- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Along with fellow Texan Doug Sahm and his band the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs introduced Tex-Mex rhythms into rock and roll.
Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – Wooly Bully (1965): “Sam the Sham” is the self-deprecating nickname that Domingo Samudio adopted for his stage name, but he was no sham, instead fronting one of the best American rock bands of the 1960’s. Along with fellow Texan Doug Sahm and his band the Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs introduced Tex-Mex rhythms into rock and roll. The title song of Wooly Bully, “Wooly Bully” was written about Domingo Samudio’s cat – the rumor among us kids was that “Wooly Bully” is a vagina – and is an absolute romp, pairing an irresistible beat with inane lyrics and calls, and beginning with a mixed English/Spanish “1, 2, 3, 4”.
Their minor hit that is based on a famous ghost story, “Haunted House” – more familiar from the 1964 version by Jumpin’ Gene Simmons (the KISS front man picked his stage name “Gene Simmons” in tribute to him) – is also nothing but fun, as are “Sorry ’Bout That”, “Go Go Girls”, and “Juiminos (Let’s Went)” that features Spanish lyrics. The tight-yet-loose groove continues throughout the album’s tracks, even on familiar songs like “Long Tall Sally” and “Shotgun” that most bands just breeze through on their albums. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs would have one more big hit with “Li’l Red Riding Hood” (1966), plus four other Top 40 novelty hits. In 1967, Sam the Sham dissolved the Pharaohs and tried to see if going it alone would keep him from being pigeonholed as a novelty act, releasing several singles and albums under different names with limited success. He later moved to Memphis and became a street preacher and motivational speaker. Sam the Sham was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2016.