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Year of birth: 1906 City of birth: Gadsden, AL  HALL OF FAME BIO
A former marine engineer, Sam Wallace parlayed a chance job at Elliott Talking Machine Company in Atlanta to a robust 40-year career in the music industry.
Samuel Arthur Wallace was born in Gadsden, Ala., in 1906 and moved with his family to Atlanta as a boy. After serving four years in the Navy, where he trained as a marine engineer, he returned to Atlanta in 1927. With few choices available in engineering, Wallace took a job with the Elliot Talking Machine Company, which was the Atlanta-based distributor for RCA Victor records. He worked his way through the ranks, from the warehouse pulling record orders to the shipping department to billing and bookkeeping. Next, he began to make outside sales calls to record dealers and to greatly expand his contacts in the music industry.
In 1931 the Elliot Talking Machine Company ended its relationship with RCA Victor and formed a new company, Dixie Radio Distributors. Wallace remained with the new company before joining RCA Records. During his career, Wallace promoted and distributed records for Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins. In 1961, he was instrumental in promoting Ferlin Husky’s song, “Wings of a Dove,” which topped the country charts for 12 weeks and climbed to #12 on the pop charts.
Wallace retired from RCA Records in 1969 but continued to work as an independent promoter in Atlanta until his death in 1975.
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© 2006 All Music Guide, LLC