Sam Cooke

Samuel Cook was one of the most influential vocalists in American popular music, the artist who most successfully bridged gospel and popular music and helped invent the sound of soul. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Chicago, he first achieved fame as the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers, one of the premier gospel groups of the 1950s. His crossover to pop with 'You Send Me' in 1957 launched a career that produced classics like 'Chain Gang,' 'Cupid,' 'Twistin' the Night Away,' and 'A Change Is Gonna Come.' His smooth, melismatic vocal style was rooted in the blues and gospel traditions of the Delta and Chicago, and his influence on subsequent soul, R&B, and pop vocalists is immeasurable. He was shot and killed under disputed circumstances in 1964 at age 33.