Willie Sampson

Willie Sampson. Texas Music Museum Archives
Willie Sampson. Texas Music Museum Archives

Willie Sampson was born March 28, 1943 in Clarksville, Texas to Clarisse and James Edward Sampson. He attended Keeling Junior High School and then attended Anderson High School. His mother would sing in church and as a boy, Willie also sang gospel in the church choir.

He began his interest in music by just beating on things before he had his first drum. He started playing drums in blues groups when he was 15 years old. He played with T.D. Bell, Ponte “Guitar” Gonzales, Spot Barnett, and Lennar Nappier and The Spinners. He played in Austin at the I.L. Club and the Victory Grill.

Sampson was also an excellent cook and cooked at restaurants, fraternities and nursing homes. His first of several recordings was with the East Side Kings on the Dialtone Label. He was reported to hold the only drum sticks that could play an authentic Texas shuffle beat. Willie Sampson passed away on October 1, 2009.