer tap dancing at Boston Conservatory. She was part of the show and we had Jay Corey who was a Baha’i sax player who had played with like Woody Herman and everything. Walter Urban was the bass player and I don’t remember who all he played with more jazz in New York. But he was also step-father or adopted father of Fleet from the “Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
And we had the keyboard player John DiMartino, also a Baha’i in New York, a superb piano player. So, we were like the American Band and we didn’t get to play together until we go to China and we met on the plane, at the airport, yeah, we met at the airport in New York
And we really didn’t get to play together until we got to Shenzhen for our first performance. We had like a day or two to rehearse and it was gangbusters playing in front of several thousand people.
Now like a say, she was a huge star, so the audiences went from about maybe 6000 to about 17,000 in Shanghai, so we had 2 night in Shanghai full pack of 17,000 people, it was huge!
Emmy: And how did that feel to play that session?
SH: Incredible! Incredible! Incredible! And I had a wireless at the time, they gave me a wireless so I got to run all over the place. And it was China, so….
Emmy: It was China in 1990!
SH: It was China in 1990 so the military carried all our equipment on their trucks between the different cities.
And there was an entourage of about 50 people with all the sound and lights and everybody and the star, Ming, and her 17 dancers that she had already worked with and choreograph stuff, you know.
Emmy: How long did you tour?
SH: Three months. This was 3 months, 14 cities, 31 concerts.
Mostly it was by bus so we got to see a lot of the countryside and different things. We did some by train. We finished, I think, in Chengdu. We did Chengdu after most of it, and we had to leave the dancers we were with and so fly way up to Dalian. She was from Shenyang, that was her hometown so we had to fly way up north to get with another group of dancers to finish the tour. It was marvelous and our onstage host and interpreter was a guy who was Iranian Baha’i and his parents had gotten tortured and stuff for being Baha’is in Iran.
He had learned Chinese at Harvard and so, he was my roommate during the tour. Yeah, it was pretty awesome.
Emmy: Did you get sick in China?
SH: Yup. I got sick in China.
Emmy: Just wondering.
SH: I got tonsilitis in after the first city. I got tonsilitis in Guangzhou, our second city. They had to…they took me to the hospital and realized how serious it was, but the show must go on and we were on tour. So, the doctor said you should just stay here but if you have to go, here is the prescription to take when you go to the next city. So, I had to go to the next city was Wuhan, and I have to go every day to get IV penicillin in the afternoon. So, I’m laying like on a cot getting IV penicillin in Wuhan in late summer and---
Emmy: It’s hot!
SH: Yeah. I was really outside, it was inside/outside…and there were mice running around and I was laying there. It was bizarre. That’s how we did it. And even before we left, the people in the hospital, because I stayed in the hospital, overnight, like the first night, and one or two nights in Guangzhou and the people in the hospital said, “Could you sing something for us?”
All the nurses and doctors, you know, because I’m on tour with this big star.
Emmy: And did you?
SH: I sang a little bit of something. It was weird because I could still sing because it was like one side of my throat was horrible but I could still sing somehow and lay low the rest of the day. (laughs) It was the first time really where I felt like I had to kind of trust the universe and the people I was with and God, whatever: that it was going to be okay.
And whenever the dancers would see me, “How are you doing?” “Hao ma? Hao ma?” (Are you well?) (LAUGHS!)
Emmy: Your first words. Did it clear up?
SH: Yeah, oh, yeah, it cleared up. I think I got food poisoning another time on that same trip. That was the time when I actually did miss a show, one night where we ate something somewhere and they were like, you’re not going anywhere. Oh, man.
Emmy: You and I have a China connection.
SH: Absolutely.
Emmy: We met at Harvard at a Chinese language class. And I have always gotten sick when I’ve gone to China so that makes me feel better. Yes, you and I met after that tour.
SH: Yep, yes, we did, yes we did. I really wanted to go back to China and I didn’t know when I was going to go back and I figured I better start learning some Chinese.
Emmy: And then you did go back to China?
SH: Yeah, it took a while. That was 1990 when I went. We met in ’91 in class and so did that for a couple of years.
