Musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He was the son of a military father. Andrew moved around a great deal as a child. By the time he was fifteen and living in Okinawa he had his own band called the "Cool Notes" and his own weekly TV show, an Okinawan version of American Bandstand. After graduating from high school the family moved to California. He attended the University of San Francisco for a short time and became involved with the San Francisco folk music scene of the early 1960s. After a two year stay in Paris, France he moved back to California and started a band called "Big Brother and the Holding Company". In June of 1966 Janis Joplin was recruited to join Big Brother as lead singer. In 1968 they released several monster hits including, "Piece of My Heart" and "Summertime" on which Sam played lead guitar. The songs became anthems in the late 60's. In December 1968 Andrew and Joplin left Big Brother and the Holding Company to form the "Kozmic Blues Band". After the death of Joplin, Andrew returned to Big Brother. In 1972, he moved to New York City. He studied harmony and counterpoint at the New School for Social Research and composition at Mannes School of Music. After about 8 years he returned to San Francisco and reunited with Big Brother and the Holding Company. In the 1990s along with touring with Big Brother, Andrew was involved with his solo project, The "Sam Andrew Band". In 1997 Guitar Player magazine listed Andrew's and fellow band member James Gurley's work on "Summertime" as one of the top ten psychedelic solos in music history. In 2001, Andrew was also the music director of a musical named "Love, Janis" that was based on the life of Janis Joplin. He performed at the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock Concert in 2009. Andrew died on February 12, 2015 following complications from open heart surgery.