Sam Cooke was also a "transitional" artist in the sense that he was one of the first to demand and receive a really high level of involvement in his own career.

Sam wrote or cowrote and produced or co produced almost all of his recordings.

Sam was good friend with Cassisus Clay and while he rejecterd the Muslims , remained friends with Muhammad til his death.

Conspiracy theories abound about Sams death..but..in the cool light of reason, it does appear that he just got out of control in that motel parking lot and got shot.
He was buck ass nakeed at the time and did have a young lady in his room.
It was the motel manger (a woman) that shot him...

Sam Cooke was a wonderful singer and a great songwriter as well.

Old farts like me can attest to the influence he had over so many singers..

Sam was a big fan of Nat King Cole and you can hear alot of Nat in Sam's commercial releases.

His Gospel work with the Soul Stirrers was absolutely breathtaking..

An amazing talent and one of my heroes.

Thanks for remembering Sam Cooke.

Bob Young

Someone mentioned "A Change is Gonna Come"
Sam stayed away from politics, especially in his art and music..but this song is Sam's response to the Civil Rights issues of the 60's.
If you're not familiar with Sam as a singer, this is a great place to start.
Also..we just lost Lou Rawls who was Sams protege and is the voice you hear answering Sam on Bring it On Home to Me

[This message has been edited by bob young (edited 04-04-2006).]