Sam Cooke

American singer and songwriter (1931–1964)

Sam Cooke (January 22, 1931–December 11, 1964) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was born Sam Cook but later changed the spelling of his name. He was very important and influential in the beginning of soul music.[2][3][4] He had many hit songs in America. Some of his most famous songs were "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Chain Gang", "Wonderful World", and "Bring It on Home to Me".

Sam Cooke
Background information
Birth nameSamuel Cook[1]
Also known asDale Cooke
Born(1931-01-22)January 22, 1931
Clarksdale, Mississippi
DiedDecember 11, 1964(1964-12-11) (aged 33)
Los Angeles, California
GenresR&B, soul, gospel, pop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, piano, guitar
Years active1950–1964
LabelsSpecialty, Keen, RCA

Cooke started his own record label and publishing company. He was an important part of the Civil Rights Movement, helping African-American people to get civil rights.[5]

Cooke died in 1964. He was shot and killed by hotel manageress named Bertha Franklin. She told the police that she shot Cooke in self-defense.[6] Sam was buried in Glendale, California.

Other websites

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References

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  1. "Sam Cooke". Britannica online. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  2. Appiah, Kwame Anthony; Gates, Henry Louis; Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. (2004). Africana: An A-to-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience. Running Press. pp. 146. ISBN 0-762-42042-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and their Music. George-Warren, Holly. Random House. pp. 135. ISBN 0-679-73728-6.
  4. Nite, Norm N. (1992). Rock On Almanac: The First Four Decades of Rock 'n' Roll: A Chronolology. New York, New York: HarperPerennial. pp. 140–142. ISBN 0-062-73157-2.
  5. Guralnick, Peter (2005-09-22). "The Man Who Invented Soul". Rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
  6. Krajick, David. "The Death of Sam Cooke". truTV.com Crime Library.