Sam Cooke was born Samuel Cook on Jan. 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. His family moved to Chicago in 1933 where he started his singing career at the age of six with his siblings in a group called the Singing Children.
At 14, he became the lead singer of Highway QC’s, but it was in 1950, when he took over as lead singer for the Soul Stirrers, that his career took off. He is often credited with bringing gospel music to the attention of younger crowds, particularly girls. He launched his solo career in 1956 under the alias Dale Cook as to not alienate his gospel base, but by 1957, he added an “e” to his last name to signify a new start to his life, and the hits started rolling in. In 1961, Cooke created his own record label, SAR Records, and was one of the first black performers to manage their own musical careers. Cooke was married twice. His first wife, Dolores Elizabeth Milligan Cook, died in a car accident in 1959. Though they were divorced, Cooke paid for the funeral expenses. In addition to fathering at least three children out of wedlock, he also had three children with his second wife, Barbara Campbell Cooke. Their youngest child, Vincent, drowned in the family pool when he was 2 years-old. |
Cooke died at the age of 33 on Dec. 11, 1964. He was shot in the chest and killed at the Hacienda Motel in LA by Bertha Franklin, the motel’s manager. Though his death was ruled a justifiable homicide, the circumstances surrounding the events of that night have been called into question by Cooke’s friends and family.
Despite the shadows cast by the manner in which he died, Sam Cooke is the King of Soul. With 30 US Top 40 hits between 1957 and 1964, plus three more posthumously, his contributions to music gave rise to greats like Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye and put Otis Redding and James Brown on the map. This week we pay tribute to his work with seven of our favorite Sam Cooke hits. 
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SONG OF THE monDAY
Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come has been preserved in the Library of Congress and has become an anthem for civil rights. Released in 1964 from the album, Ain't That Good News, the song was inspired by personal events when he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Shreveport, Louisiana, only to be arrested for disturbing the peace after they arrived at another hotel.
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SONG OF THE tuesDAY
Chain Gang was released in 1960 from Swing Low. It peaked at No. 2 on Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Sides and at No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was Sam Cooke’s first single for RCA Victor and his second-biggest hit in the US. It was inspired after a chance meeting Cooke had with prisoners on a highway while on tour. He felt bad for the men and gave them several cartons of cigarettes.
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SONG OF THE wednesDAY
Cupid was released on May 16, 1961. Sam Cooke’s producers had asked him to write a song for a girl they had seen on a Perry Como TV show, but once they heard Cupid, they changed their minds. During recording, it was Cooke’s idea to drop in the sound of an arrow being fired. The single combines Latin, R&B, jazz, and pop elements, making it quite possibly one of the best pop songs ever recorded.
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SONG OF THE thursDAY
You Send Me was written and recorded by Sam Cooke. It was released as his debut single by Keen Records on Sept. 7, 1957, with Summertime as the B-side. You Send Me was Cooke’s first single outside the gospel genre, and it landed at the top spot on Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B Sides. Cooke gave the writing credits to his brother, L.C. Cook, because he didn’t want his publisher to profit from the song.
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SONG OF THE friDAY
Twistin' the Night Away was written and recorded by Sam Cooke for his 1962 album, Twistin' the Night Away. Recorded with The Wrecking Crew, Twistin' the Night Away landed at No. 9 on Billboard Hot 100 and took the top spot on Hot R&B Sides. Rod Stewart recorded the song for his 1972 album, Never a Dull Moment and again for the 1987 movie, Innerspace, which also features Cooke's song, Cupid. Both of Stewart's versions landed on Billboard Hot 100.
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SONG OF THE saturDAY
(What a) Wonderful World, sometimes Wonderful World, was written and recorded by Sam Cooke in an impromptu recording session. Released in 1960, it would be Cooke's last release with Keen Records. It hit No. 12 on Billboard Hot 100. Herman and the Hermits covered the song in 1965 and their version landed at No. 4. There's no footage of Cooke singing the song live despite ABKCO founder, Allen Klein offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who could find one.
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SONG OF THE sunDAY
Sam Cooke wrote and recorded Meet Me at Mary's Place in 1964 for the album, Ain't That Good News. It was the A-side for his cover of the Pete Seeger and Lee Hays song, If I Had a Hammer. Though the Ain't That Good News album was well-received, neither Meet Me at Mary's Place nor If I Had a Hammer charted for Cooke. Regardless of the lack of commercial success, Meet Me at Mary's Place is one of our favorite Sam Cooke songs of all-time.
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