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Samuel D. Gorman
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Tributes, comments and Testimonials
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Thank you all for loving and caring for my baby brother. Sam was just home and stayed with me. Everytime he came home he would do some major repair, minor adjustments and leave traces of projects that needed to be done. Late night bull-shiting and banjo picking Sam and I would talk until we crashed. The minute he came through the door he would pick up an instrument be it banjo, guitar or play my piano. When Sam would leave to go home I would sleep for a week. I loved him so much.
Sam encouraged me to be in one his many bands. In one our bands "LOOSE ENDS" he hired this guy to be our drummer and on the first gig the drummer had downed three jack daniels before the first set was over. Sam ended up playing behind the cat so that he would not slid off of his seat.
Growing up at the Mellwood, our family home, we had musicians come from all over to jam on Friday and on Sunday people would come out of the barn hair all messed up and instruments packing. My Mom and Dad would welcome anyone that could play a tune. Sam and my brother Joe had a new band every year. "ACE MELLWOOD AND HIS HORNS" was an ass kicking band with a horn section that blew people out the door. "Street Life" was a band that Sam played with and ended up marrying the lead singer. She left town and Sam called home for my youngest sister, Dixie Karas to come to Columbus, Ohio to sit in. She never left the band and married the guitarist. I gave her a blue cocktail dress to wear that night and I had just used it in a play and damn it fit like a glove. Check her latest CD www.airwaveband.com
Dixie and I and my daughter are coming to Sams on Sunday so we will be checking out his spots. Hopefully most of you have met our brother Joe Gorman. Joe is in Florida making arrangements for Sam. Looking forward to meeting some of you. Sam loved living there and he was living his dream playing music.
See you soon,
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Thanks to all of you for submitting comments about my little brother. We grew up together! We started playing guitars around 7-8 years old. Soon, we branched into playing all kinds of instruments, with Sammy playing clarinet in the school band, as well as bass, guitar, some drums. We were very fortunate to have parents who ENCOURAGED us to try different instruments, to play all kinds of music, to jam with relatives and friends of all ages, and to be generous in sharing music. My parents gave Sammy the gift to accept all kinds of people. We had a lot of "strays" living with us, hippies with long hair who were kicked out of their houses! Our parents invited people to come to our home, and Sammy was the same way (to a fault!).
I was in Melbourne last week to try to wrap up Sammy's life. I thank his friends Nic and Doris for helping us. I'm glad Ron came over and I had the chance to jam with he and Nic. Thanks to Bob White for finally getting those damn cabinets up! I just wish I had come down earlier to help Sammy.
I learned that he had about a dozen "best friends." He was the best man at a lot of weddings. He was the comfort for a lot of folks. But, he just didn't take care of himself. He put the welfare of his friends before his own. He never asked for help, that was the way he lived. He'd give the shirt off his back. But, after the eye accident, he was often in pain. Pain is never boring and, like rust, never sleeps.
We lost our older brother, Tom, also a bass player, in November last year. Our sister Sandy died a few years ago. Our sister Nancy is hurting right now (so pray for her). Now that Sammy is gone, our immediate family of seven is shrunk to four. But, music is still being played and shared.
Joe Gorman
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Just wanted to express my heart felt condolences to family and friends of Sam. I have had the pleasure of watching Sam play, throughout Brevard, I have been blessed to know him and jam with him over the years .He has played at mine and my wife's home for our own gigs .
He always found the time to visit and talk with us . He had a love for old cars and we use to share stories all the time. He was always cheerful and a character to say the least.
As a Brevard resident and having my own band I have got to know a lot of local musicians over the years and Sam has stood out as one of the most caring to me and has always encouraged people to chase there dreams of playing no matter where there talent lied.
As a fan and a friend , we will miss you "Sammy" The music scene will have a gapping hole without your talent,energy & character. You are truly one of a kind.
Sincerely,
Greg & Betty Whitcher
P.S. Please keep us informed of services, memorial concerts, etc
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The Spanksband would like to send their condolences to Sam's family and also offer our services to play at a benefit to help Sam's family in this time of sorrow and need. I have known Sam since he moved here and played with the 13 piece band at the Storm Club. I believe it was called the Windjammer then. I fondly remember many nights after hours at the old Caravelle lounge sitting around talking shop with Sam. He will definitely be missed. Please keep us updated on the benefit. As I stated earlier, we would be happy to participate in the event to celebrate and pay tribute to Sam Gorman. He will be missed
Tim Snell (The Spanksband)
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The sky is crying and there must be a hell of a jam in Heaven tonight. My dear Sam you will forever and ever be in our hearts.
