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Cooke, Sam
Sam Cooke was one of eight children raised in a religious family and influenced by his father, a Baptist preacher. He grew up singing in his father's church and, with his brother and sisters, formed the Singing Children. In his teens, he formed a gospel group with his brother and they toured the gospel circuit with groups like the Soul Stirrers and the Pilgrim Travelers, who eventually featured Lou Rawls. In 1951, the lead singer of the Soul Stirrers, R.H. Harris, decided to retire, and Cooke was given the opportunity to replace him. Recording for Specialty Records, Sam Cooke became the new “face” in gospel music.
You might expect these early religious songs to display a germinating singer with a style that required polishing, but Sam Cooke's singing with the Soul Stirrers was nothing less than magnificent. Already, he was a confident, graceful singer with a full blown talent. Cooke displayed a flair for writing music as well, judging from such songs as "Touch The Hem Of His Garment". He attracted a much younger audience than was usual for gospel shows, and it became obvious to most concerned parties, including Specialty's artistic director Bumps Blackwell, that he could quite easily cross over to pop music, simply by changing his inspiration and the topic of his songs. Ambitious and willing, Cooke tested the waters cautiously. His first pop release, "Lovable", was credited to Dale Cook, but with Cooke's instantly recognizable voice, he fooled no one. Meanwhile, Rupe was incensed that his gospel star was dabbling in pop music, convinced that he would alienate his core gospel audience. When he heard "You Send Me", Rupe flatly refused to release it. Blackwell was convinced of its salability, so he bought Cooke's contract from Specialty and placed "You Send Me" with Keen Records. The song became a hit almost instantaneously, rising to the #1 position, where it remained for three weeks.
"You Send Me", written by his brother L.C. Cooke, contains much of the nuance found in Sam Cooke's best gospel performances, giving him plenty of freedom to soar all around the notes. The understated accompaniment puts all the emphasis on his remarkable voice as he repeats key phrases ("I know, I know, I know...") over a lilting rhythm and an angelic female chorus. His pop material can only suggest the talent he displayed on his gospel work, and it was mostly his gospel singing that influenced the next generation of singers. It would be a mistake, though, to underappreciate Cooke’s crossover to pop music, because it paved the way for other gospel singers, such as Aretha Franklin, to justify their own transitions. Melding the expressiveness of gospel with the gentle melody of a pop song, Cooke became the most obvious progenitor of what would soon be referred to as soul music.
 
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