“INTO THE SUNSET” – By Des Kelly
With Nihal Samarasinghe, also known as Sam,The Man. A very interesting journey through life, with Nihal, was sent in to me, by Charles Schokman, that I have decided to publish via e’Lanka.
Nihal was yet another Showbiz Personality who did his thing, his way.
Extremely popular with Sri Lankans around the World, Sam was never happier than, when he was on-stage, bringing life to hundreds of songs, requested by all his fans & admirers.
I cannot possibly end my intro. to his story without saying “Thank you, Sam The Man, for your dedication in the extremely difficult arena of Showbiz.
You did what you loved to do, practically INTO THE SUNSET, for which every single fan of your’s will always be grateful. You will never be forgotten, Nihal SAMarasinghe. GBY.
Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) e’Lanka.
Sunset With Sam The Man
In Loving Memory to Nihal Samarasinghe, fondly known as Sam the Man Colombo – 1957, a boy who had just left school was asked to play the Saxophone for Leonard Franke’s band “The Manhattans.” He never looked back. Music was to become his life for the next sixty years. It took him from the Royal Albert Hall in London to the United States, Salzburg-Austria, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Zambia, The Middle-East, India, Pakistan and Tenerife in the Canary Islands. He was Nihal Samarasinghe to many, Sam to some and to the vast majority who Sang Along with him he was ‘Sam the Man’, who kept their toes a tapping, both nationally and internationally for something close to 60 years, not counting his school days at S. Thomas’. All who knew him or knew of him have lost, a relative, a friend, an entertainer and the Centenary Group of S. Thomas’ at Mt. Lavinia, its President. Nihal, with his saxophone, a roving microphone and his voice, did not leave room for anyone not to Sing Along. All left, having sung in the best way we knew, even those who had not sung before. Nihal Samarasinghe, was an icon of the local music scene. With more than six decades of performing experience as a professional musician, Sam travelled all over the globe with his Sax. An Old Thomian, Sam held his own in the music circuit and entertained Sri Lankans all over the world till the very end. In addition to playing the Sax, Sam was a balladeer and had an inimitable style of performing. It will be hard to replace him in the music circuit in Sri Lanka. Sixty years in showbiz as an active singer/saxophonist and Sam the Man has no regrets he chose music for his career and not an academic one. Music had an unexplainable fascination for Sam, the chords coloured his life. No sooner he left college he grabbed the ‑rst opportunity that came his way to play sax in the popular swing and dance band of that era- The Manhattans. On the request of Tony Fernando in 1964 Sam played for the Jetliners while keeping the Escorts going. It was in 1966 the band ‘Sam the Man’ with a compelling sound of two saxes from Sam and Saybhan, two trumpets – from Neville Peiris and Denzil Lazaraus was started. Others in the band were Jimmy Peck piano, the Schwalie brothers, Dicky- bass, Errol – lead guitar, Maithri Mervyn de Zilva – drums, the female glitz Esme de Silva – vocals and Maurice Balasingham – male vocalist. For extra colour the go go girls – in vogue then – Sandra Barrington, Sherine Peck and Asuntha Herft. They all made up ‘Sam the Man’ the band that found swift success. Competition was high, it was a common thing for members to move from one band to another. Personnel changed and so Gabo Pieris joined Sam the Man as drummer and Priyanthi Manamperi as vocalist and in the following years by Noeline Mendis (Honter)’. Play on Sam, we miss you, You will continue to be the Sun that will Shine. He earned the accolade ‘King’ of the Sing Along, having introduced the ‑rst Sing Along Concert in Sri Lanka in 1997, together with the Y’s men of Sri Lanka. Sixty years after he left St Thomas’ for a career in music, he was laid to rest on Sunday, July 16 2017. His old school in Mount Lavinia in a rare gesture of condolence lowered the school fag to half-mast. It was perhaps the last time that St Thomas’ College had honoured an old boy for his music, in this manner. When he was taken away from his home at 50 Hotel Road, Mount Lavina after a simple Buddhist ceremony, college prefects sang the college song before his casket, and carried him away.
