Ambrose Sam

b. c.1919, Opelousas, Louisiana, USA, d. November 1995. A pioneer of the Creole accordion, Ambrose Sam was a contemporary of zydeco legends Clifton Chenier and Wilson ‘Boozoo' Chavis. His father was an accomplished accordion player, as was his brother, Herbert Sam, who enjoyed a brief solo career with Arhoolie Records in the early 60s. During the war years he was employed in a bomb factory while continuing to play at local dances in Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was Ambrose Sam who was the first to export the zydeco sound to America's west coast, and he also claimed to have been...