Sam Phillips, the king of hand-snapping, was born in Cleveland in 1956, and moved to Lakewood five years ago to raise his family in a community with strong values. He was quickly introduced to the music business when he began playing concerts at his brothers bar as a drummer and percussionist when he was only 13 years old. To diversify his playing style, Sam learned the bongos and the congas. But when playing the congas made his hands bleed, Sam turned to his fellow musicians for help. Sam explains, "I met these guys from the west side (Cleveland) who told me to start playing on bricks to toughen up my fingers." Around this time, Sam discovered the art of hand-snapping, which you just have to see to believe. With his newly brick-toughened hands, he found he could easily use the force of his fingertips and thumb to emulate all kinds of beats.

Sam’s ability has garnered him many television appearances including: Real TV, The Big Chuck and Little John Show, The Arsinio Hall Show, Maximum Exposure, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Inside Edition, and many other shows. Sam has also done television spots in Germany and Japan. Most recently, Sam was invited to a hand snapping competition against his rival, Bobby Dirtyfingers. When Dirtyfingers claimed the hand-snapping crown for himself on The Howard Stern Show, Sam had no other choice. Our once-and-future-king explains, "I went on the Howard Stern show to promote the bands I'm in, and to defend my art." Though Stern was unable to declare a winner, Dirtyfingers was exposed as more of a gimmicky finger-snapper than a musical hand-snapper.

Sam likes to stay politically active and believes that his political outlook is reflected in his attitude towards the music business. Even in the competitive world of music, Sam maintains a positive attitude and stays away from business opportunities that seem a bit too cut throat. He argues, "A lot of artists don't stand up for what they believe in." Sam takes every precaution not to be overtly commercial while maintaining his musical integrity. He doesn't believe in overexposure and has decided to lay low for a little while after appearing on the Howard Stern Show. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno asked him to appear recently, but Sam turned down the opportunity and stood his ground.

Although Sam's fame comes mainly from his hand-snapping, he considers himself a percussionist above all. He recently released a new CD featuring his hand snapping as well as his drumming, called "Hands of Time." Other releases include “Sultans of Bing: Year 2000,” a live concert album with his band of the same name, and a collaboration of percussion and poetry in an album titled "Genetic Memory." He also appeared on “Drumplay,” another live CD, recorded in concert at Nelsons Ledges. Although Sam has been busy playing live concerts, he plans on taking time off soon to record. Stay posted to this page for details.