And I thought I would have an opportunity, but I didn’t have an opportunity to go back until 2004.
A buddy of mine sent me an article about a promoter in Boston that was sending bands over to China. We were the first band that they decided to take over for a longer period of time. I guess before they were maybe a week or two, but we went to the House of Blues and Jazz for 3 months straight, six nights a week.
Emmy: Oh, my gosh. Living in Shanghai in 2005. What a scene.
SH: Yeah, it was tremendous.
Emmy: And you’ve also been to Finland and Switzerland for music reasons.
SH: So, Switzerland was after the first Chinese thing with Juming Ying but it was before I went back to China with my band. So I guess Switzerland was probably in the 90’s.
So again, it was a similar situation like China. We had the band, but I didn’t know many of the band members but we didn’t really get to rehearse until we got to Switzerland, with a lovely little hotel, a lovely ski resort town up in the Alps.
We didn’t meet the singer until we got on the plane from New York, again. She’s a singer, she’s a jazz singer not a blues singer, Pucci Jhones.
You talk about cultures and sensibilities. I mean, we were a blues band prepared to back up a blues singer and suddenly we have a jazz singer. And so we had to kind of adjust on the fly. She’s used to certain things and we’re used to certain things.
Jazz is a more sophisticated art form. So there were some clashes there. (Laughs) But, you know, we’re in Switzerland. You know, I think we played there 5 nights a week. Lovely accommodations, sauna, you walk outside and you’re in the Alps. You walk outside and you’re in the Alps! (Laughs!)
The owner was very enamored with American Soul Music. So once a week, they had like a little dinner theater thing which they asked us to be the musical stars of and the waiters and the owners and the other people kind of acted out roles as we told this story of soul.
One of the things I had to do was do a James Brown medley. So, I had to get a wig, (LAUGHS!) and learn several James Brown tunes, bring them down to my key, of course, and dance around the stage. And kind of like do, James Brown and kind of fall out. Instead of having one person when James Brown, when he kind of like, fell down on his knee and kind of have somebody kind of bring him and he’d throw down on his cape and everything, there were several of them and I fell down the floor and some of them picked me up and carried me off stage. It was hilarious. It was a cultural connection through the music.
And they also encouraged us to go out and talk to the audience. So that was a cool thing
Emmy: It seems like performing is almost like a spiritual, if you will, it’s almost like a spiritual experience because you have to be so in the moment, you have to be so connected to your band members and to the living breathing audience that is out there.
And you have to be true and honest to your art form. Yeah, you agree?
SH: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! And you have to give it. You have to give. Whatever you have inside you to give, you have to give the real thing.
Emmy: And it has to be sincere or they know. Can you comment a little bit about comparing it to an American audience?
How are you received in these international audiences that you’ve played for compared to an American audience?
SH: I think American audiences are nice; I think American audiences are appreciative, but I think I’ve been kind of lucky especially with Juming Ying, with her being at a certain level, to be performing in front of people where people can kind of go nuts.
I know that happens here, but I haven’t really done that yet with my band here. But it was like, there was a big arena show with Juming Ying where the band had to kind of physically form a barrier so that she could get off the stage because there were people who were beginning to rush the stage because they were in reckless abandon with their love for her and wanted to be close to her and everything.
I remember one time, during that time, in Japan, that first time in Japan, we played an arena show in Ichinomiya but we also did a little club, we played a little club in Ichinomiya.
And we’re playing Blues, we’re just playing blues in Japan, and it’s me and a couple of Japanese guys. But, they were into it! And this one guy, he got drunk, and he got so drunk they had to carry him out and as they were carrying him out, he was calling my name, “Sam! Sam! Sam!” and it’s like, I’ve never experienced that here in the USA. (Laughs!)
Emmy: And we’d like to hear one final song from you before we close. Would you please introduce your final song here, Sam?
SH: Yes, Emmy. Thanks. I had first gone to China in 1990 and toured with a big Chinese singer named Zuming Ying, as we talked about before. And I always wanted to go back to China.
