External links
- ‘I’m overwhelmed’: Ray Hadley gets his Samoan discovery to perform live in the studio
- Mr Cowboy - Am I That Easy To Forget COVER (Original by JIM REEVES)
- Tamworth Festival 2020 LIVE
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Sam Ah Chookoon | |
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| Also known as | Mr Cowboy 62 |
| Born | |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Farmer, musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 2018-present |
Sam Ah Chookoon, also known as Mr. Cowboy 62, is a country singer from Western Samoa. He attracted attention following a guest appearance on the Ray Hadley show on Radio 2GB.
A banana farmer from Vaitoloa in Apia, Western Samoa, [1] [2] Ah Chookoon first fell in love with country music at the age of eight after his father introduced him to it. [3] Johnny Cash is one of his influences. [4] Other music he listened to when he was young were artists such as Jim Reeves, Dwight Yoakam, Charley Pride, George Straight and Patsy Cline. [5] In October 2019 , he made an appearance with guitarist Josh Mase on Radio 2GB show hosted by Ray Hadley. While there Sam with instrumental accompaniment by Josh, he did a cover of Grandpa" which was originally done by The Judds. He made a big impression on the host who said "I’m overwhelmed". Hadley also predicted big things for his future. [6] [7] By December that year he had already attracted millions of views online and thousands of followers across the world with his music. [8] In an interview with The Coconet, he said that he never intended to be the Pied Piper of country but since sharing his music on social media, he was encouraged to see a lot of fellow pacific islanders supporting the genre. By early 2019, he had recorded and released a country song in Samoan. [5] He was one of the first Polynesian artists to play at Tamworth. [9]
Along with Uili Lafaele Junior who is a former Pesega College music teacher, Chookoon has set up a recording studio in Samoa to work with aspiring artists. [10]
He appeared at the Penrith Hotel on October 19, 2019. [11] He appeared at the 2020 Tamworth Country Music Festival with his nine-piece band The Western Samoans which is made up of Samoan musicians. [12]
He is to appear at the 2021 Tamworth Country Music Festival event as part of an International Showcase. [13]
He appeared at the Tamworth festival in January 2023. [14]
He was booked to play the 2023 Polyfest in Auckland New Zealand in March, 2023. [15]
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