(Ain’t That) Good News - Sam Cooke

Recently, the birthdate of legendary singer, Sam Cooke, went seemingly unnoticed. Here’s a little bio I found online for those who don’t know much on him.

Samuel Cook, (January 22, 1931 — December 11, 1964), better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He later added an “e” onto the end of his name, though the reason for this is disputed. He was one of eight children of Annie Mae and the Reverend Charles Cook, a Baptist minister. Cooke began his career singing gospel with his siblings in a group called The Singing Children. He first became known as lead singer with the Highway QC’s as a teenager. In 1950 ,He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music.He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and influence on the modern world of music.Cooke was also among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the American Civil Rights Movement.Cooke died at the age of thirty-three on December 11, 1964, at the Hacienda Motel at 9137 South Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, California. Bertha Franklin, manager of the motel, told police that she shot and killed Cooke in self-defense because he had attacked her. The details of the case involving Cooke’s death are still in dispute. Some of Cooke’s family and supporters, believe that there was a conspiracy to murder. In her autobiography, Rage to Survive, singer Etta James claimed that she viewed Cooke’s body in the funeral home and that the injuries she observed were well beyond what could be explained by the official account of Franklin alone having fought with Cooke. James described Cooke as having been so badly beaten that his head was nearly separated from his shoulders, his hands were broken and crushed, and his nose mangled. No concrete evidence supporting a conspiracy theory has been presented to date.