You Send ME: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke

A biography of gospel singer Sam Cooke chronicles the life of the pioneering African-American musical entrepreneur, from his success in gospel music, to his move into pop music, to his untimely murder at age thirty-three. 25,000 first printing.

An important contribution to the history of pop music in mid-century, this work by freelance journalist Wolff in collaboration with singer Craine, guitarist and bandleader White and music researcher Tenenbaum follows the career of Sam Cooke (born Cook) from boy singer in his father's church choir to his murder in a cheap L.A. motel in 1964. Born in 1931 in the Mississippi Delta region, he and his family migrated to Chicago in the Depression. While still a teenager, he was picked to sing in a prestigious gospel group, the Soul Stirrers, in 1951. Later, he crossed over into secular music, where he had a string of hits, including the blockbuster "You Send Me." Handsome and well bred, he was irresistible to many women, married twice and fathered a number of children out of wedlock. The official version that he was shot by a woman during a fight raised many questions, but the LAPD, according to the authors, viewed Cooke as "just another dead nigger." Here we are offered more speculation about his sad end.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Sam Cooke epitomized the "crossover" artist. Not only did he cross over from gospel music--he was lead singer of the famous Soul Stirrers while in his teens--to the secular world with his 1957 hit, "You Send Me," but he crossed over from the rhythm-and-blues to the pop charts, achieving huge success with white audiences--not just teenagers but adults crowds at the Copacabana and other supper clubs. Wolff effectively sets the story of Cooke's career against the backdrop of the burgeoning civil rights movement, demonstrating how the singer became a powerful and prominent role model, both through his public activism and by going beyond racial pride to actual empowerment when he started his own record label. Unfortunately, Wolff begins the book with an account of Cooke's death by gunshot in a sleazy L.A. hotel at age 33. Although Cooke was no moral paragon (he was, for instance, consistently, notoriously unfaithful to his wives), that initial attention grabber overemphasizes the importance of an event that contradicts the legacy of his music and his career. Gordon Flagg

When Sam Cooke left the Soul Stirrers in 1957 to cross over into popular music, the gospel scene lost one of its biggest stars. The rest of the world gained the distinctive voice of the first practitioner of the musical style that became known as soul. More than a singer, Cooke composed songs that are still being performed more than 30 years later. He had the business acumen to protect his publishing rights in an era when artists were routinely fleeced. He was also one of the first performers to take a leadership role in the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. Unfortunately, his unsavory shooting death at 33 cast a shadow over a great African American success story. Written with the help of the Soul Stirrers' founder and Cooke's bandleader, this should stand as the definitive biography of one of popular American music's most important stars. Highly recommended.
Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.