When lists of iconic Blues artists are compiled, chances are the name Sam Cooke won’t be at the top, or possibly at all. True, Cooke is not often thought of as a “Blues” artist. Much like his successor, Otis Redding however, his influence on the Blues and music Worldwide can not be overlooked. And make no mistake, Sam sang his share of The Blues, and could do it with the best of ‘em.
Many have listed Sam Cooke as the “King of Soul.” Everyone from Al Green to Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder owe something to the man and there is no doubt about it that his pioneering blend of musical styles contributed to what people nowadays refer to as “Soul.” The list of songs that Sam Cooke wrote is staggering. Between 1957 and 1964 songs such as “Cupid”, “A change is gonna come” and “You send me” topped the charts in the US and paved the way for what would become known as Soul Music. Sam Cooke was also a major contributor to the Civil Rights Movement.
Samuel Cooke was born on January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Sam’s Father was a Baptist Minister and had a large Family of eight. Therefore it’s no surprise that his first exposure to music was Gospel Music. The Family moved to Chicago and at the age of 9 Sam formed a Gospel group with his siblings called “The Singing Children.” Personnel changes came and went, and he even started a lifelong friendship with Lou Rawls during this time. Moderate success started to happen when he ended up in the group “The Highway QC’s” when he was only 14.
This eventually led to Sam fronting a band called “The Soul Stirrers.” The group was signed to Specialty Records and started to get some major attention recording Gospel songs. Moderate success came and went for Cooke and in 1957 he signed with Keen Records and released “You send me” which spent 6 weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard R&B Charts. The song even knocked Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” out of the number 1 spot! Sam Cooke had arrived! Sam was a smart business man who was very quick and keen with taking care of what was good for him and not letting record companies push him around. In 1961 he formed his own label SAR Records and also created his own publishing firm. This is when things really started to happen for Sam and songs like “Chain Gang”, “Cupid” and “Bring it on home to me” sent him into the stratosphere with success. The whole world now knew the name Sam Cooke! To make it much better, Sam not only performed all of his music, he wrote everything as well. No outside writers were needed to help him along. He had endless ideas for songs that just poured out of him nonstop!
The early 60’s were indeed his prime. Check out the awesome 1963 recording of Sam Cooke, “Live at the Harlem Square Club.” This is definitely one of the greatest live albums of all time and it shows Sam Cooke in all of his power. This is what live performing is all about and the album is definitely worth checking out if you’re not familiar with it! It shows that Sam Cooke was at the top of his game in the early 60’s. So on December 11th 1964 the world was shocked to hear that Sam Cooke died at the age of 33.
The details surrounding Sam’s death have been written about in numerous forms throughout the years. Versions vary and stories have been exaggerated and details dwelt upon. I would like to keep this article free from all of those and remember Sam Cooke as the icon that he is. Without a doubt when people refer to R&B and Soul music there are only a handful of people to trace everything back to and Sam Cooke is definitely one of them. Even the great Ray Charles once said that no one could sing a song like Sam Cooke. Whenever a new artist comes out and sings with all their heart and soul that’s Sam Cooke. Whenever a performer gives everything they’ve got to the audience, that’s Sam Cooke. And whenever an artist takes their career by the reins and has total control of it, ignoring all outside interference from labels, etc.,that’s Sam Cooke. R.I.P. Sam Cooke - January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964. Thanks for the music!
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