Sam Cooke

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will review the career of the man who many consider to be the most important soul singer in history:  Sam Cooke!

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John. It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then.
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Transcript

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will review the career of the man who many consider to be the most important soul singer in history:  Sam Cooke!

Samuel Cook (spelled C - O - O- K) was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on January 22nd, 1931.  His father was a Baptist minister, and young Samuel frequently sang in the choir in his father's church.  In 1933 the Cook family moved to Chicago's South Side, and at the age of six Sam's singing career began when he and three of his siblings formed a group called the Singing Children.  In 1945 fourteen year old Cook became lead singer of the Highway QCs, a gospel group that performed in churches and at religious gatherings. 

In 1950 Cook became lead singer of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers, who had recently signed with Specialty Records.  Over the next six years, Sam's role within the group and his prominence in the Black community rose to the point where he became a gospel star.  Cook was often credited for bringing gospel music to the attention of a younger crowd of listeners, mainly girls who would rush to the stage just to get a glimpse of him.  In 1956 Sam decided to record a pop song.  The result was the single "Lovable," produced by the great Bumps Blackwell.  The song credits listed Sam as "Dale Cook," so as not to attract too much attention from his existing Soul Stirrers gospel audience.  After an argument with Art Rupe, the head of Specialty Records, Cook and Blackwell left Specialty Records.  Seeking to make a fresh start in pop music, in 1957 Sam took the name "Sam Cooke" (Spelled C - O - O - K - E), and he signed with Keen Records.

Cooke's first hit, the single "You Send Me," was produced by Bumps Blackwell.  The song was actually released as the B-side of "Summertime."  "You Send Me" spent six weeks at #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart, and sold over two million copies.  "You Send Me" was a pioneering soul record in its time, blending elements of R&B, gospel, and pop into a new sound.  Cooke was with Keen for the next two years, a period in which he delivered romantic ballads and pop singles, including "For Sentimental Reasons," "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha," and "Only Sixteen." 

Cooke grew unhappy with both the business arrangement that he had with Keen and the limitations inherent with recording for a small label.  So Cooke signed with the RCA Victor record label in January 1960, having been offered an advance of $100,000 by the label's producers.  Interestingly, the single "Wonderful World" was actually released by Keen Records on April 14th, 1960 after Cooke had left the label.  It had been recorded at Keen during an impromptu session the previous year in March 1959.  "Wonderful World" was Cooke's biggest hit since "You Send Me," peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #2 on 

Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart.  Sam's version of the song would get another boost 18 years later when it was featured during John Belushi's cafeteria scene in the 1978 film Animal House.  Of course, the fourth line of the song, "Don't know much about the French I took," was always appreciated at my house, since my wife was a French teacher! 

Cooke's second-biggest pop single, "Chain Gang," was released in July 1960.  This was his first hit single for RCA Victor after leaving Keen, and his first top 10 hit since "You Send Me" from 1957.  The song was inspired after a chance meeting while on tour with an actual chain gang of prisoners on a highway.  The song became one of Cooke's most successful singles, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #2 on the Hot R&B Sides chart.  "Chain Gang" also reached #9 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Cooke's first top-ten single there.

In 1961, Sam also began to organize his own publishing company called Kags Music and a record label called SAR (S - A - R).  Among the artists signed to SAR included the Soul Stirrers, Bobby Womack, Johnny Taylor, Billy Preston, Johnnie Morisette, and the Sims Twins.  

Then in May 1961 the pop single "Cupid" was released.  The tune combined Latin, R&B, jazz, and mainstream pop elements.  It charted at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, #20 on the Hot R&B Sides chart, and #7 on the UK Singles Chart.  "Cupid" was also ranked at #452 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004 and at #458 in 2010. 

