Sam E. Solo (born July 13, 1942) – Love Is Not A Game (1966)
This phenomenal upbeat jam by the unsung singer who only released a few 45's during his career was produced and co-written by Ruby Records owner Bob Schwartz.
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Sam E. Solo is a singer/songwriter who released a few rare singles on Detroit-area labels in the 1960s.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Samuel Flournoy Jr.’s family moved to Flint, Michigan when he was still an infant, and his father found work at a GM plant. His grandfather was a minister, and Flournoy sang gospel at his church starting when he was eight years old. In high school he joined a local R&B group called the Royal Lovers.
While still a teenager, he was asked to join a big band led by Big Jay McNeely, who heard him sing while visiting his sister in Flint. Flournoy toured Texas with the band then moved to Houston to live with his sister. There, he auditioned for the infamous Don Robey’s Peacock Records, and was hired as an opening act for some of the label’s revues featuring artists like Bobby “Blue” Bland and Etta James. But he never recorded for Robey.
Back in Flint, he reunited with the Royal Lovers, then met Al Bennett, who offered to manage him. He secured him a recording deal with local label Rip-Cor Records, owned by James Wheeler, who put out his debut single in 1962. “Jackie Please” was written by Bennett, b/w the haunting doo-wop cut “Good By My Love,” co-written by Flournoy and C. Ross.
A few years later, Flournoy connected with Detroit label owner and producer Bob (aka Bernard) Schwartz, who owned Ruby Records. Schwartz produced a single for him in 1966, the superb Jack Ashford/Mike Terry-penned heartbreak anthem “Tears Keep Falling.” Its B-side was the phenomenal upbeat jam “Love Is Not A Game,” co-written by Schwartz and songwriter Jack Thomas. Initially released on Ruby, the single was then picked up by Imperial Records and charted in the Detroit area in June, 1966.
Flournoy released one more single on Ruby Records, most likely the following year in 1967. The heartfelt “Baby Baby” was backed with “Bad Bad Whiskey” on the flip, this time billed to “Sammy Soulo.”
In 2008 he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps, becoming a minister himself, and is today known as the Reverend Sam E. Solo.
Happy Birthday to the great Sam Flournoy.
Further info:
“Sam E Solo: A Biography,” by Dave Welding, Soul-Source.co.uk, October 16, 2015.
#soul #JackAshford #MikeTerry #BobSchwartz #SamESolo #SamFlournoy