S am Cooke was born Samuel Cook in Clarksdale, Mississippi on January 22, 1931 (he later added the “e” to his last name to signify a new beginning in his life). At age two, his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where his father was a Baptist minister in the Church of Christ (Holiness). Cooke later sang in his father’s church choir. At age six, he started his singing career in a group with his siblings entitled the Singing Children. At fourteen, he became known as the lead singer of the Highway Q.C’s.

In 1950 Cooke joined the gospel group The Soul Stirrers, replacing their lead singer. They recorded numerous songs together, some written by Cooke. He is credited with bringing soul music to a wider audience, especially to the attention of girls who would rush the stage to get a closer look at him.

Sam Cooke left The Soul Stirrers in 1957 to pursue a pop music career. He had 30 U.S. top 40 hits between 1957 and 1964, plus three more posthumously. Some of his major popular hits include You Send Me, A Change Is Gonna Come, Cupid, Chain Gang, Wonderful World, Another Saturday Night, and Twistin’ the Night Away. Among his other accomplishments, Cooke was one of the first Black performers and composers to take a major role in the business side of his success by founding a record label—SAR Records and a publishing company—KAGS Music. The civil rights movement was another of his passions where he refused to play to segregated venues, showing his commitment to civil disobedience. One of the songs he wrote, A Change Is Gonna Come, became a powerful anthem for the movement.

In September 1957, Cooke’s B-side recording of You Send Me spent three weeks at No.1 on the Billboard pop chart. This was a financial game changer for him, increasing his weekly earnings from $200 to $5,000 (equivalent to $56,000 in 2024). He also compiled an impressive list of TV appearances, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Guy Mitchell Show, American Bandstand, The Dick Clark Saturday Night Show, The Howard Miller Show, The Steve Allen Show, The Big Record, The Jimmy Dean Show, The Johnny Otis Show, and The Wink Martindale Dance Party to name a few.

Sam Cooke was a prolific songwriter and wrote most of the songs he recorded. His velvety tenor vocals made him popular with a wide-ranging audience leaving him to be considered one of the most accomplished vocalists of all time. He died on December 11, 1964.