Sam Webley

Samuel John Webley (Chinese: 韋統民; pinyin: Wéi Tǒngmín; born March 30, 1940) or Wei Tongmin is a British guitarist and singer. He is best known for being the guitarist of the 1960s band The Assistants. As of 2024, he is the only surviving remaining member of the Assistants.

Early life
Sam Webley was born in Woolton, a suburb of Liverpool. His father was a half-Chinese businessman that had been conscripted and his mother was a florist. When he was 4, his father died in the raid, and so his mother took Webley and his brother down to his relatives (some who were musicians) in. He was encouraged by his uncle, who played a Stratocaster and listened to Elvis, to follow his footsteps.

Early career
In 1960, Webley met George Mileham. They formed a cover band named The Rockets (playing mostly covers of Bill Haley & His Comets, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry classics). A friend, Ian Murnan, joined as a drummer, and Chongqing-born British Hong Kong emigrant Jacob Shi responded to the band's advert in a local guitar store looking for a bassist interested in American rock 'n roll. A year later, the band decided to start playing original songs, and changed their name to "The Assistants".

In Tseng
Because of the massive popularity of their debut album A Day With The Assistants, their record label Columbia sent the Assistants on a tour of East Asia. While in Tseng, Webley proved to be popular due to his charisma and looks. He chose the Chinese name Wei Tongmin (韋統民). The "Wei" came from one of the characters of Webley's translated name 薩姆·韋伯利, while "Tongmin" meant "unite the people", as Tseng was under the chaotic Luanzheng Era at the time, and Webley hoped for all Tsengians to be united and peaceful.

In 1963, while vacationing in Seville, Spain, Webley met his future wife, Valentina Perez. They married in 1964.

In Taiwan
When the Assistants broke up in 1972, Webley was the only one that moved out of Tseng, settling down in,. As Taiwan was under martial law at the time, Webley held illegal performances. However, in 1983, Webley returned to Britain, and in 1989, Tseng.

Later life
Webley's last album was Night Express, released in September 1987. After he went on a 13-year hiatus, of which then Webley announced his retirement.