Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
	Cooke in 1963
Background information
Birth name	Samuel Cook
Born	January 22, 1931; Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 11, 1964 (aged 33); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Soul; R&B; gospel;
Occupation(s)	Singer; songwriter;
Years active	1951–1964
Labels	ABKCO; Specialty; Keen; RCA;

Samuel Cooke^[5] (January 22, 1931^[6] – December 11, 1964),^[5] known professionally as Sam Cooke, 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 Pop Singles chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1964, Cooke 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. Cooke is included on Billboard's 2015 list of the 35 greatest R&B artists of all time.^[10]

^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-313-34423-7.
^ Cooke's death certificate gives his year of birth as 1932 while his gravestone gives his year of birth as 1930. However, the Social Security Death Master File (number 329-26-4823) indicates 1931.
^ "Report – HPLA".
^ Cite error: The named reference songsofsamcooke.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b David Ritz. "Sam Cooke". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
^ Cooke's death certificate gives 1932 as his year of birth while his gravestone gives 1930 as his year of birth. Copy of death certificate available midway through scrolling down. However, the Social Security Death Master File (number 329-26-4823) indicates 1931.
^ Janovitz, Bill. "Cupid – Sam Cooke". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
^ "Manager of motel shoots singing star". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 12, 1964. p. 10.
^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits: The Inside Story Behind Every Number One Single on Billboard's Hot 100 from 1955 to the Present. Billboard Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
^ "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time". Billboard. November 12, 2015.

[bare-1] Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-313-34423-7.

[2] Cooke's death certificate gives his year of birth as 1932 while his gravestone gives his year of birth as 1930. However, the Social Security Death Master File (number 329-26-4823) indicates 1931.

[3] "Report – HPLA".

[songsofsamcooke.com-4] Cite error: The named reference songsofsamcooke.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[britannica-5] David Ritz. "Sam Cooke". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2008.

[6] Cooke's death certificate gives 1932 as his year of birth while his gravestone gives 1930 as his year of birth. Copy of death certificate available midway through scrolling down. However, the Social Security Death Master File (number 329-26-4823) indicates 1931.

[7] Janovitz, Bill. "Cupid – Sam Cooke". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2014.

[mofmotl-8] "Manager of motel shoots singing star". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 12, 1964. p. 10.

[bookofhits-9] Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits: The Inside Story Behind Every Number One Single on Billboard's Hot 100 from 1955 to the Present. Billboard Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.

[10] "The 35 Greatest R&B Artists Of All Time". Billboard. November 12, 2015.

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