I was lucky enough to get an opportunity 2004 to take my band, Sam Hooper Group over to play at the House of Jazz and Blues in Shanghai run by a very charismatic actor named Dong Fu who was also a very big Jazz and Blues lover.
And we also met a friend there from Scotland, of course Shanghai is a very international city and we met a guy from Scotland who was a big business man there and was a music lover and a musician as well named Gordon Stevenson.
And he wanted us to record one of his songs, so in working on the song for him, we said, if we’re going to go into the studio, let’s just record a whole CD. So, he was very generous and we’re very grateful for his help in getting that done. We recorded it in a big studio that was used for a lot of TV stuff in Shanghai.
And we took the band: Jordan Scannella on Bass from Cincinnati, Ohio and
Akira Nakamora on drums from Okinawa, Japan and we had all met in Berkeley in Boston.
And we recorded this song, “You Heard Me Crying”. I see this as a kind of a prayer as God, or the Creator or the Universe helping us especially in the toughest times, get through, and it’s a very funky tune and I hope you like it. It’s called “You Heard Me Crying”.
Oh, I believe
You heard me crying.
Lord, I believe
You heard me crying.
I’m a man who found his love in time.
I’m the one who called your name.
Lord, I’m the one who called your name.
You heard me and I’ll never be the same.
I was down
I was down so low
Lord, I was down,
I was down so low.
How you found me,
Lord, I’ll never know.
(music break)
Lord the pain
Was all around my heart.
Oh, the pain
Was all around my heart.
You made a way
You know I’m the one, the one, the one
Who called your name.
Lord, I’m the one
Called your name.
You heard me and I’ll never be the same.
Lord, I believe. I believe, I believe, You heard me.
Lord, I believe.
Lord, I believe.
Lord, I believe.
I’m a man who found his love in time. Yes, I did, yes, I did, yes, I did.
I’m a man, I’m a man who found his love in time.
Emmy: That was Sam Hooper and the Sam Hooper Group and “You Heard Me Crying.” This is “Sacred Truths” and I’m Emmy Graham.
Clearly your work gives you a sense of connection to humanity.
SH: Oh, God, yeah.
Emmy: Clearly, well, performing, yes.
SH: Yeah. Performing does. Yeah, and even here, and when you connect with people and they come talk to you, you realized how you have touched them, it’s a human connection, it’s our humanity that we’re sharing.
It’s above the day-to-day stuff. There’s something that’s really touching them that have them come back.
We played at Nighttown here recently, and we packed the place. But a couple tables were people who had seen us at a bigger show.
We opened for a Blues guy, Coco Montoya; he’s an international cat, they liked us so much, they got on the mailing list and came to see us at Night town.
And they were just enamored with what we’re doing.
Something we did really touched them spiritually.
Emmy: So it seems like what you’re describing is that your music has helped others find some of their own personal truths.
SH: I hope so! I sure hope so! I hope that we’re touching on an essence level, like on a spiritual soul level that kind of goes beyond thinking.
Like when you’re in situations that gives you goose bumps or something like that. That’s the goal to always go for, ya know.
Emmy: Sam, if you had a motto to share with others, what would it be?
SH: Something I got from Deepak Chopra and I think he originated it either but I got it from him and it continually makes the most sense. As things happen, whatever problems you run into your life it’s an opportunity for a greater benefit. Being able to recognize the opportunity.
It’s kind of like when one door closes, another one opens that sort of thing. I know that I’ve been in situations, like losing a job or whatever, where it’s like, it’s hard to let that go. Hard to see that as a positive but then maybe even years later you come back, “Oh yeah, oh yeah, that had to go!”
And the more that you trust that saying, that mindset, the easier it is to move forward, you know. It’s kind of like the whole, take the first step and you’re stepping out on faith.
Emmy: Sam Hooper thank you so much for joining me today.
SH: Emmy Graham, thank you for having me, I really appreciate it. Great to see you.
Emmy: This is Sacred Truths with Emmy Graham. Music by Manpreet Kaur @manpreetkaurmusic.
My guest today was Sam Hooper. For more information, go to www.samhooper.com.
Please visit our website at www.sacred-truths.com. Thank you for listening.