Sam cooke death
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Sam Cooke was a gospel and rhythm and blues musician whose distinctive vocal talents defined soul music. He was born on 22 January 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the fourth child of Rev. Charles Cooke and Annie May Cooke. According to family legend, Sam was born with musical talent and when he had no audience, he would create one out of the sticks he found in his backyard.
About two years after Sam was born, Charles Cooke, a preacher in the Church of Christ (Holiness), moved the family to Chicago, where he became pastor at the Christ Temple Church in Chicago Heights. The eight Cooke children grew up in the church, and several of them formed a gospel quintet, the Singing Children, to perform there. Sam sang tenor harmony, and though he was only six when the group formed, he often sought the lead. The children traveled frequently with their father, priming revival audiences before his sermons, until the older siblings tired of performing and the group disbanded.
In the spring of 1947 Cooke became one of two lead singers for what would be his first professional gospel quartet,
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Sam Cooke
American singer and songwriter (1931–1964)
For other people named Sam Cooke, see Sam Cooke (disambiguation).
Musical artist
Samuel Cooke[5] (born Samuel Cook; January 22, 1931[6] – December 11, 1964)[5] was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music.[7] During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top 10 of Billboard'sBlack Singles chart. In 1964, he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles.[8] After an inquest and investigation, the courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide.[9] His family has since questioned the circumstances of his death. In 2015, Cooke was ranked number 28 in Billboard magazine's list of the "35 Greatest R&B Artists of All Ti
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Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke, the son of Reverend Charles Cook, Sr., (a Baptist minister) and Annie May Cook was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1933. He had four brothers and three sisters – Willie, Charles Jr., L.C., David, Mary, Hattie and Agnes. Sam graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in 1948, where he distinguished himself as an “A” student as well as being voted “most likely to succeed.” During his formative years, Sam, together with his brothers Charles Jr., L.C. and sisters Mary and Hattie, performed as a gospel group “The Singing Children.” At the age of 15, Sam became lead singer of the famous “teenage” gospel group the “Highway QC’s” until he was 19 when he was hand-picked by Roy (S.R.) Crain, manager of the “Soul Stirrers,” to replace the legendary R.H. Harris as lead singer. In 1951, with the “Soul Stirrers,” he began his writing and recording career on Specialty Records with such gospel classics as “Nearer T
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