A Singer’s Death

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Sam Cooke was an American singer, songwriter and entrepreneur who was also known as the King of Soul. Unfortunately on December 11, 1964 the L.A. police found Cooke dead in the Hacienda Motel at he age of 33. He had been shot three times by the manager of the motel. The manager’s story was that Cooke had threatened her life after he had tried to rape a young woman whom he had checked into the motel with. However there were other accounts as well and one of them referred to a murder plot against him. As a result 200,000 fans took to the streets of Los Angeles and Chicago to mourn Cooke who originally came from Chicago, Illinois. He left behind this musical legacy of hits in the 1950s and early 1960s. Cooke was born in 1931 and since his father was a Baptist minister his musical development began in the church. He eventually turned to soul music starting out as a member of the Soul Stirrers at the age of 19. His first pop hit was “You Send Me”. This was followed by such classics as “Chain Gang”, “Cupid” and “Twisting the Night Away”. A Dylan-inspired posthumous release came out “A Change Is Gonna Come” and it became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement. His voice has been referred to as the most important in the history of soul music. He wrote all of his own songs. The one thing that is certain is that Cooke has his place in the history of popular music but what is left uncertain is the reason for his death. Who knows Sam Cooke? Do you like his music?