The trials started early for Sam and his mother Mary Ellis, before he was even born. When Mary Ellis was sixteen, living with her mother and stepfather in Fairmont Heights , Maryland , her innocence was abused by her mother's brother-in-law, and Sam Warren was conceived.

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Sam Warren poses in front of a picture of "The Drifters" in the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center Black History Month display.

With the support of her close-knit family unit, Mary Ellis faced head on the difficulties of a teenaged pregnancy and gave birth to Sam on April 12^th 1936 . Although grateful for their support, she nevertheless rebuffed offers from several of her family to adopt and raise the baby as their own.

Instead, possessed of both intelligence and beauty, Mary Ellis struck out on her own, working odd jobs before eventually working her way into a stable career as a clerk with the National Institutes of Health, all the while with Sam in tow.

During this time Mary Ellis met a man whom she married in 1940. Sam describes his former stepfather as a good man at first. But after he returned from his service with the military in WWII, he began drinking heavily. So heavily that he was drinking away his wife's paycheck faster than she could earn it.

The relationship became increasingly strained. One night it reached its breaking point, when an argument erupted over a pair of tennis shoes that Mary Ellis had purchased for her son. Their difficulties for the first time crossed the line from verbal into physical. This was a point that Sam Warren was not prepared to tolerate.

Often times it is our trials that define us. Sam describes that night as the trial that made him into a man at the age of 13. Mary Ellis ended the physical confrontation between the two men as abruptly as it had begun by gathering her son and leaving, ending the relationship on the spot. But not before Sam warned his stepfather that one of them would likely end up dead if he ever attempted to contact his mother again. Mary Ellis and Sam disappeared into the snow that very night, once again on their own.

Not Easily Defeated

Not one to be easily defeated, Mary Ellis saw to their mutual survival as they spent the next several months moving around between different relatives before eventually buying a two-bedroom house on A Street in Southeast D.C.

Mary Ellis set every possible example for her son, abstaining from alcohol, smoking and other worldly trappings. But more important than any of these, she taught him about depth of character and the importance of forgiveness as she urged him to forgive his stepfather. With time, her gentle insistence took its effect and some five years later Sam was able to see his stepfather again without fulfilling his previous vow. He can think about his stepfather now without the same bitterness he once had, but it took a very long time.

Brother Warren describes his mother as a woman as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. He recalls her absolute sense of selflessness as she could hardly be prevailed upon to withhold any portion of her possessions or resources from someone in need. She passed this trait on to her son. "If I already have more than I need, then I honestly can't see any reason why I should hold onto it if someone else needs it. If you need something and I have it to give, just ask me."

Sam Warren pauses for a photo at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center Black History Month display.

Fifty odd years in the music business has added a caveat to his version of his mother's altruism. Although he is quick to give, he warns against making the mistake of trying to "take" anything from him. His kindness and generosity are not to be mistaken for weakness any more in him than it was in his mother. Although a devout member of Saint John's Baptist Church , Mary Ellis's church attendance eventually began to take a hit. Mary Ellis eventually became embroiled in the duties of her newest and favorite role - as Sam Warren's number one fan.

While Sam was in high school, a gentleman named Donald Hampton visited his high school. Interested in uncovering local talent, Mr. Hampton arranged to hear from the students. Sam Warren was a big-time athlete and would have been happy to keep it that way, but a group of friends pushed him before Hampton and convinced him to sing. Hampton was suitably impressed, and a whole new world suddenly opened up for Sam.

Mary Ellis, always supportive of her son, was only too happy to encourage his new pursuit. Indeed, although she was a quiet and reserved person in general, she could even be persuaded to display her own musical talents, vocally and on the piano, to any audience big enough to fit into their living room. More often than not it was an audience of just one - her own biggest fan.

In 1951, the mother and son duo met George Treadwell, a big-time musician who had played with the likes of Duke Ellington, through Sam's musical activities at school. Mary and George began a brief romantic relationship that eventually gave way to a lasting friendship. Treadwell's relationship with Sam, however, had much greater repercussions. He was working on forming a group called The Drifters and found an ideal candidate in the young Sam Warren. At the age of 16, Sam became a founding member of the Drifters and a star, as the say, was born.

Sam Warren poses with Mark Cannon (left) and Reggie Epps

At the age of 18, Sam enlisted in the Air Force. Following a highly successful run as a boxer he began performing music with the US Special Operation unit. He served in the Air Force for three-and-a-half years, during which time he performed with the likes of Elvis and Sammy Davis Junior at high profile venues throughout the world.

After returning to the US, Sam began compiling and performing singles across a wide range of venues. As he crisscrossed the country, he brought with him a perpetual troop of supporters in the form of aunts, uncles, and cousins, led of course by his mother Mary Ellis. As successes began to pile on top of one another, Sam and his family were frequently traveling every weekend and thus unable to regularly attend any church. But it was during this time about 20 years ago that Sam encountered a member of the LDS Church and began investigating it.

His mother, of course, supported him in his investigations. Asked about why he continued to investigate the Church for so long despite the many distractions of his worldly endeavors and he answers - "I've been all over the world, but I've never been touched by anything like this Church and what it stands for. I've had enough experience to know what is real - and this Church is real. It doesn't matter what station in life you have or what racial or other background you have, everyone is treated with love and respect." He said he now feels like he is in a child in a candy store. Every time he turns, he finds something new and beautiful about the Church. "It's like coming home to family, and I'm never going to leave."

His broad experiences may have been the very thing that engendered the sense of surety that he feels about the Church today. Having sampled a little of everything, he recognizes the truth when he heard it and returned repeatedly to hear more. In 2005, he was baptized as a member of the Church.

Sam Warren and Mark Cannon look at the Christus statue.

While it might seem unusual to some to devote so much of an article ostensibly about a musical legend to describing the legend's mother, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anyone who knows Sam Warren. Especially his wife. Sam met and married Veronica Elaine Butch in 1955. Between Sam's two children and Veronica's four children from a previous marriage, the couple already had a full house before adding one more child of their own.

But Sam left no room for uncertainty about one thing. He explained to his new wife that if her mother ever needed to move in with them there would always be space for her. His own mother would already be moving in. "She goes where I go," he explained.

Veronica didn't complain. If anything she is grateful for her mother-in-law's influence upon her husband. Sam Warren's relationship with his mother and their struggles together helped define his character. While some people born into such searing circumstances grow up to repeat the same mistakes, Mary Ellis's patient guidance and unwavering example moved her son to aspire to much higher standards. By his own admission, Sam Warren regards his wife and stepchildren as much as his biological children as something more precious to him than gold.

Any day of the week he would rather expound upon how much he cherishes his family than rattle off his many accomplishments in the music world. Mary Ellis retired from her career with the National Institutes of Health in 1990 and lived with her son and his family until she passed away from a stroke in 1995.

If anyone who began reading this article expecting to read all about the accomplishments of the famous founding member of the Drifters recording group, then hopefully this helped. Sometimes getting to know the quality of the people we share our lives with can tell more about who a person is than anything else. Get to know the history of Mary Ellis and what she and her son went through together and you'll get to know Sam Warren better than any other way.