Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke was an American singer and songwriter widely credited as one of the founding figures of soul music, earning him the title 'King of Soul'. Born in Mississippi and raised in Chicago, he began his career singing gospel with the Soul Stirrers before crossing over into secular popular music in the late 1950s, a move that was controversial at the time but opened the door for countless artists who followed. His smooth, expressive voice and gift for melody made him one of the defining vocalists of his era.

Cooke racked up over thirty top 40 hits during his career, including «You Send Me», «Cupid», «Chain Gang» and «Bring It On Home to Me», blending pop, R&B and gospel-rooted phrasing into a sound that was both commercially accessible and deeply soulful. His 1964 song «A Change Is Gonna Come», inspired in part by the civil rights movement, became one of the most significant protest songs in American music history and remains a touchstone of the era.

Cooke's life was cut short in 1964 when he was shot and killed under circumstances that remain disputed to this day. Despite his early death at 33, his influence on soul, R&B and popular music at large is immense, and he is regarded as a foundational figure whose artistry shaped generations of singers who followed.