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ALBUMSoul Revue - EPSam Cooke
Albums by Sam Cooke
ALBUMAin't That Good NewsSam Cooke
ALBUMNight BeatSam Cooke
ALBUMMr. SoulSam Cooke
ALBUMTwistin' the Night AwaySam Cooke
ALBUMMy Kind of BluesSam Cooke
ALBUMSwing LowSam Cooke
ALBUMHits of the 50'sSam Cooke
ALBUMCooke's TourSam Cooke
Sam Cooke's Popular Music Videos
A Change Is Gonna Come (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
You Send Me (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
Keep Movin' On (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
(Somebody) Ease My Troublin' Mind (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, December 01, 1957)
Sam Cooke
(Ain't That) Good News (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
Meet Me At Mary's Place (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
Good Times (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
That's Where It's At (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
Falling In Love (Lyric Video)
Sam Cooke
Artist Playlists
Sam Cooke Essentials
His life was short, but his music is immortal.
Sam Cooke: Love Songs
The original soul man gets romantic.
Inspired by Sam Cooke
Airy romance mingled with messages of personal resilience.
Sam Cooke: Deep Cuts
The adulation he elicited from live audiences is no mystery.
Artist Biography
A teen gospel star known for his uncommon charisma as a frontman, Sam Cooke successfully translated the rousing warmth of church standards to the breezy realm of secular pop. After leading The Soul Stirrers, Cooke (born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1931) quickly recorded a procession of hit solo singles that continue to endure. His 1957 breakthrough “You Send Me” distills devotional themes into a romantically pure ballad, while “Chain Gang” similarly repurposes the blues’ classic call-and-response motif. Cooke crafted a distinctive vocal signature with his immaculate phrasing and playful curlicues, establishing himself as an affable recording artist while maintaining a thrillingly animated live presence that made ample use of his early days in church. As heard on “Cupid” and “Only Sixteen,” his seamless blending of gospel grace, bluesy swagger, and pop lightness threw open the doors for soul music as a mainstream proposition, all without trading away his genuine flair as a singer. Likewise, “Having a Party” and “Twisting the Night Away” capture a celebratory air that still feels spontaneous and true to life today. Following Cooke’s sudden death at age 33, his posthumous 1964 single “A Change Is Gonna Come” emerged as a steadfast anthem for the civil rights movement, both then and now.
Hometown
Clarksdale, MS, United States
Genre
R&B/Soul