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Sam Cooke
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Chicago, United States (1950 – 1964)
Sam Cooke (Samuel Cook, Clarksdale, Mississippi, January 22, 1931 – Los Angeles, California, December 11, 1964) was a popular and influential American gospel, R&B, soul, pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Recognized as one of the true founders of soul music.
Sam Cooke (he added an “e” onto the end of his name because he thought it added a touch of class) was one of eight children of Rev. Charles and Mrs. Annie Mae Cook. The family moved to Chicago in 1933.
Cooke began his musical career as a member of a quartet with his siblings, the Singing Children, followed by a turn as a teenager as a member of the Highway QCs, a gospel group. In 1950, at the age of 19, he joined The Soul Stirrers and achieved significant success and fame within the gospel community.
His first pop single, “Lovable” (1956) was released under the alias of “Dale Cooke,” in order to not alienate his fan base; there was a considerable taboo against gospel singers performing secular music. However, the alias failed to hide Cooke’s unique and distinctive vocals. No one was fooled. 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 was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and Bumps Blackwell, Cooke’s pop producer, were making. Rupe expected Cooke’s secular music to be similar to that of another Specialty Records artist, Little Richard. When Rupe walked in on a recording session and heard Cooke covering Gershwin, he was quite upset.
Sam Cooke (he added an “e” onto the end of his name because he thought it added a touch of class) was one of eight children of Rev. Charles and Mrs. Annie Mae Cook. The family moved to Chicago in 1933.
Cooke began his musical career as a member of a quartet with his siblings, the Singing Children, followed by a turn as a teenager as a member of the Highway QCs, a gospel group. In 1950, at the age of 19, he joined The Soul Stirrers and achieved significant success and fame within the gospel community.
His first pop single, “Lovable” (1956) was released under the alias of “Dale Cooke,” in order to not alienate his fan base; there was a considerable taboo against gospel singers performing secular music. However, the alias failed to hide Cooke’s unique and distinctive vocals. No one was fooled. 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 was unhappy about the type of music Cooke and Bumps Blackwell, Cooke’s pop producer, were making. Rupe expected Cooke’s secular music to be similar to that of another Specialty Records artist, Little Richard. When Rupe walked in on a recording session and heard Cooke covering Gershwin, he was quite upset.
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The Man and His Music
Sam Cooke
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Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964
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The Man Who Invented Soul (disc 4)
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Greatest Hits
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A Change Is Gonna Come
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You Send Me
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Cupid
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Twistin' The Night Away
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Nothing Can Change This Love
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Having A Party
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I'll Come Running Back To You
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Another Saturday Night
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Touch The Hem Of His Garment
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Sad Mood
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Shoutbox
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rockingdaddy wrote:
coooool
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cyankuruma wrote:
Ol' Sam can always lift your spirits!
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jackwolfesucks wrote:
"Live at the Harlem Square Club" - one of the best records [2]
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DonnieSTFU wrote:
Probably one of my top 10 favorite singers.
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NYCMan wrote:
He's the greatest!! Love his music sooooo much!
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NisforN wrote:
Love him.
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DonnieSTFU wrote:
God rest his soul. Great music.
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Waes-GOD wrote:
http://www.last.fm/group/Fans+of+the+old+music
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nihald123 wrote:
Instead of bein' my deliverance, she had a strange resemblance to a cat named frankenstein.
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mathcore16 wrote:
man that was witty
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kturner423 wrote:
why would anybody not be listening to Sam Cooke at every moment of the day
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Cousin_Eddy wrote:
The greatest vocalist to ever live in my opinion..Rest in peace Sam.
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bsimpson1972 wrote:
Best Singer Ever! And here's why: Ever since "Wonderful World" in the LEVIS-commercial in the 80's, I just love him! And to add insult to injury, my friend Greg's stepfather (who knew Elvis as the kid down the street in Memphis, TN) went to school with Sam Cooke! God bless you, Robert!
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matthewgregory wrote:
Smooth shit, Sam, smooth shit.
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gypsy_eyes1982 wrote:
Sam Cooke is Yours, He'll Never Grow Old
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RnB_Gentleman wrote:
so young...so young =(
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irish-stout wrote:
Ich liebe seine Stimme!
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FranROCK wrote:
neguinho firmeza, sam cooke
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juggulator wrote:
damn racist bastards that killed this awesome man :'(
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somasatellite wrote:
let me echo this - live at the harlem square club is fucking unbelievable. most elecrtrifying recording I think I've ever heard.
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Recent Activity
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mrsnickerdoodle, edgeoftheocean8, jfazackerley and 97 other people added Sam Cooke to their libraries. 4 hours ago
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tihsymtae wrote about Sam Cooke – Ain't That Good News in Best Songs of 1964 - One Man's Opinion. September 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Sam Cooke in Best Albums of the Late Fifties (1956-1959). August 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Night Beat in Best Albums of the Sixties (1960-1969). August 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Ain't That Good News in Best Albums of the Sixties (1960-1969). August 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Night Beat in a deleted journal. August 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Ain't That Good News in a deleted journal. August 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Night Beat in a deleted journal. July 2009
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nicoinfurs wrote about Sam Cooke – Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 in a deleted journal. July 2009
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thomas10 wrote about Sam Cooke – Ain't That Good News in a deleted journal. June 2009
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