To your Family I say thank you for sharing your wonderfully talented brother with us here in Florida. I am so sorry for your loss and I know in time we will be able to go on,because that is what Sam would have wanted us to do.
Everyone who knew you Sam will never be the same. You always had a way of making people smile and laugh and feel cared about no matter how bad things were going in your own life.
So much to say not enough space. :) Ronnie just wants you to know that in honor of Sam "I'm Goin' Fishin' "
Love, Cheryl and Mr. Nighttime (Ronnie) Wahl
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Sammy .. you were one of my first friends when I moved down here and you remained one until Monday when you broke everyone's heart. What an imp you were with that ol' laugh of yours and that smirk that would occasionally slip onto your face that said there was something funny
going on but you couldn't laugh outright! I have never laughed so hard as I did those two nights (once at The Stables and once at the Pineda
Inn) .. your expression was worth a million but what was even funnier is that you were mad because you wouldn't be able to tell anyone
because they'd have never believe you. As recently as Johnny Power's memorial, all it took was a look and a smile and you'd turn red and
then .. there would be that smile. What a gift you were to me personally and what a gift you were to anyone who knew you - whether
they realized it or not!! I'm gonna miss you! DKT
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Hi Kenny - My deepest sympathy to you and Sam's biological and musical families. He was always very gracious to me and all the other occasional participants at your jam. He had a great sense of humor and always made me feel comfortable and appreciated. This is a huge loss for our community and I will miss him.
Peter Wells - Chef/Owner of And All That Jazz Cafe and musician
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About 4 or 5 years ago I met Sammy at the Lazy Dog while I was filling in for Kenny. He immediately welcomed me and we had a blast playing together. Towards the end of the night I was talking to him about his red ES-335 and how much I liked them but never played one. He took his off and handed it to me and said "Here ya go". I loved it.. and knew right then I was gonna get one. Now I do..and it's all due to Sammy and his kind, generous heart..handing such a beautiful instrument to somebody he barely knew. But that was Sammy.
Sammy, I'll miss you as a friend and as a musician. Jam on brother..see ya on the other side!!
Russ Kellum
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I just wanted to express my heartfelt sadness for the loss of our beloved Sammy! I have known Sammy for probably 15 years and he was always one of my absolute favorites. The "old" Pineda Inn days will always be in my heart He would play 70's songs and I would dance for him. God Bless you, Sammy. Keep playing that "dirty sax". Love ya always, Lorraine Jones
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Photo courtesy Billy Howe "horn head"
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Photo courtesy Billy Howe "horn head"
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TO ALL MY FRIENDS NEAR AN FAR. I WISH YOU ENOUGH MY BUDDY SAM GORMAN IN HIS PASSING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. YOU WILL BE SADLY MISSED, FONDLY
REMEMBERED. PEACE TO YOU, BROTHER. LOVE AND WARM THOUGHTS TO ALL MY FRIENDS,CINDI GRIFFIN
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Damn it man, I can't believe that our friend is no longer an earthly presence. We all loved him and his music. He will be missed. Sammy you have some great company up there. Play for my mom and dad. Love you, Maggie May.
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I can say that we are still in shock with the news of Sam's untimely death. He was just such a great guy and oh, how he loved the music and always smiling....we used to always have fun with him when he played at Capt Katanna's years ago...even letting us drinking fools sing along...Sam laughing as he forgot the words to our "special" song..."We Are Family".
He will forever be in our hearts.
Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Know that he will be missed.
God Bless,
Jim & Rosie Rubar |
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Just wanted to say how saddened we were hearing the news about Sammy. No matter what the situation was Sam could get through it. When things were going well he just kept playing and laughing and inspiring others. When things were not going so well, he was exactly the same. Just a wonderfull person who will be sorely missed by many, many people here in Brevard County. I can guarantee you this, the other Brevard County musicians who have recently passed, are thrilled to have Sammy in their band in up in Heaven.
God bless you Sammy, and thanks for all the music and laughter.
(John, Bobby and Butch - The Mills Brothers Band).
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Wow, what do you say about Sam. I met Sam about 20 yrs ago, when he was playing at Johnnie's hideaway on US1. We always had so much fun there. I last saw Sam about 2 months ago at Captain Katanas, and it had been about 5 yrs since I seen him before that, as I don't live in town anymore. He started laughing and remembering when we used to put my cousins G-String panties in his sax while he was on break. We used to leave the bar at closing time and carry the party to Sams house on Pineapple Ave. My heart is broke. Sam you will be missed so much. So glad I have this great memorys.
Love you Sam, God Speed.
Taffy
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I Love you Sam....
The Lord called upon him
and took him up above,
Sweet memories he leaves us
and they're all filled with love.
