The new Single from Whitburn’s very own “troubadour” Sam Speirs will be available from this week.
Since 2015 the singer songwriter has released a steady stream of music including two albums, two singles and an EP and his album, ‘Downdie’, and singles, ‘Blues Town’ and ‘The Levi’s Lasses’ focus on his Whitburn roots.
He even managed to get the town into the title of his second album, ‘Whit Burns’; a collection of his arrangements of the songs of Robert Burns.
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He fills his songs with conversational narrative, a style influenced by his folk and rock roots and honed by his interactions with Nashville based writers over the last few years.
Sam closed 2018 with the release of the EP, ‘Songs From A Garage Roof’, a collection of five songs each telling a tale of its own.
The storytelling continues in his first release of 2019 and his new single, ‘Blood Drew Me’, is the story of a brother protecting his sister from a violent husband.
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Sam’s distinctive voice and playing are instantly recognisable and ‘Blood Drew Me’ will be available for streaming or download on all major digital platforms from tomorrow (Friday).
A multi-instrumentalist and singer, Sam compares himself to a “throwback to the troubadours of old”.
A listen through his catalogue includes songs about his home town, written in the local tongue along with folk songs, Burns songs, rock and Americana.
His formal music career started when he was 18 years old with a publishing contract with Kernel Music.
He said: “I paid for a session in REL Studios to record a couple of songs with my band.
“After the session I called the studio and said, ‘I’ve got loads of songs, do you want to hear them?’ And they said yes.
“I went in and sat at a piano and sang 19 original songs while the tape was running. I was presented with a publishing contract there and then.”
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Over the years Sam has had multiple recording contracts, appeared on The Wogan Show and Song For Europe with the band Future.
He has also sang backing vocals on an Elton John demo and fronted bands both as a session singer and as a full member.
His songs have been cut by other artists including RAF and The Studioz and his track ‘This Far’ was licensed by CBS TV in the USA for use in the ‘Children of The Night’ show.
Hard to pin down to a genre, his distinctive voice is the thing that ensures you always know who you’re listening to.
For Sam, it’s all about the songs and local organic music (LOOM) is how he sees the world.
He explained: “It’s not about being famous. It doesn’t have to be signing to a major record label.
“The technology today allows writers and musicians to operate like the artisans of old. Like the weavers who started the village of Whitburn. We have the tools to handle our own productions. That’s LOOM.”
