Born James Harold Young on August 3, 1937, in Beaumont, Texas, Young became an outstanding singer, saxophonist, and bandleader known professionally as “Big Sambo.” He began performing in nightclubs as a teenager and appeared on the teen dance program Jive at Five on KPAC-TV in Port Arthur with his band Big Sambo and the House Wreckers.

 

Their 1962 recording, “The Rains Came,” made the national charts and sold over half a million copies. As one producer recalled, “We recorded ‘The Rains Came’ at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans. James had an unusual voice—the vocal we had on the record was really haunting. As soon as we recorded it, I knew we were gonna have a hit.” The song later became a hit again when the Sir Douglas Quintet recorded it in 1966.

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When the record was introduced to the Chicago market, it was halted by the NAACP due to objections over the use of the name “Sambo.” The band subsequently changed its name, but losing the original branding made it difficult to capitalize on the success of their earlier hit. Although they continued performing and even appeared in the Vincent Price film Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, the momentum was difficult to sustain, and the band eventually broke up in the 1970s.

Young later married a public school teacher, and after the band dissolved, he felt a responsibility to take a steady job. His love of music and live entertainment eventually brought him to the Port Arthur Civic Center when it opened in 1979. Civic Center director Carroll Albritton recalled, “We needed crews to clean up the Center after each show. Big Sambo came up and offered to help, because he said he knew entertainers and wanted to see the shows.”

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As people recognized who he was, the Jaycees invited him to perform in their Fifties rock show. After his 1981 concert at the Civic Center—where he was the star of the night—Big Sambo famously stayed afterward to help clean up the hall. At the time of his death in 1983, he was employed by the City of Port Arthur.

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James Harold Young is buried in Johnson Memorial Cemetery and is enshrined in the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Music Hall of Fame.