Sam Neely

Sam Neely
Sam Neely in 1972
Background information
Born	(1948-08-22)August 22, 1948[citation needed] Cuero, Texas, U.S.
Died	July 19, 2006(2006-07-19) (aged 57) Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Country, folk
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, performer
Instrument(s)	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1958-1984
Labels	A&M, Astro, Capitol, Elektra, MCA, Taliesyn

Sam Neely (August 22, 1948 – July 19, 2006) was an American country and folk music musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and performer.

Born in Cuero, Texas, Neely began playing guitar at age ten. After moving with his family to Corpus Christi, Texas, he began playing in bands, including local group, Buckle. He made an appearance on the Merv Griffin Show in 1968 and was asked to write a song for the film, Tilt; though the movie was not released until 1978, it did include Neely's track, "Long Road to Texas".^[1]

Neely scored a string of minor hits in the 1970s on the country and pop charts and released a few albums which saw sales success. In 1978, he moved back to Corpus Christi and became the house musician for the Electric Eel. In 1983, he made a comeback on MCA Records.

On July 19, 2006, Neely collapsed and died while mowing his lawn at his home in Corpus Christi.^{[citation needed]} He was 57. A funeral mass was held at St. Patrick Catholic parish in Corpus Christi on July 23, 2006.^{[citation needed]}

• Sam Neely discography at Discogs