In November 1961 RCA released the single "Sad Mood."  That song reached #23 on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart and #29 on the Billboard Hot 100.  In May 1962 RCA released the single "Having a Party."  However, it was the 45's B-side that would go on to fame and fortune.  That B-side was "Bring It On Home to Me."  It peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Sam's friend, Lou Rawls, sang backing vocals on the song.   "Bring It On Home to Me" has become a pop standard, covered by numerous artists of different genres.  It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Prior to 1962 Sam Cooke was primarily known for his popular singles, but not for his albums.  After two unimpressive RCA albums, Cooke finally achieved some album success in 1962 with the 8th studio album of his career:  Twistin' the Night Away.  That LP reached #74 in the Billboard Album chart.  The single of the same name, "Twistin' the Night Away," was recorded with The Wrecking Crew, and the single reached #9 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the Billboard R&B chart.  Sam's recording of "Twistin' the Night Away" was also used in that 1978 movie Animal House.

Cooke's tenth album, Night Beat, was released in August 1963 by RCA Victor.  The album title originated from late-night recording sessions by Cooke and a quartet of studio musicians in February 1963.  A sixteen year-old Billy Preston played organ in the sessions.  The album is a critically acclaimed collection of blues-oriented songs that were among the best and most challenging numbers that Cooke had recorded up to that time.

In 1963, Cooke signed a five-year contract with Allen Klein to manage Kags Music and SAR Records, and made Klein his manager.  With Allen Klein now managing his business affairs, Cooke had finally achieved the financial and creative independence that he had wanted.  Sam had received more money than any Black performer had ever been advanced before.  By receiving ownership of his recordings beginning in November of 1963, he also achieved creative control of his recordings as well.  

In February 1964 Cooke's eleventh and final studio album was released by RCA.  Ain't That Good News reached #34 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.  In addition to the title song, the album also included "Another Saturday Night" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" (which would be released as a single after his death).

On December 11th, 1964, while in Los Angeles, Cooke became involved in an altercation at a motel with a female guest and the motel's night manager.  Sadly, he was shot to death while allegedly trying to attack the manager, who said she was acting in self-defense.  The coroner's jury ultimately returned a verdict of justifiable homicide.  With that verdict, authorities officially closed the case on Cooke's death.  

Two singles were released a couple weeks after Cooke's death.  One of the singles, "Shake", was the A-side, and it reached the top ten of both the pop and R&B charts.  The B-side, "A Change Is Gonna Come", is considered a classic protest song from the era of the Civil Rights Movement.  Aware of the growing nationwide unrest, Sam Cooke had felt compelled to write a song that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans and that spoke to his struggle and of those around him.  After he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana, he wrote "A Change Is Gonna Come."  The single reached #31 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 in the R&B singles chart.  "A Change Is Gonna Come" is widely considered to be one of Cooke's greatest and most influential compositions.  It has been voted among the greatest songs ever recorded by various publications.  In 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the National Recording Registry, having been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."  In 2021, Rolling Stone magazine placed it at #3 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

Cooke is widely considered to have been one of the greatest singers and most accomplished vocalists of all time.  His pure tenor voice and remarkable pitch were instantly recognizable.  Like most R&B artists of his time, Cooke focused primarily on singles.  During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B chart.  Cooke was a prolific songwriter and wrote most of the songs he recorded.  He also had a hand in overseeing some of the song arrangements.   

Sam Cooke received many posthumous honors:

•In 1986, Cooke was inducted as a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

•In 1987, Cooke was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

•In 1989, Cooke was inducted a second time to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the Soul Stirrers were inducted. 

•On February 1st, 1994, Cooke received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the music industry. 

•Although Cooke never won a Grammy Award, he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

•In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Cooke 16th on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

•In 2008, Cooke was named the fourth "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone. 

•In 2013, Cooke was inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

•In 2015 Cooke was included on Billboard's list of the 35 greatest R&B artists of all time.  

•In 2023, Cooke was named the third "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone.

A beloved performer in both the Black and White communities, Sam Cooke was arguably the most important soul singer in history.  He was among the first Black performers and composers to attend to the business side of the music business, founding both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer.  Cooke is often referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, his pioneering contributions to the soul genre, and his significance in popular music.  

Thank you for listening to this episode of Rock and Roll Flashback podcasts, where I discussed the brief but very influential career of the great singer/songwriter Sam Cooke!  My name is Jumpin' John McDermott…and until next time…ROCK ON!