Salvatore

The Singer

Salvatore was born in upstate New York into an Italian family. His Father Dominic was a respected saxophone player who made a good living at the various night clubs in the Buffalo area. Rose, Sam's Mother, was the singer in the Dominic band. They fell in love and soon married.

Dominic and Rose had been married two years when Salvatore was born. Salvatore had a normal childhood until at the age of 7 he was diagnosed with a serious heart condition. The doctors had discovered two holes in his heart. They warned his parents that their young son probably would most likely not live long enough to see his 21st birthday. Upon hearing that, Rose knew she had to limit Salvatore's activities. So instead of spending time outdoors with his friends, he spent the next years in his upstairs bedroom listening to a small radio, and singing along with his favorite vocalists.

Ironically, the first song ever sang was Bobby Darin's Splish Splash! This particular Darin tune would have a dramatic, life changing effect on Salvatore.

Salvatore's parents recognized that music was quite good for his physical health and his mental well being, so at the age of 9 they bought him his first guitar, which added a new dimension to Salvatore's interest in music.

While attending Junior High, he brought his guitar to his school's "show and tell', where he proudly belted out a classic version of My Bonnie Lie's Over The Ocean. Within weeks of this first performance, he sang again at a local pancake breakfast fund raiser. For those that knew Salvatore, it appeared this young kid had a very special talent.

At the age of 14 he formed his first band The Corsairs, and they played at various school dances and birthday parties. In 1966 he changed the name of the band to the Royal Teens. The band then consisted of Salvatore (Sam), Jim Whittle, Joe Campo and Evan Zang (one of the founders of Pet Smart corp). With Evan in the band they immediately created and executed several dynamic changes to the band which included complicated and rich vocal arrangements, dynamic harmonies, intricate music arrangements, and original songs.

And most importantly, Evan and Sam developed various stage theatrics that were years ahead of their contemporaries such as Alice Cooper, Genesis, and other name bands of the 60's. This propelled the boys to be known as the must see group in Southern California, with booking at the best hot spots in Hollywood: The Whiskey, Pandora's Box, and several Hollywood clubs where celebrities would frequently gather.

Thus began a musical collaboration and friendship that has lasted for more than 35 years. With Sam and Evan driving the band, The Royal Teens became the most popular band in the South Bay, and they were very much in demand. It was not uncommon to see the band besieged by screaming female fans.

This startling phenomenon was clearly reminiscent of the recent Beatlemania, which had taken over America. The band signed a recording contract with rev records, with their first release called Tears In My Eyes. Soon after that, in 1968 they sang with VMC records. Their first release on the new label was a catchy tune called Butterfly High and Sleepy Hollow People, written by Tandyn Almer, the composer of Along Comes Mary.

In 1970 the band had reached it's peak of recording and live performances. Like many other groups, their success was short lived.

In 1970 Sam launched a solo career, often performing two shows a night, but his new song list did not include rock and roll. Instead, he was singing songs by Sinatra, Mathis, and his mentor Bobby Darin. For the next 15 years, he along with his side kick Don D were booked solid at clubs and hotels. In 1994 Sam moved to Las Vegas where he took on the role as the front man in the Enterprize show band. After much success, Sam formed his own band, going by his stage name, Sam Walker Cherico. If you have visited Las Vegas in the past 14 years, you would have seen Sam. He was featured on Back Stage Live, The Dennis Bono show.