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Sam Cook Research Papers

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Sam Cooke: Blues Born and Church Bred

Samuel Cook, known best as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. As a grammy winner and a star in Hollywood, Sam Cooke led a remarkable life. He was one of the first African-Americans to take a business stance in the music industry. On January 22nd of 1931, Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was the fifth out of the eight children born to Charles and Annie Cook. At the age of two, Cooke’s family moved to Chicago, Illinois. At the time, Chicago was a hotspot for gospel music. There, he attended Doolittle Elementary School.
Due to his father being the minister of the nearby Baptist church, Sam Cooke was granted the opportunity to sing at the church. People constantly said there …show more content…

Sam Cooke brought on success to the group, the favor was returned after his group performances kick-started his solo career. In 1957, he took a turn to a different type of music; R&B. To officialize his new beginning, Sam added the “e” to the end of his last …show more content…

However, Cooke wasn’t happy with their transactions. He developed his own publishing company, KAGS Music to keep control over his music. In 1961, Sam Cooke composed SAR Records, which made him the first African American to own a record company. SAR Records was tailored to gospel, soul, and R&B music genres.
Sam Cooke was inducted into the Songwriters House of Fame in 1987. Throughout the 1990s, Cooke was awarded from the Appollo Theatre Foundation, The Grammys, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Despite all these awards, Sam Cooke would die before he would know that he achieved them.
On the eleventh of December, 1964, police officers of Los Angeles were dispatched to the Hacienda Motel to find Cooke shot dead on the floor. Bertha Franklin, the manager, immediately admitted to shooting him. She accused Sam Cooke of threatening her life and the case was ruled as a justifiable homicide. He was also accused of raping Elisa Boyer. However, many people still question the authenticity of her

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