Sam Bostic

Raised up from the Richmond, CA bootstraps, where true pimps and playas adorned almost every street corner, young Sam, was first influenced by his father, William Bostic, the lead singer of several groups that played the Bay Area to L.A. club circuit, most notably the Western Union Band. Sam actually taught himself to play several instruments left behind after band rehearsals held in his fathers basement.

Though he was warned not to mess with the costly equipment, once everyone was out of sight, his grandmother gave him the green light to carefully ?get his learn on.? Sam happily strapped on a Fender Jazz bass, followed by other axes, and proceeded to perfect his chops emulating the grooves and licks of childhood favorites such as Sly & The Family Stone and Earth, Wind & Fire. Recognizing game, his father invited a then 9- year old Sam to get on the mic during another band rehearsal. When he stomped a mud hole through the Ohio Players' funk staple ?Skin Tight,? dad put young blood front and center for a local TV taping. The funkadelic dye was cast. He was a music junky pure and simple and the energy from a crowd was his fix.

Since that time, Sam has immersed himself into the full 360 degrees of the music making process. As a member of Art n' Soul, Sam impressed Tony Toni Tone' member Timothy Christian Riley enough that he produced the trio's debut album. And to this day, you might just catch Sam sitting in for Raphael Saadiq when his potnas Tim Christian Riley and D' Wayne Wiggins takes ?The Tonyies? on the road for a soul spin.

While Art n' Soul is still very much in tact, the group is currently on a temporary hiatus. So Sam has been flexing his solo skills. Just prior to waxing Soul Supreme, Sam landed a slot with his Bluesy/Soulful track ?1 More Try? in the 2003 Martin Lawrence film, ?National Security.? The song was nicely featured during a scene where Martin was frisking and cuffing a butter scotch toned foxy culprit. And now that his album is complete, Sam is ready, willing and fully capable of taking his package out on the road to give people a show and win the respect of audiences worldwide. Longtime fans may even expect to see members of Art n' Soul among his backline.

?This is like my child,? Sam concludes of Soul Supreme: The Eclectic Collection, which he recorded at home in the Bay Area and mixed in Los Angeles. ?I've been developing this body of work for a while now. It was the truth? from the very birth of the record.
?This thing I'm doing, it's not about big name bling, bling or smoke and mirrors. I wrote, produced and played mostly all of the instruments myself. I wanted to keep it raw and un-cut so I went in the studio, lit some candles and incense, and kept things intimate and spontaneous. ?I would sit quietly in the room, and let the music speak to me, just allowing the magic to happen.?


A. Scott Galloway - 2006