“If Cooke had been Frank Sinatra, the Beatles or Ricky Nelson, the FBI would be investigating.”
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Sam Cooke
Samuel Cooke was an American soul 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. During his thirteen-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as wel…
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entertainment · American singer and songwriter (1931–1964) · singer · pianist · songwriter · singer-songwriter · guitarist · recording artist · soul musician · composer · musician · also Sam Cooke, Samuel Cook, Dale Cook, Cooke
Born 22 January 1931 · Died 11 December 1964 · Q295919
136 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 8 entries
“My father told me it was not what I sang that was important, but that God gave me a voice and musical talent and the true use of His gift was to share it and make people happy.”
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TVGuide.co.uk: Sam Cooke: Legend on Sky Arts HD: full details and when it's on
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Brownwood News: Johnny Dale Cook
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Rolling Stone: Why Was It So Hard for Sam Cooke’s Grandkids to Drop a Soul Album?
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Hoodline: Sam Cooke's Granddaughters Bring Debut Album to Sold-Out Berkeley Greek Theatre
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Mshale: Ty Miller Cover Of "A Change Is Gonna Come By Sam Cooke Vitamin K Deficiency (jyXfKlI6vz)
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AOL: Sam Cooke's Granddaughter Explains Why She 'Very Rarely' Says Yes to Projects as Estate CEO: No 'Room for Error'
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2025· 3 entries
Essence: Sam Cooke’s Anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” Finds New Life As A Children’s Book
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Yahoo: Sam Cooke’s Granddaughter On Reimagining ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ As A Book For A New Generation
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Rolling Stone placed "A Change Is Gonna Come" at number 1 on its list of "The 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time"
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2024· 2 entries
Forbes: Sam Cooke Reaches Several Charts For The First Time, 60 Years After His Death
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Elliot James Reay released a song "Boy in Love" in which he pays homage to Cooke with the lyrics "But, now, when Sam Cooke sings, she got me whistling along"
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2023· 3 entries
American Songwriter: 3 More Songs You Didn’t Know Sam Cooke Wrote for Other Artists
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Snopes rated the claim “A vintage photograph authentically shows boxer Muhammad Ali and singer Sam Cooke together in the early 1960s.” True.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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Cooke was named the third "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone
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2021· 2 entries
Wall Street Journal: Sam Cooke: Blues Master and Conceptual Pioneer
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Jazz: Sam Cooke: Legend
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2020· 2 entries
Released album “The Complete Keen Years: 1957–1960”.
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Dion released a song and music video as a tribute to Cooke called "Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America)" (featuring Paul Simon) from his album Blues with Friends
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2019· 1 entry
Released album “Remembering the Legend Sam Cooke”.
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2018· 1 entry
Released album “60 Essential Recordings”.
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2017· 1 entry
Released album “100 Hits”.
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2016· 1 entry
Released album “The Complete Solo Singles, As & Bs 1957–62”.
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2015· 1 entry
Cooke was ranked number 28 in Billboard magazine's list of the "35 Greatest R&B Artists of All Time"
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2014· 3 entries
Released album “Original Album Classics”.
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Northcountrypublicradio.org: Sam Cooke And The Song That 'Almost Scared Him'
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Released album “Encore / Songs by Sam Cooke (debut album)”.
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2013· 5 entries
Released album “The Singles Collection”.
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Released album “The Complete Singles (1956–1962)”.
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Cooke was portrayed by Arinzé Kene
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Released album “8 Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles”.
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Cooke was inducted into the National Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland State University
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2012· 4 entries
Released album “The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection”.
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Released album “The Platinum Collection”.
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Released album “The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke / My Kind of Blues”.
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Released album “Merry Christmas With Sam Cooke”.
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2011· 4 entries
Released album “The RCA Albums Collection”.
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Released album “The Complete Remastered Keen Collection”.
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Released album “The Best of Sam Cooke”.
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Released album “Wonderful World: The Very Best of Sam Cooke 1957–60”.
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2010· 4 entries
Released album “Playlist: The Very Best of Sam Cooke”.
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Released album “The Keen Records Story”.
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Released album “Chronological Classics, 1960”.
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Released album “Chronological Classics – 1959”.
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2009· 3 entries
Released album “Classic Album & Singles Collection”.
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Cooke was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Clarksdale
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Released album “Sam Cooke”.
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2008· 5 entries
Released album “Around the World”.
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Released album “You Send Me”.
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Released album “Forever”.
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Cooke was named the fourth "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone
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Cooke received the first plaque on the Clarksdale Walk of Fame, located at the New Roxy Theater
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2007· 1 entry
Released album “The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke”.
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2006· 1 entry
Released album “Specialty Profiles”.
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2004· 1 entry
Rolling Stone ranked Cooke 16th on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time"
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2003· 1 entry
Released album “Portrait of a Legend 1951–1964”.
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2002· 1 entry
Released album “The Complete Specialty Recordings”.
