Sam Cooke is a cult figure. The vocalist stood at the origins of soul music. The singer can be called one of the main inventors of soul. He began his creative career with texts of a religious nature.
More than 40 years have passed since the death of the vocalist. Despite this, he still remains one of the main musicians of the United States of America.
The childhood and youth of Samuel Cook
Samuel Cook was born on January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale. The boy grew up in a large family. In addition to him, his parents raised eight more children. The head of the family was very pious. He worked as a priest.
Like most children in his circle, Sam sang in the church choir. It is not surprising that he decided to connect his future life with the stage. After singing in the temple, Sam Cook went to the town square. There, together with The Singing Children, he gave impromptu concerts.
The creative path of Sam Cooke
Already in the early 1950s, Sam Cooke became part of the pioneering gospel group The Soul Stirrers. In the circles of gospel fans, the band was very popular.
And although Sam was doing well, he dreamed of something more. The young man wanted recognition among the "whites" and "blacks". The first step that opened to the public a new pop artist in the person of Sam Cooke was the presentation of the musical composition Loveable.
In order not to scare away the faithful "fans" of The Soul Stirrers, the disc was released under the creative pseudonym "Dale Cook". But still, the artist's anonymity could not be preserved, and the contract with the gospel label had to be terminated.
Sam Cooke didn't hang up his nose. He took the first bad luck for granted. The young performer goes into the so-called independent "swimming". He experimented with the sound of tracks, presenting songs that organically combined pop music, gospel and rhythm and blues.
Music critics were especially delighted with the original repetitions of the title lines with melodic intonation nuances.
The real recognition of Sam Cook's talent is associated with the presentation of the musical composition You Send Me. The artist presented the song in 1957.
It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 1, selling over 100 million copies in the United States.
The Peak of Sam Cooke's Popularity
Sam Cook did not hope to repeat the success of the song You Send Me. The record went on to become the hit of the decade. But still, the singer, track by track, created his own style of performing musical compositions.
Almost every month, Sam Cooke replenished his musical piggy bank with romantic and poignant love ballads. At that time, teenagers were mostly interested in the work of the performer. The brightest tracks of the artist include:
- For Sentimental Reasons;
- Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha;
- Only Sixteen;
- (What a) Wonderful World.
After recording a compilation album with Billie Holiday, Tribute to the Lady Sam Cooke moved to RCA Records. Since that time, he began to release collections that were distinguished by genre diversity.
In a light and deeply sensual manner, the compositions became the hallmark of Sam Cooke and the emerging soul music. What are the tracks Bring It on Home to Me and Cupid worth. By the way, these songs were translated by Tina Turner, Amy Winehouse and many other performers.
In the 1960s, there was a "lazy pause". The performer chose to hand over the steering wheel to his producer. In fact, he does not care what to sing about, where and how to perform. Such pessimism "covered" Sam Cooke. The fact is that he experienced a personal tragedy.
Sam Cooke lost a small child. Still, Cook supported the black movement for equality, influenced by the Bob Dylan track Blowin' in the Wind, a kind of anthem for this organization - the ballad A Change Is Gonna Come.
In 1963, the singer's discography was replenished with a "juicy" album. The record was called Night Beat. A year later, one of the most popular collections, Is not That Good News, was released.
Interesting facts about Sam Cooke
- Rolling Stones magazine called the artist one of the main musicians of the last century. He entered the top 100 best vocalists. The magazine put him in an honorable 4th place.
- In 2008, former American President Barack Obama, upon learning of his election victory, addressed the citizens of the United States with a speech, the beginning of which was paraphrased from the song A Change Is Gonna Come.
- After the death of Sam Cooke, his protégé Bobby Womack married the singer's widow Barbara. Cook's daughter married Womack's brother. She currently lives in Africa with eight children.
Death of Sam Cooke
The King of Soul passed away on December 11, 1964. He did not leave this life of his own free will. The singer's life was cut short by a pistol shot. The death of the 33-year-old performer occurred under very strange circumstances, which to this day cause "gossip".
Sam Cooke's body was found in a cheap Los Angeles motel. He was wearing a cloak over his naked body and shoes. The name of the killer soon became known. The singer was shot by hotel owner Bertha Franklin, who claimed that the singer broke into her room while drunk and tried to rape her.
The official version of the death of a celebrity is a murder within the limits of necessary defense. However, the relatives refused to accept this “truth”. There were rumors in the press that Sam was killed because of racist motives. So, Cook's acquaintance, and part-time colleague on the stage, Etta James, who saw Sam's corpse, said that she saw a lot of bruises and abrasions on his body, which did not indicate that he was "just" shot.
Memories of Sam Cooke
After the death of the idol of millions, Otis Redding began to cover the musical compositions of his repertoire. Music lovers saw in the young singer the creative heir of Sam Cooke.
Some of Sam's compositions were performed by Aretha Franklin, The Supremes, The Animals and The Rolling Stones, his protégé Bobby Womack.
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was created in the mid-1980s, it was announced that three celebrities would initially be on the honor roll, namely Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Sam Cooke. In the late 1990s, the singer was posthumously awarded the prestigious Grammy Award for the development of soul.
The musical compositions of the performer often sounded at solemn events for the African American community. In history, Sam Cooke remains one of the founders of the soul style. His name borders on par with such iconic names as Ray Charles and James Brown. Rock stars such as Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Otis Redding, Al Green talk about the influence of the performer on their work.