All though he's at peace now
as he walks towards the light,
Forever we'll miss Sam
For he's gone from our sight.
There's a void in my life
and an ache in my heart,
For we're missing our good friend
from who we're apart.
Our dearest and good friend
you gave us all love,
May we some day unite
up in heaven above.
Love Kathy Cannata
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You will be forever in my heart!
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There aren't enough words. I've known Sam since the Afterdeck days in Cocoa Beach in the early 80's...he was playing with a show band and I remember him practicing the rap for the Chaka Kahn song before we opened. We always had the best time, what a great group... I just saw him the other day...sweet as ever...Bye Sammy,
Laurie and Herb Vaughan
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Hi Everyone,
There are those of us that have know Sam Gorman a long Time, The Stories are countless.
The Family has suffered Great Loses This year, I just Thought Everyone should Know that Sam's Mother Past away and Just 2 months ago, His Brother.
The Family are all Great Musicians, Like, All of Them.
Sam was a Star, and could Handle the stardom it took to be a Faithful Musician. Those of you that know what I am talking about, Know that music was his Life and he Lived it to it's fullest.
I believe he is answering the questions at the Gate of heaven, Well, How do you think that is going for the gate keeper.
Sam, was Our Best Friend, Our Best Man and will miss terribly
From: Florida Family
Bob & Joann White
Mark & Martha Lepeska
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I met Sam in 1986 when he played with 'The Hits Band' at Plumbs Lounge in Cocoa Beach, he stole my heart and we married on February 7th 1987. What a beautiful soul he was, he had more love and compassion to give than anyone I had ever met. Unfortunatley I was too young and did not realizing the blessings he brought into my life. We divorced a few years later although we always remained friends. Now looking back I cherish my time with Sam as one of the most precious moments in my life. I saw Kenny Page recently at Lous Blues and he encouraged me to see Sam play on Monday nights, I regret to say I waited one Monday too long. My heart is breaking over this loss of a truly gifted, talented musician and my first love.
God Bless you Sam, rest in peace my Darling, you are forever in my heart.
My Darling Sam, you were such a wonderful part of my life, now my heart breaks. Your spirit fills my soul with pure joy, and as you sang on our wedding day "Im happy to be stuck with you"
Many years have passed, know that our love was true, it was all me and not you.......
Thanks for the memories, I love You still.
Louise Turner
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We are deeply saddened by the passing of Sammy and extend our condolences to his family. Over the past 14 years or so we have enjoyed watching and listening to him play, both alone and with various partners. We were so impressed with Sammy and Jack, (playing as the “Kruzmatics”) we asked them to perform at our wedding reception 11 years ago, a performance enjoyed by all who attended.
How does the line go? ………….”If there is a rock and roll heaven, they must have a hell of a band.” We are sure that by now, Sammy has found a place in that band’s Saxophone section. He will be missed…. socially and musically throughout the Melbourne area.
Jack and Lorrell Findlater
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It was a lot of fun, playing with Sam, back in the '80's. We were a duo at C. W. Dandys, for many months. He'd throw off that guitar and grab that sax, duck into the mic to sing, and flirt with a chick walking in the door, all at the same time! You all are right. Sam had the sweetest spirit and was a blast to be around. He'd give the shirt off his back. It was my birthday one year, and Sam invited me over for a home cooked meal. He rattled those pots and pans and served up a gourmet meal. Who knew one of his passions was cooking? Darn good one, too! My birthday present was that he had that old piano of his, tuned! What a neat gift, I thought, since I spent a lot of time over there with him and Ben. Sat down to play his piano, and whew, it wasn't any better than it was, before it was "tuned". Sure didn't want to hurt his feelings, so we jammed. He believed that piano sounded good, and I just let him! That was the most "unique" birthday present I ever got, a piano tuning of someone else's piano! Sam was deep! He thought that out very carefully, and it was his way to please me, since we all loved to play music.
I know we've all got "unbelievable, fun" memories from time spent with Sam. Everybody loved him. That says a lot about a great man. He was RICH. He "got it". He was creative and always thinking, add to that, a great song writer, musician, singer and most of all, a true friend, and extremely honest. "Sammy gave us rainbows and Sammy took a piece of our hearts and Sammy even brought us to "his dock" by his bay. He's only found another place, another place to play, yeah, if you believe in forever, than life is just a one-night stand, and now that you're in rock 'n roll heaven, we know that you're in the band!"
Julia Zukor-Bullock
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Sammy, you will always be a part of me - we will never forget you..
Jack Clutterham
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To all of Sam's friends on the Florida coast, from a friend in the Midwest.
