Sam Cooke on the Ed Sullivan Show, Dec. 1, 1957
Sam Cooke was born 92 years ago today.
A gospel, R&B, soul and pop singer, songwriter and entrepreneur, Cooke was considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the “King of Soul” for his distinctive vocal abilities and influence on the modern world of music.
His contribution in pioneering soul music led to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and popularized the likes of Otis Redding and James Brown.
Born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1931, he added an "e" at the end of his name in 1957. The reason for the change is disputed.
He was the fifth of eight children of the Rev. Charles Cook, a minister in the Church of Christ (Holiness), and his wife, Annie Mae. One of his younger brothers, L.C. (b. 1932), later became a member of the doo-wop band, Johnny Keyes and the Magnificents.
The family moved to Chicago in 1933. Cooke attended Doolittle Elementary and Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, the same school that Nat "King" Cole had attended a few years earlier.
Sam Cooke began his career with his siblings in a group called the Singing Children when he was six years old. He first became known as lead singer with the Highway QC's when he was a teenager, having joined the group at the age of 14.
During this time, Cooke befriended fellow gospel singer and neighbor, Lou Rawls, who sang in a rival gospel group.
In 1950, Cooke replaced gospel tenor, R. H. Harris, as lead singer of the gospel group the Soul Stirrers, founded by Harris, who had signed with Specialty Records on behalf of the group. Their first recording under Cooke's leadership was the song, "Jesus Gave Me Water," in 1951.
They also recorded the gospel songs "Peace in the Valley," "How Far Am I from Canaan?," "Jesus Paid the Debt" and "One More River."
Cooke was often credited for bringing gospel music to the attention of a younger crowd of listeners, mainly girls who would rush to the stage when the Soul Stirrers hit the stage just to get a glimpse of Cooke.
His first pop/soul single was "Lovable" (1956), a remake of the gospel song "Wonderful." It was released under the alias "Dale Cook" in order not to alienate his gospel fan base. There was a considerable stigma against gospel singers performing secular music. However, it fooled no one —Cooke's unique and distinctive vocals were easily recognized.
Art Rupe, head of Specialty Records, the label of the Soul Stirrers, gave his blessing for Cooke to record secular music under his real name, but he was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and producer Bumps Blackwell were making.
After an argument between Rupe and Blackwell, Cooke and Blackwell left the label. His first release, "You Send Me," spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song also had mainstream success, spending three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart.
Cooke’s career was launched. He had 30 U.S. Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1964, and another three after his death. 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 record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the American Civil Rights Movement.
On December 11, 1964, Cooke was fatally shot by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and that the manager had killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide.
Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned and the manager’s account is highly suspect. There are many scenarios as to what actually happened