Sammy Vijarro - Biography

One of America’s recent reality-TV singing stars is the soulful, Contemporary-Christian / AC / R&B artist, Sammy Vijarro (vee-hah-roh).  Sammy might well prove to be one more notch to bolster Seattle’s already notable music scene.

Initial reactions to Vijarro‘s work, are usually, ‘He sounds African-American.’ And though his clear tenor voice is undoubtedly Soul-R&B  influenced, listeners are equally thrilled by his interpretation of diverse genres from classical to contemporary rock. Interesting, then, is the uniqueness of Sammy, at first glance.  Sammy is, in fact, of Mexican-American decent.  His audiences often comment how surprising it is that one having so much ‘soul’ could have no “soul-blood” in him.  So while his sound doesn’t readily reflect it, Vijarro is all Latino.

Sammy’s musical history is also not too typical of vocalists of his caliber.  His career did not begin at age five in the church choir.  While still a very young child, he did begin a short live stint playing elementary piano and began to be somewhat consumed with the music that attracted his attention. There was, however, no significant conscious pull toward music, at that time. And while his father had been a professional musician all of his life, Sammy’s musical-life was not begun until his years, in the High School choir ranks.  It wasn’t until those years later that he had his first formal training and public performances.

During those teen years, Sammy rose to become one of Washington State’s top, classical-tenors and developed a love and appreciation for singing in Italian and Spanish, as well as English.  It was then also, that he reunited with his playing of the piano and began to play percussion instruments as well.

His first love, however, has always been contemporary, popular music. Gravitating to it, early on, he has continued in it for the bulk of his career.  Since his high school beginnings, Sammy furthered his formal training in vocal performance and music composition. He has composed, arranged and produced music for himself and other Puget Sound artists.  Also, over many years, he has also earned top honors in numerous nationals singing competitions.

In recent years, he has found his ultimate and most intimate niche: The musical expression of his deep spiritual journey: Contemporary-Christian and Gospel Music. Sammy’s brand is not always overtly religious or overly “sugary” but often reflects his “down to earth” faith and the living of life, in the faith and in the real world.

Today, Vijarro continues performing both cover music and original works for his audiences. He is, currently, a private, contemporary voice-coach and music instructor at Edmonds Community College in Edmonds, WA.

Sammy Vijarro continues working on material for his forth-coming album.