Following this he travelled widely and did not release his first record until he was 23 years old. 'I Need You Girl' was a dated sounding ballad, but 'Lonely For You Baby' showed an improvement, being a mid-paced southern soul number. By 1969 Dees had moved on to a new label and released his own composition, 'Don't Keep Me Hanging On'.
Having already proved himself as a songwriter, he established his own publishing company, and released two singles on the Chess label where he acted as singer, writer and producer. He had been involved in production work with the Allman Brothers when he cut the tracks, some of which were recorded in a disused church.
Atlantic Records released a couple of Dees recordings, which until now had mainly appeared on small labels, including 'Just Out Of Reach' and 'So Tied Up', which featured a far more interesting b-side titled 'Signed Miss Heroin'. The song was sparked by an anonymous news article and is considered one of the finest soul soul songs to tackle the drugs issue.
Dees went on to record two more singles with Atlantic, and released the impressive album 'The Show Must Go On', which featured 'Come Back Strong', an upbeat declaration of love pouring scorn on so called-friends who gossip about whether a relationship will last or not. Suprprisingly, the album did not feature 'Signed Miss Heroin' or another fine song, 'Heritage of a Blackman', with the implication that 'message' songs were considered uncommercial by the label.
Continuing to write for other artists such as Loleatta Holloway, Barbara Hall, and Margie Joseph, his own releases were also covered by Denise LaSalle and Dorothy Moore. In the '80's, he formed his own label and released 'Secret Admirer', spawning two singles 'Just Wait Until I Get You Home', and 'After All'.
Dees has talked of his belief in continuing to sound 'contemporary' whilst retaining the soul that characterised his earlier recordings. He has continued to work in the industry and has more recently worked for the Ardent label
IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE SAM DEES: Gladys Knight, Al Green, Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, Atlantic Starr, Loleatta Holloway.