I remember hearing an interview a while back from professor and author, Ken Womack concerning his Mal Evans biography. He said, and I am paraphrasing, that no giant of the industry makes it to the top of their profession without numerous often little-known individuals helping to contribute to their enormous success. That is one of the reasons that my fascination with collecting autographs extends to many of the individuals that played even a smaller or bit part or role in the fairy-tale story of the Beatles. Today’s post will deal with the role played by the Mike Sammes singers in the Beatles story!
Managed to find a copy of the Mike Sammes book/story about his career. Author Spencer Leigh informed me about this title! (See below)
Background information on the Mike Sammes singers on Wikipedia:
The book about the Mike Sammes Singers:
Backing into the Limelight : The story of the MIKE SAMMES Singers by Mike Sammes. Published in 1994 by The Book Guild
Back cover of the book:
Inside flap of the dust jacket with additional background information about the Mike Sammes Singers:
Outside flap of the dust jacket with additional background info:
Quotes from the above Wikipedia link as it relates to the Beatles:
“Michael William Sammes (19 February 1928 – 19 May 2001) was an English musician and vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s.”
BEATLES reference:
“The singers departed from their usual commercial style when they provided backing vocals for the Beatles’ song “I Am the Walrus”, which required them to do “all sorts of swoops and phonetic noises” and chant the phrases “ho ho ho, he he he, ha ha ha”, “oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper” and “everybody’s got one”. They also sang on the Beatles’ “Good Night”, as well as on their last album, Let It Be, at the behest of Phil Spector. “
THE NOTORIOUS PHIL SPECTOR LET IT BE OVERDUBS
It has long been speculated that the Mike Sammes singers are singing as part of the backing choir of The Long and Winding Road at the request of Phil Spector. Mark Lewisohn has shed some illumination on the Spector overdubs to the Let it be sessions and the reasons for the uncertain nature of who the backing singers were on the Let It Be overdubs. The complexity of the issue is due to the session sheets not adequately informing the reader of the names of many of the participants of the actual overdubs.
The speculation about the Sammes singers being on The Long and Winding Road has received support with the obituary piece that Spencer Leigh wrote for Mike Sammes in the Independent back in 2001 where he quotes Mike Sammes about their participation in the Let It Be Spector-based overdubs.
Mike Sammes | The Independent | The Independent
FROM: THE INDEPENDENT – published on Monday 11 June 2001-Part of Mike Sammes’ Obituary written by Spencer Leigh:
A few quotes from the Spencer Leigh obituary of Mike Sammes:
“In 1969 John Lennon passed the second-rate tapes of the Beatles’ Let It Be sessions to the American producer Phil Spector and asked him to turn them into a decent album.”
And:
“Sammes took it philosophically: “We found out later that it wasn’t what McCartney wanted, but that’s not my problem. He had a different idea for the arrangement and because of the friction in the Beatles, he wasn’t consulted.”
The Mike Sammes Singers also provided the chants on Lennon’s “I am the Walrus” and the harmonies on Ringo Starr’s “Good Night”.
Spencer Leigh
THE MIKE SAMMES SINGERS(１９６４） – YouTube
The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles – Songfacts
The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles) | Jon Kutner
Love to collect the signatures of the many participants in the Beatles story. Here is a signed photo of Mike Sammes that I recently acquired on eBay and that I plan to use this as a signed bookplate to the book that I acquired of the Mike Sammes Singers thanks to the suggestion of author Spencer Leigh that is presented at the beginning of this post!
The Mike Sammes singers singing backing on this fabulous track that closes the White Album!!!
Good Night (2018 Mix) – YouTube
This photo of a younger Mike Sammes along with a few of his singers appear in the above Wikipedia link and is being used in this blog in conjunction with (fair use).
If anyone knows the photographer, please advise and we will give proper attribution and acknowledgement. Mike Sammes is the individual -third from the left.
The Mike Sammes singers contributions to this Beatles classic will be remembered forever!
I Am The Walrus (Remastered 2009) – YouTube
The I Am the Walrus picture aleeve
A few links that discuss the Mike Sammes singers and the Beatles:
27 September 1967: Recording, mixing: I Am The Walrus | The Beatles Bible
Magical Mystery Tour Plus Other Songs • LP by The Beatles
Mike Sammes Singers Discography: Vinyl, CDs, & More | Discogs
The White Album Project | A Comprehensive Look At The Beatles Self Titled Double Album Masterpiece
Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!
Now- it’s time to say Good Night! Good Night Everybody, Everybody, Everywhere!!
BUZZ
OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK AT THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE
The Cutting Edge (Paperback)
The Beatles’ hair changed the world. As their increasingly wild, untamed manes grew, to the horror of parents everywhere, they set off a cultural revolution as the most tangible symbol of the Sixties’ psychedelic dream of peace, love and playful rebellion. In the midst of this epochal change was Leslie Cavendish, hairdresser to the Beatles and some of the greatest stars of the music and entertainment industry.
I was just yesterday watching one of Scott Freiman’s excellent DVDs “Deconstructing The Beatles” where he covers The Mike Sammes Singer’s participation in “I Am The Walrus.” He isolates the track where they are singing/saying the “ho ho ho, hee hee hee, ha ha ha”,“oompah, oompah, stick it up your jumper” and “everybody’s got one.” I’ve known for many years what was being said, but never knew it was The Mike Sammes Singers (although I was familiar with them since the ‘60s!)