You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke

Wolff, Daniel

ISBN 10: 0688146201 / ISBN 13: 9780688146207

Published by Quill Quill Quill Quill, 1996

Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00098032135

Synopsis:

A biography of soul 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

Review: Decades after his death, Sam Cooke's thrilling, seductive tenor remains one of the glories of American popular music. His compositions have inspired a multitude of covers, few of which manage to lay a finger on the original versions. And Cooke's vocal mannerisms--the melismatic swooping and yodeling he applied to key phrases--are still audible every time Aaron Neville opens his mouth (not to mention a host of other singers, from Rod Stewart to Aretha Franklin). Clearly, then, it was time for a full-dress biography, and Daniel Wolff has done a superlative job. He traces the singer's transformation from gospel prodigy, who hit the road with the Soul Stirrers at the tender age of 19, to secular star. Endlessly ambitious, Cooke never quite figured out how to juggle his sacred and profane instincts, and Wolff is particularly good on this balancing act, as well as on the racial politics of the music industry.

Bibliographic Details

Title: You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke
Publisher: Quill Quill Quill Quill
Publication Date: 1996
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Good