Sherry, Sam

Samuel John Sherry was a singer, musician, clog and step and professional music hall artiste.

SamSherry was born in 1912, the eighth child of James Bernard Sherry and Alice Louise Bradley-Trueman, at the Red Lion Inn, Costock, Nottinghamshire. By the time he was born, his elder brothers and sisters were already established music hall performers and he grew up being taken to the theatre to watch them.  He was taught to dance by his father at an early age and learned to play the violin and guitar and do acrobatic work. He formed a double act with his elder brother Peter after leaving school at 14, making his first professional appearance at the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen in 1925.

 

He joined the main family act in 1929, which eventually became The Five Sherry Brothers, an internationally famous act which was only broken up due to Sam and Peter being called up during WW2.

After the war he carried on working with Peter performing on the variety stage and pantomime. The continued until 1956 when Peter retired and the act folded. 

Sam went to live in Galgate, Lancashire and set up in partnership with a shipwright hiring out and repairing boats.

During his time on the stage Sam had written several comic songs and of course knew many of his fathers. He became a member of a folk club in Lancaster where he sang and played guitar. A local EFDSS representative, Gladys Muschamp was looking for a clog dancer for a ceilidh and without thinking much about it Sam volunteered. After some difficulty he acquired a pair of clogs and danced for the event. It was a huge success and Sam went on to become a fixture on the folk circuit performing at festivals, including the EFDSS Albert Hall Festival and the Sidmouth Folk Festival.

By 1979 he was running classes in Lancaster and Preston teaching his steps to the next generation of dancers.

Over the years, Sam was able to recall a substantial repertoire of steps which he worked into a number of set routines.  He was also filmed on a number of occasions and these items provide a valuable resource for those studying and performing his material.

 



Sam Sherry the Dance Routines

Beginning with his "Exhibition" routine, Sam developed a number of sets pf steps for performance in several different rhythms. All of these have been notated as part of the Newcastle Series and can be explored here. Videos of Sam performing the steps are accessible here also.

Sam Sherry's Songs

Sam began his association with the folk revival as a singer and he continued to perform both his father's songs and his own compositions for many years. Details of these can be accessed here.

Sam was an excellent tap dancer and some of his routines feature in the film list below.   In addition to these clips Sam was filmed in 1978 by Garland Films for the EFDSS.  The film, which contains interviews and full coverage of his complex waltz routine, jig and exhibition routines, is available as part of Metherell, C. and Callaghan, B, Sam Sherry a Memorial Compilation, DVD set, London: EFDSS, (2007).  Available from the EFDSS shop. In 1980, a film of Sam, sponsored by the Arts Council of Great Britain was produced.  This was directed by John Tchalenko.  For copyright reasons it has not been possible to reproduce that film. Contact Garland Films for further details.

Information derived from interviews with Sam and his pupils on 7.3.198116/5/1981 and 16/2/1985,  the 1978 film and the films listed below.

A number of films of Sam dancing are available:

1.  Sam appearing on Pebble Mill at One, about 1978.
2.  Sam dancing his waltz routine in 1980.
3.  Sam Appearing on Pebble MIll at One, about 1980.
4.  Sam appearing on an unknown music hall documentary, hosted by Angela Ripon.
5.  Sam performing his waltz routine, Fylde 1982.
6.  Sam performing “The Entertainer”, Fylde 1982.
7.  Sam performing his exhibition routine, Fylde 1982.
8.  Sam performing his jig routine, Reading 1982.
9.  Sam performing his exhibition routine at Leyland in 1984.
10.  Sam sings Lassie from Lancashire and performs the simple waltz routine at Leyland 1985.
11.  Sam performing Sam’s Song, Lancashire Wallopers Weekend, February 1986.
12.  Sam performing his jig routine, Newcastle 1990.

Additionally a number of clips of Sam’s pupils are available featuring various of his routines:

  1. Melanie Barber dancing Sam Sherry’s Polka Routine at the Reading Day of Dance on 23rd October 1993.