Hey! Uncle Sam
1966 · Leo 3801 · Easton, Pennsylvania
- Artist
- The Combenashuns
- Title
- Hey! Uncle Sam
- Release
- What'cha Gonna Do? / Hey Uncle Sam
- Year
- 1966
- Label
- Leo # 3801
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
- Songwriter
- Sammy Losagio and Chuck Odenheimer
- Genre
- Garage Rock · Garage Rock
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The garage rock band The Combinations, later renamed The Combenashuns due to copyright issues, originated in 1964, in Easton, Pennsylvania. They released the draft song "Hey Uncle Sam" (Leo Records # 3801), in which a man said that "I'm going overseas to Vietnam". The man worried about telling his mum, missing life at home, as well as his car. Note: the lyric "Mr. Reedman" referenced a car dealership in Pennsylvania. The writing credits went to Sammy Losagio (the drummer) and Chuck Odenheimer (on organ and trumpet). The group got together while still in school, and they faced the real possibility of being drafted. The lead vocalist George Ross decided not to go to college, and he ended up being drafted to Vietnam in 1968. The song began with the comedic monologue: "well you know, a cold is not the only thing you can catch from a draft".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Unknown - "What'cha Gonna Do?" b/w "Hey! Uncle Sam" (Leo Records 3801/3802, April 1966, US). "Hey! Uncle Sam" was written by Clarence Odenheimer and Samuel C. Losagio Jr., the flip by George Ross and Losagio, published by Deeside Music. The label prints the phonetic group name exactly as the master has it. No biography was located. [Source: Discogs]