*Includes pictures *Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents I think the secret is really observation. Well, if you observe what’s going on and try to figure out how people are thinking, I think you can always write something that people will understand. - Sam Cooke A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. If Sam Cooke, one of the greatest African-American soul singers in the genre’s history, had been Irish, he might have kept company with the likes of the great balladeer and classical tenor John McCormack. If he had been born Italian, he might have starred in the refined, lyrical Mozart opera roles usually reserved for those with an extreme musical sensitivity. Such was the level of excellence in Cooke’s inner understanding of his own voice, which was capable of exquisite classical precision and a finesse in phrasing that lay far beyond the norm. He could have prospered and attained greatness in any genre of his choice, but considering the timing of the American audience, and his African-American heritage, Sam Cooke instead pioneered a new genre and became its greatest practitioner by blending black musical traditions that incorporated all the refinement and beauty of European classical genres yet still spoke from the heart of his rural American roots. The timing of Cooke’s appearance was perfect, coming as it did at a historical intersection where blues, jazz, country, gospel, and numerous traditional black forms met on the verge of transforming into new musical blends that included rock and new variant forms of jazz. In this genre, soul music, Cooke, above all others, had what it took to lead its ascent in the American pop music industry. As a masterful singer of any of the stylistic blends that went into soul, bringing the older forms along with him, and as both a songwriter and entrepreneur, Cooke would prove to be one of the most influential black vocalists of the post-World War II period. Sam Cooke’s legacy can be found both within the musical and in the inner workings and procedures of his industry, after dozens of high-profile African American artists followed his lead, and obtained new freedom and profit from their own work. As a singer who sold ten million copies as a crossover artist, he set a high vocal bar for all those who came after, and his artistic personality and suave, sophisticated image set the style of soul crooners for the next decade. A number of artists in the following generation who were either directly launched by his musical influence, mentorship, or producing skills, included many of the newly-emerging stars, such as Smokey Robinson, James Taylor, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, his protégé Bobby Womack, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and James Brown. American Legends: The Life of Sam Cooke looks at the life and career of one of America’s most influential musicians. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Sam Cooke like never before, in no time at all.
