Samantha Sang will forever be associated with a single, memorable hit: the Barry Gibb-penned smash, “Emotion.” But in her native Australia, she is well known as performer of over 40 years.
Born of a Manchurian surgeon, Cheryl Gray (as she was then known) began performing as a child and earned a decent following among Australians as a teen performer, hitting the charts there with the song “You Made Me What I Am.” But, wanting a larger stage, she moved to London and worked supporting such acts as Herman’s Hermits and the Bee Gees.
The Bee Gees relationship became very important to her, as group leader Barry Gibb gave Sang her first hit song, “The Love of a Woman.” Even bigger was the composition he brought here in 1978, “Emotion.”. It was issued at the time of the Bee Gees’ peak of popularity and the song bore the irresistibility and sweet arrangements of Gibb’s work of the period. And Sang was perfect for the song, giving a smooth urbane vocal performance. “Emotion” topped the charts around the world and gave Sang a new, worldwide audience. Unfortunately, it became her lone international hit. She followed “Emotion” with the dance tune “You Keep Me Dancing” but it was a low charter. Her sophomore album, From Dance To Love, came and went quickly, essentially ending her major recording career.
Sang continued working, principally on the musical stage, before returning to Melbourne, Australia soon after the new millennium. She self-released the EP And The World Listened, an album of show tunes and other covers, and also occasionally performed on television.
By Chris Rizik