We go back as far as high school together when everybody was either a mug or a chump. Sammy was into fixing cars and playing music in his basement that was covered with carpeting, floor to ceiling. It dampened the sound so his parents Wanda and Big Sam could get some sleep. There was a constant stream of musicians coming and going at his home on Mellwood Ave. They were always creating music and having a great time. When they were quite young, Sam ventured down to Florida with my brother Mark, to do summer work in Winter Haven, and never went back to Ohio!
Sam played the bass, guitar and also played sax in the high school band. I never thought he would go anywhere with that old sax - I think it was an alto, but I'm not sure. He just kept getting better and better at it. When I heard him last September during my annual Waukula at Cocoa Beach trip with Mark- we were at Cantina's, and he rocked that place. He was always so smooth with his stage presence. He could connect with everyone just by the way he sang, looked at you as if to say "hey this is fun, wanna play too?"
He spent his life not pursuing wealth, fortune or any of those traditional things most folks use to define success. He lived to play music. I can see from the letters sent to Kenny that he accomplished much more than that in his life. Because I think it is not the accumulated wealth that measures a person's success, but the extent to which he touched the lives of others.
David Mannix
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As everyone who knew Sam well has mentioned, we've all got a million
stories and memories - anything ranging from the simplest act of
kindness and friendship to some of the most outrageous unbelievable "you
can't possibly make this stuff up" kind of things. But the one thing
that ties them all together is Sam's personality and how he was a great
friend to have. An easy going guy, full of energy and encouragement,
and literally everything was fun. That's something that never changed
with him.
I met the Gorman family in 1968 when Joe and I were 15 in high school,
and Sam was 13. Yes, I was one of the guys who routinely "came over to
jam on Friday, left on Sunday" that Priscilla mentioned. Sam learned
bass and we all learned to play together. Seemed like every song was at
least half an hour long, so we learned a lot of improv. ;-) Talk about
a BLAST! They were my "second family" ever since - still are. Always
loved how we called each other "Brother" and not in some slang sense -
it's always been in areal and true familial sense. I've always felt
lucky and privledged beyond belief to be a part of all we've shared all
these years. All the bands, all the "Hey, so & so booked a gig TONIGHT,
Let's call some people together and go DO IT!" kinds of things. Classic
Sam!
Priscilla and I were married for 10 years, and our daughter Keeh as well
as Dixie's kids Adrian and Andrew are now carrying on the "family
tradition" kind of musical things. Very cool. I only jam a few times
per year now, and I still really miss doing it full time.
But I'll really miss Sam more. Always admired the way he lived his life
and made the most of playing music. That takes a special kind of
person, and Sam most definitely fit that bill in all respects. Rest
easy my brother, I love you. And may you stay forever young.
Steve Hershberger
Cincinnati
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Sam Gorman-
Was indeed the "Pied Piper" of Musicians. When he played music, it did not matter which instrument he played he shared his love for music. You just wanted to be around him all the time and could not help but to fall in love with Sam. We met in 1992 at the Backside Cafe in Melbourne he brought music back into my life and into my heart and I haven't stop since. He was a good friend and will be missed so very much. I am sadden by his passing from this earth and look forward to jammin with him and the rest of the gang when I get there.
To the good ole days. Love ya Sammy...KC Karen
www.underdawgsband.com
photo above 1993 wedding Sam, Bob and myself played at.
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I got to know Sam well while working at the Pineeda Inn when Jim(my brother) owned it. We had many soul searching conversations. Sam always had time to listen and always the best advice. I believe he thought of me as a friend as I did him. Life got in the way and I moved further south but he was never far from my thoughts. I will miss him and pray for him as well as his family.
Sincerely,
Jackie Hamara Grieve
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Sammy was truly one of a kind. KIND being the key word. I have know Sam since the late 80’s when my late husband introduced us. Sam and Jimmy were fellow musicians but also such great friends. I never saw Jimmy happier than when he was jamming with Sam. He thought of Sam as a brother in every sense of the word. When Jimmy became ill in 2000 Sam was always very supportive and never treated Jimmy any differently because he was ill. Sam always had a special place in our hearts because of his genuine love for his friends.
I know that Jimmy and Sam are jamming every night in heaven…. God Bless your soul, Sam….
Terry Hamric
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Sammy and I had a special bond, we share the same birthday.
Frank Hetzler
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Wayne Colbath had submitted a tribute of how Sammy encouraged him to get back into playing and was supportive all along the way. Im sorry that your tribute got misplaced in cyberspace, Wayne, I hope this will do. When it comes down to it that's just the way Sammy was. It has been almost 8 weeks now, and I still can't believe it. Kenny Michaels
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