About Sam Watters
Samuel Joshua Watters was born in Camp Springs, Maryland (just
outside Washington, D.C.) on July 23, 1970. He and his parents, Dan (a cellist)
and Mary (a music teacher) lived in Long Island, New York during Sam's early
childhood before moving to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma when he was four.
When Sam was 8 years old, he met Mark Calderon, a destined meeting that would
impact their lives more than they knew. When the two best friends entered
Northwest Classen High School's chorus class, they met Kevin Thornton and Bryan
Abrams, who had also been best friends since grade school. The four young men
quickly developed a kinship with one another that revolved around their love for
music.
When the opportunity to perform in a school talent show rolled around, the
talented foursome got together and memorized the close harmonies of a Levi's 501
Blues jeans jingle to sing there. The response to their beautiful voices was
incredible. The quartet soon took to giving impromptu concerts in the school
hallways. When that was vetoed by the school's staff, the four took their act
into the men's room -- which didn't stop fans of both genders from gathering to
listen.
When the four young men were barely out of high school, a chance encounter with
a popular musician changed their lives. Thornton and Abrams both worked at a
local Oklahoma City movie theatre; this particular night, however, it was just
Thornton. As he tore tickets for every Larry, Harry and Mary that walked through
the door, in walked rock star Jon Bon Jovi, along with a group of friends
(including Bon Jovi bandmates). Thornton dismissed the man as a look alike,
until, on further investigation, he spotted a Bon Jovi logo on someone's jacket.
The always-on-his-toes Thornton immediately played sick to get off of work...he
had a plan. He then called Watters, Abrams and Calderon to come to the theatre
for a possible chance to perform for Jon.
So, after waiting through "two, long, boring movies," the guys had Abrams
introduce them to Jon as Take One, and ask for a few moments of his time to hear
them sing. "Go ahead fellas, show me what you've got." he replied. The guys then
broke out their flawless harmonies and performed "Daddy's Home" right there in
the lobby. Jon listened, thought it over, then answered, "You guys think you're
pretty badd, don't you? Let's see how badd you are in front of 15,000 people!"
With that statement, Take One secured a place on stage in front of 15,000 Bon
Jovi and Skid Row fans at OKC's Myriad Convention Center. They were
well-received by the audience, but their "big break" was yet to come.
Soon after the Bon Jovi encounter, the guys met Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool and
the Gang who took a listen, and then took action. Bell hooked them up with part
of his management team, Myles Sanders and Linda Phillip. The guys moved
cross-country to New York City in September 1989 and lived with Sanders and
Phillip for a year and a half while they tried to get a record deal.
It was also at this time that the four talents' group name was changed to
Color Me Badd to avoid
confusion with the a capella Gospel group, Take 6. Color Me Badd was a name
thought up by Sam Watters himself. To him and the guys, it represented
overcoming labels: racial, sexual, musical, etc. until all that's left is the
vibe of the music.
Color Me Badd signed with Giant records in 1990, and as a result, their first
single was included on the soundtrack to the Warner Bros. film, New Jack
City the following year. That song, "I Wanna Sex You Up," became the anthem
of the summer of 1991, and Color Me Badd's all-time most recognized song
(whether they, or their fans, like it or not... ha ha).
In
November of 1998, following a seven-year run of the typical career highs and
lows, Color Me Badd parted ways. Watters is now, of course, half of the very
successful songwriting/production team known as Mzmeriq Entertainment (or "Breakthrough Entertainment" or "Breakthrough Creations"), along with Louis
Biancaniello. He not only writes and produces the songs with Louis, he has also
performed backing vocals on many of the tracks, and has played instruments as well.
In September of 2006, Sam wed singer/actress (and Biancaniello & Watters
collaborator) Tamyra Gray, in Capri, Italy. They had their first child together in the summer of 2010, a daughter named Sienna Marie.
:|: biography by Patricia M. Henderson (fanlisting co-founder) :|:
first Sam Watters photo taken by Pam Martin (aka, "Momm"): July 10, 1997
second (with wife Tamyra) is a press photo