Sam Cooke (January 22, – December 11, ) was a popular and influential Americangospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, as well as songwriter and entrepreneur. Indeed, musicians and critics today recognize him as one of the originators of soul music and among the most influential singers in postwar American popular music.
James Brown is known as the "Godfather of Soul," yet Cooke's status as the "King of Soul" perhaps best reflects his stature and legacy. He had 29 Top 40 hits in the United States between and , including major hits like "You Send Me," "Chain Gang," "Wonderful World," and "Bring It On Home To Me." His elegiac ballad "A Change is Gonna Come," recorded in and released just after his death in , has come to be regarded as one of his greatest and most socially conscious compositions, although overshadowed on the charts by the emergence of the Beatles.
Cooke was among the first modern black performers and composers to set the precedent of attending to the business side of his musical career by founding both a record label and a publishing company.[1] He also took an active part in the Civil Rights Moveme
Sam Cooke
Biography of Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook
Samuel Cook (January 22, – December 11, ), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.
Influential as both a singer and composer, he is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocals and importance within popular music. His pioneering contributions to soul music contributed to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Billy Preston, and popularized the likes of Otis Redding and James Brown. AllMusic biographer Bruce Eder wrote that Cooke was &#;the inventor of soul music,&#; and possessed &#;an incredible natural singing voice and a smooth, effortless delivery that has never been surpassed.&#;
Cooke had 30 U.S. top 40 hits between and , plus three more posthumously. Major hits like &#;You Send Me,&#; &#;A Change Is Gonna Come&#;, &#;Cupid,&#; &#;Chain Gang,&#; &#;Wonderful World,&#; and &#;Twistin&#; the Night Away&#; are some of his most popular songs. Cooke was also among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a r
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Sam Cooke’s biographer Peter Guralnick engages in a wide-ranging conversation about the singer’s epic American life, cut short at the age of 33
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Peter Guralnick, author of Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke
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He was the biggest star in gospel music before he ever crossed over into pop. His first single under his own name, &#;You Send Me,&#; was an historic success, going to number one on the charts and selling two million copies. He wrote his own songs, hired his own musicians, and started his own record label and music publishing company. At a time when record companies treated black artists like hired help, he demanded respect and a recording contract equal to that of top white artists of the day.
And Sam Cooke connected, in songs like &#;Wonderful World,&#; &#;Chain Gang,&#; &#;Another Saturday Night,&#; and &#;Having a Party&#; &#; seemingly effortless compositions that still sound fresh today. In a biography that for the first time tells the full story of Sam Cooke&#;s short, blazing life, prizewinning author Peter Guralnick captures a personality so vivid, so appealing, that it is almost impossible not to fall u
Sam Cooke ()
Sam Cooke has been described as one of the most influential rhythm and blues singers to emerge in the 20th Century. Cooke could exude soul-stirring sensuality that went from the sacred to the profane in the same breath.
The son of a Baptist minister, Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on January 22, but grew up in Chicago. He joined a Chicago gospel group called the Highway QC’s and became their lead singer at the age of He later became the lead singer for the Soul Stirrers.
Influenced by Ray Charles, Cooke was the pioneer cross-over artist from gospel to rhythm and blues. Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and others would eventually follow. With the support of record producer Bumps Blackwell, Cooke left the Soul Stirrers to record rhythm and blues. He was also the first African American popular singer to manage his own record label (SAR). Cooke’s label, which he formed while still in his twenties, produced other R&B artists such as Bobby Womack, Billy Preston, and Johnnie Taylor.
By , Cooke recorded “You Send Me,” the first of a series of back-to-back hits which included “Everybody Loves the Cha, Cha, Cha,” “Only Sixteen,” and “Wonderful World.”
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