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2001· 1 entry
Released album “Keep Movin’ On”.
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2000· 2 entries
Released album “Hits!”.
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Released album “The Man Who Invented Soul”.
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1999· 3 entries
Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1999).
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Presented by Larry Blackmon of funk super-group Cameo
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Released album “All Hits”.
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1998· 1 entry
Released album “Greatest Hits”.
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1995· 2 entries
Released album “The Rhythm and the Blues”.
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Released album “16 Most Requested Songs”.
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1994· 2 entries
Released album “Sam Cooke’s SAR Records Story 1959–1965”.
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Cooke received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the music industry, located on 7051 Hollywood Boulevard
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1993· 3 entries
Released album “The Legend of Sam Cooke”.
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Released album “Gold”.
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Released album “The Great Sam Cooke”.
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1992· 2 entries
Released album “20 Greatest Hits”.
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Released album “Sam Cooke with The Soul Stirrers: One More River”.
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1991· 3 entries
Released album “Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers”.
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Released album “Greatest”.
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Released album “His Earliest Recordings”.
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1990· 1 entry
Released album “Unforgettable Memories”.
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1989· 2 entries
Released album “In the Beginning”.
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Cooke was inducted a second time to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when the Soul Stirrers were inducted
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1988· 3 entries
Released album “Wonderful World”.
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Released album “An Original”.
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Released album “For Sentimental Reasons”.
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1987· 5 entries
Released album “Swing Out Brother!”.
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Released album “Soul Fever”.
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Released album “The Sam Cooke Collection 20 Golden Greats”.
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Cooke was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
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Released album “The Unforgettable Sam Cooke”.
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1986· 3 entries
Awarded Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986).
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Released album “The Man and His Music”.
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Cooke was inducted as a charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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1985· 1 entry
Released album “The Wonderful World of Sam Cooke / 40 Great Memories”.
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1982· 1 entry
Released album “The History of Rock, Volume Four”.
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1981· 1 entry
Released album “20 Great Hits”.
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1977· 1 entry
Released album “Gospel in My Soul”.
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1976· 1 entry
Released album “The Golden Age of Sam Cooke”.
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1975· 1 entry
Released album “Forever: 32 Hits”.
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1974· 1 entry
Released album “The Legendary Sam Cooke”.
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1971· 1 entry
Released album “This Is Sam Cooke”.
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1970· 1 entry
Released album “The Two Sides of Sam Cooke”.
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1968· 1 entry
Released album “The One and Only”.
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1967· 1 entry
The courts awarded Franklin $30,000 in damages (equivalent to $290,000 in 2025)
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1965· 3 entries
Released album “Try a Little Love”.
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Released album “The Best of Sam Cooke, Volume 2”.
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Released album “Shake”.
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1964· 4 entries
At the Hacienda Motel at 91st and South Figueroa streets in South Central Los Angeles
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Died 1964-12-11.
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Was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles
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Released album “Ain’t That Good News”.
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1963· 6 entries
Cooke signed a five-year contract for Allen Klein to manage Kags Music and SAR Records, and made him his manager
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Night Beat, and his most critically acclaimed studio album, Ain't That Good News, which featured five singles, in 1964
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Released album “Mr. Soul”.
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Released album “Night Beat”.
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“And believe me, he never had one.”
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Released album “3 Great Guys”.
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1962· 1 entry
Released album “Twistin’ the Night Away”.
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1961· 3 entries
Released album “My Kind of Blues”.
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Released album “Swing Low”.
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Released album “Sam’s Songs”.
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1960· 3 entries
Released album “Hits of the 50’s”.
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Released album “I Thank God”.
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Released album “Cooke’s Tour”.
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1959· 2 entries
Released album “Tribute to the Lady”.
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Released album “Hit Kit”.
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1958· 4 entries
A woman in Philadelphia, Connie Bolling, said Cooke was the father of her son
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Cooke married his second wife, Barbara Campbell (1935–2021), in Chicago
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Released album “Songs by Sam Cooke”.
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Released album “Encore”.
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1957· 2 entries
The song began a three-week tenure at number one on the Billboard Top 100
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Cooke signed with Keen Records and released his first single, "You Send Me", which included the song ""Summertime" as its B-side
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1956· 2 entries
Cooke recorded his first secular pop song, "Lovable", a remake of the gospel song "Wonderful", under the alias Dale Cook, in hopes of not getting discovered recording secular material because of the stigma against gospel
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After deciding to pursue a secular career as a solo artist, prompting a backlash from the gospel community and religious leaders
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1953· 1 entry
His first marriage was to singer-dancer Dolores Elizabeth Milligan Cooke, who took the stage name "Dee Dee Mohawk" in 1953; they divorced in 1958.
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1950· 1 entry
Cooke replaced gospel tenor R
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1931· 2 entries
Born 1931-01-22.
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(he added the "e" to his last name in 1958 to signify a new start to his life)
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