Biography

Born and raised in Saitama, Japan, Sammy Naka began playing the guitar
at an early age. After he started playing, he found some Blues CDs.
He was so inspired by what he heard, he wanted to hear this music live.
After attending a live B.B. King, concert, he realized where his heart was.
The feeling the music gave to him was so incredible it left an impression
that would change his life. Sammy got the blues… When he was 17, he moved
to Tokyo to play the blues.
He played with some blues bands in Tokyo, but the life in Tokyo as a
struggling as a musician was hard, so he also played other genres of music
with other bands to make ends meet. After a few years of this struggle,
he decided he wanted to challenge his music abilities in the United State...
Chicago. Blues Capitol of the World. Sammy was in his early 20's when he
moved to Chicago. Every blues jam session he could find, he was there.
Opportunity came his way when Sammy was invited to play in the band for
Shirley King. From there it grew, he played with Charlie Love, and other
bands. Although he enjoyed being a blues musician in Chicago, he had a
desire to see other parts of this new country and wanted to experience
different types of music.

So he decided to head to another big city. This time, New York; the city
of dreams. Sammy stayed in New York a few years during which time he
played and traveled all throughout New York playing with the Blues Legend,
"Ted Williams." He also played with an African rock band at a club on West
4th Street.

Chicago and NY were so different from what he knew in Japan. He yearned to
see more cities in the United States... In 2001, Sammy followed his heart and
moved on again. This time, the West Coast... Los Angeles, California.
He played in a few local bands, and soon decided to put together his own band
to play his own music; to play music how he wanted to play it. Sammy, being
the musician that he is, still wanted more, something beyond what he had
already experienced. Jazz. Yeah, Jazz.

Which brings Sammy to the present. He is now playing in his own band, the
"Sammy Naka Trio" Sammy along with an incredible drummer,
Masatomo "MASA" Nishi, are working on some incredible music projects,
which are soon to be released.