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[Joe]

AllMusic | Sam Cooke Biography

Sam Cooke was the most important soul singer in history -- he was also the inventor of soul music.

A seminal influence on soul music and R&B, with an incredible natural singing voice and a smooth, effortless delivery that has never been surpassed.

Sam Cooke, nicknamed the "King of Soul" for establishing the quintessential sound of soul music, was not only an amazing singer, songwriter, and performer he was also a pioneer in business for black musicians and a civil rights activist.

Sam's life was cut short in 1964, at the age of 33, after he was shot and killed. The assailant claims the shooting was in self-defense while others have questioned that assertion. You can read about it here on Wikipedia.

Honors:

• Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame inductee
• Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
• Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
• #16 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list
• #4 on Rolling Stone's "Greatest Singers of All Time" list

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"A Change is Gonna Come" is widely considered the crown jewel of Sam Cooke's work and is arguably one of the greatest songs of all-time.

The song was released in 1964, two weeks after his death.

In 2007, the US Library of Congress added "A Change is Gonna Come" to its National Recording Registry:

https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-07-039/2006-national-recording-registry/2007-03-06/
"A Change is Gonna Come," Sam Cooke (1965)
Sam Cooke, a central figure in the creation of soul music in the 1950s and 1960s, composed "A Change is Gonna Come" to express his impatience with the progress of civil equality in the United States. He wrote the song on a bus after speaking to sit-in protestors in Durham, N.C. Released after his untimely death, the song became an anthem of the civil rights movement in the United States.

"A Change is Gonna Come"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0KOE1hat4SIer491XKk4Pa

More songs written and performed by Sam Cooke:

"You Send Me"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHTG6HWeoj8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5aivQ5CkXXHJoMLy0o92HL

"Cupid"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agjMOdoMq24
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6VuO6xcpSeeLfqBo4ePbkw

"Bring it on Home to Me"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loMLXNoBfTo
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0WVTQp3SOCuMr08jh1jweV

"Good Times"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A16BpNfMZuI
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4UcxTnA6C5vCW79PIZ38Vx

"That's Where It's At"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzIu1uAfx5o
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2jqkVBMchQP8jiuEJQqQt4

"Chain Gang"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhMUUrYBWcY
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1sK10Me7qS9em2QTx6dYRe

"Ain't That Good News"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CInDCYEGpzM
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4vQPj9Zh7cyoeqEy8oitmz

"What a Wonderful World"
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4GLAKEjU4w
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/2g2GkH3vZHk4lWzBjgQ6nY

Sam Cooke also recorded one of the best live albums of all-time, "Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963".

The performance of "Bring It On Home To Me" in particular is a stand-out track.

"Bring It On Home To Me", Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l0hoPy2IX8
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3lYM0ZNXLG2276Wcoj0pyz

 

[TraBuch]

Sam Cooke's absolutely a legend. Probably the second greatest soul singer ever in my eyes.

 

[canoli2006]

Great thread OP. Definitely one of the greatest soul singers up there with Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and Wilson Pickett.

That's Where It's At

https://youtu.be/AAIFI5hWPyw

 

[Dr. Feel Good]

How in the flying fuck is Twisin the Night Away not mentioned in the OP

 

[TheLegendary]

He is unquestionably the best soul singer in terms of voice and talent in my personal opinion. And anyone who comes close had him as a blueprint.
What a shame his career (and his life of course) was cut short.



Also, the OP is somehow missing ...

Keep Movin' On
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXWdxT2_-M

 

[marq_roq]

Cheers OP! Thee 🐐!

My fave is This Little Light of Mine from Live At Copa

https://youtu.be/OdsIjwwfhjk

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Uuuuuuuu send meeeee..... darlin, Uuuuuuuu send me... i miss u 2

 

[StriKeVillain]

Beautiful.

I have nothing to add but this great John Boutté cover of Bring It On Home To Me from Treme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-lwsu9UNc0

 

[leakey]

Live at Harlem Square is undoubtedly one of the best live albums of all time. Dude really put on a show and had the crowd that night.