Salvatore Cerami

Salvatore “Sam” Cerami [89] beloved father, brother, son, and friend passed away peacefully Thanksgiving morning. Sam was preceded in death by his parents Salvatore Cerami and Virginia (Catanzaro) Cerami, his brother Joseph Cerami, his aunt and uncle Pearl (Catanzaro) and Anthony Cerami, his sister-in-law Lenora Cerami, and far too many wonderful friends and colleagues, who were like family to him. He is survived by his daughter, Beverly (Cerami) Herbert, his sisters-in-law, Anne (Pauly) Cerami and Alana Salatino, plus many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews.

Sam was born in Chicago, Illinois to wonderful Italian parents – his mother Virginia had been born in the U.S. to immigrant parents, while his father, also nicknamed Sam, had been born in a small hilltop village in Sicily, called Alimena. His father became a barber and Sam grew up in a two-room apartment behind the barber shop. As business grew, the family was able to move to an apartment above the shop, and that felt like Heaven on earth to him.

As a young boy, Sam learned how to cook from his mother, which developed into a life-long love of creating and recreating recipes. He could take what seemed like random items in the fridge and pantry and whip up a delicious meal out of them…he called them his “concoctions.” (On two different occasions as an adult, he even tried his hand at owning restaurants – The Chili Bowl in Chicago and Paesano’s in Nashville.) In high school, Sam showed a talent for baseball and football. Not being a fan of running, he said he made sure he could hit a homerun every game, just so he could walk the bases. He became one of the toughest defensive lineman in his school district, saying if he could block them well at the line of scrimmage, there wasn’t a lot of running involved. His love for football was evident every Sunday, when he sat in his PSL or in front of his big-screen TV to cheer on his Titans. (A perfect Sunday was a Bears vs. Titans game.)

With an amazing work ethic and in the hopes of saving for his first car, Sam took a job at 13 working in a gas station. The owner was impressed with his initiative and began to show him how to repair and service cars – and so began his obsession with automobiles. Sam also had a great love for music, which was enhanced by his passion for singing. Hearing his talent, his mother located a singing teacher who had been an opera singer in Italy; and there he began his formal training.

Wanting to be around music as much as possible, at 17 he took a job at Coral Records in their record distribution center. Stacking records turned to selling them; and while traveling to sell them, he stopped at radio stations to try to get airplay. He was so successful that Coral’s sister company, Decca Records, hired him as a regional promoter. And thus began a storied and impressive 7 decades-long career in the music business. 

He kept singing at his teacher’s studio and ultimately married his duet partner, and the love of his life, Beverly Salatino. Five years later, they welcomed their daughter, Beverly Marie, a.k.a. Little Bev or Bevie. Sam loved being a father. Unlike many men of that era, he did everything to help take care of his precious daughter – diaper changes, middle-of-the-night feedings, rocking her to sleep when she was sick – he was a hands-on dad to say the least. One of Sam’s other passions was building homes. Every house their little family lived in had been built by Sam as the contractor. And in those beautiful homes, there was always music. They loved entertaining and would host parties filled with singers, musicians, songwriters, producers, label executives and their families.

Sam was known for identifying talent, putting together some of the best promotion teams in the business and watching those careers grow. As both a Promoter, Regional Manager, and then National Sales & Promotion Manager, he took some of the most popular songs to Number 1 on the charts (there are far too many to list here.) His career moved from Pop, Rock, and R&B to Classical, Country, and even Comedy. His first Number 1 as a promoter was Rock Around the Clock, by Bill Haley. Other artists included Buddy Holly, Moody Blues, Ides of March, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, Johnny Mathis, Fleetwood Mac, Olivia Newton John, Tanya Tucker, Glen Campbell, the Gatlins, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Alabama, Barbara Mandrell, Tammy Wynette, Lee Greenwood, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Reba McEntire, Trace Adkins, Rascal Flatts, Freddie Prinze, Steve Martin, and the original Superman soundtrack…just to name a “few.” Sam was recognized by the industry when he received Gavin’s National Promotion Director of the Year in 1991; and early in his career, he was named Billboard’s Promotion Man of the Year for 1978.

Sam never met a stranger, he loved his family and friends with all his heart, he loved bringing joy and laughter to people, helping them find jobs, cars, even a really good plumber…you name it. His hard-working character and smiling face belied a tender and sentimental heart. He loved helping children and animals; and the dogs in his life were like his children. He recognized the importance of protecting the weak, the needy, or those whose spirits had been broken. He went out of his way to help any and all who needed it. He never forgot where he came from, and that humility made him who he was. He would often jokingly remind people that his name means “Savior”; but the truth is, he actually embodied that moniker…in the way he lived his life with immense generosity. The world was a better place with Sam Cerami in it!

A Celebration of Life event and dinner will be held the evening of Wednesday, December 18th, at The Hilton in Green Hills. To get an accurate headcount for the event, please log onto samcerami.com. There you will find details and a form where you can RSVP.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, or your local animal shelter, as these were Sam’s favorite charitable organizations.