What
most people don't know is Jody's history, and why he was
approached by Conan™ director, John Milius make these
landmark weapons.
Jody
got his start in knife and sword making while hanging around
the shop of the late John Nelson Cooper, one of the most
prolific knifemakers of all time. He met John quite by accident
-- wandering into John's shop in Burbank, California, looking
for a knife. They instantly struck up a close friendship
that lasted until John's death. Jody began making knives
himself, first on a part-time basis, and then full-time
in 1974. After that, Jody went to work for Benchmade knives
and produced a variety of memorable designs during his tenure
there. Returning to Burbank, Jody worked for seven years
in his own studio, just blocks from where John Nelson Cooper's
shop used to be.
Now,
Jody has made his permanent residence in New Glarus, Wisconsin,
working with Albion Armorers. Jody maintains a large studio
in the Albion facility, personally supervising the making
of the Conan™ swords, and creating a line of knives
and swords for Jodysamson.com, the newest Albion website.
The site will feature swords, daggers, axes and other edged
weaponry in both steel and aluminum, as well as artwork
and sculpture by Jody, ranging from one-of-a-kind pieces
to limited editions. One-of-a-kind pieces will never be
duplicated exactly, though hilt components and basic blade
shapes may appear in different combinations. Limited editions
will range in size from 2 to 100. Each piece comes with
a certificate signed by Jody.
"Cutlery
is sculpture in steel," Jody says, seeing himself first
and foremost as an artist. No one can argue that point once
they have seen Jody's many fantastic designs.
"When I was a kid, there were two things I enjoyed doing
-- reading and drawing. I read every book I could get my
hands on, especially the 'sword and sorcery' type.
I was a big fan of stories by Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber,
H. Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs and the classics
such as Dumas' Three Musketeers and Sir Walter Scott's
Ivanhoe. When other kids wanted books with photos,
I looked for books with paintings and illustrations.
Then I would draw the swords the way I imagined them (and
anything else in the story that caught my imagination.)
Today, I don't draw swords much, I just make them. -- all
of the swords I wanted to see from books, but could never
find.
One day I might have a book made, displaying many of the
swords I have created, and some kid (and maybe some grown
up kid like me) will finally see in them some of the swords
I couldn't find when I was a kid.
And, unlike the illustrations I found to be so interesting,
these swords are real."
More of Jody's inspirational work will be added to this
site in the coming months.
Jody's
swords and knives have been featured in:
FILMS - Conan the Barbarian, First Knight,
The Mask of Zorro, Blade, Blind Fury, Batman & Robin,
Batman Forever, The Fan, Under the Rainbow, My Science Project,
The Big Brawl, Sharkey's Machine, Up In Smoke, Red Dawn,
The Men's Club, Streets Of Fire, Don Juan DeMarco, Tall
Tale, Action Jackson, Hook, Amityville Dollhouse, Edwards
& Hunt
TV/VIDEO - Beastmaster III, Last Stand
At Saber River, Kung Fu -- The Movie, The Sacketts, MacGyver,
Babylon 5, Columbo
THEATRICAL - Conan: Universal Studios Theme
Park Live Show, Busch Gardens (Virginia) Pirate Show,
Othello,
Macbeth, Tristan and Isolde, The King and I
Here
are some of the reviews Jody has gotten from around the
world:
"The Best there is..." Terry English (armorer
for Excalibur and The Messenger)
"You keep me well armed..." Anthony DeLongis,
swordplay choreographer and stuntman
"Artist in steel..." Roger Coombs, Gun World
Magazine, January 1979
"A Jody Samson sword commands instant respect. It is
all made to order, totally custom, all hand made to precision.
You've heard the old saying 'The sword seemed to come alive
in his hand'?" John Steven Soet, Inside Karate,
July 1998
"Jody is a sculptor, an artist, a man who expresses
himself in steel in much the same way as a painter does
on his canvas and as a musician does with his instrument."
C. Flambourari, K.G.H.M., La Passionades Couteux
