Napoleon XIV

Napoleon XIV
Napoleon XIV
	Samuels in 1966
Background information
Birth name	Jerrold Laurence Samuels
Also known as	Jerry Samuels
Born	May 3, 1938; New York City, U.S.
Died	March 10, 2023 (aged 84); Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Comedy, novelty
Occupation(s)	Singer; songwriter; producer; agent;
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Years active	1956–2021
Labels	Warner Bros., Needlejuice

Jerrold Laurence Samuels (May 3, 1938 – March 10, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and talent agent.^[1] Under the pseudonym Napoleon XIV, he achieved one-hit wonder status with the #3 hit novelty song "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" in 1966.^[1] Samuels occasionally revisited the Napoleon XIV character to record other songs, usually comedy records with an insanity theme.

Under the name Scott David (his son's name), he cowrote "As If I Didn't Know" with Larry Kusik, a top-10 hit for Adam Wade in 1961. Samuels also wrote "The Shelter of Your Arms", a top-20 hit for Sammy Davis Jr. in 1964.

^ ^a ^b Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 889. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.

[Larkin-1] Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 889. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.

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