Facts about sam cooke biography wikipedia

Samuel Cooke [ 5 ] born Samuel Cook ; January 22, [ 6 ] — December 11, [ 5 ] 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.

In , he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles.

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Sam Cooke was born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi , in he added the "e" to his last name in to signify a new start to his life. One of his younger brothers, L. Cooke's family moved to Chicago in Cooke sang in the choir of his father's church and began his career with his siblings in a group called the Singing Children when he was six years old.

In , Cooke replaced gospel tenor R. Harris as lead singer of his gospel group The Soul Stirrers , who had signed with Specialty Records on behalf of the group. Cooke had 30 U. Twistin' the Night Away was one of Cooke's biggest selling albums.

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Cooke founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. Cooke also took an active part in the civil rights movement. It was released under the alias "Dale Cook" [ 26 ] in order not to alienate his gospel fan base; there was a considerable stigma against gospel singers performing secular music.

However, it fooled no one [ 9 ] — his unique and distinctive vocals were easily recognized.