Alternative Title: Samuel Cooke Sam Cooke, byname of Samuel Cook, (born January 22, 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.—died December 11, 1964, Los Angeles, California), American singer, songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur. Cooke was a major figure in the history of popular music and, along with, one of the most influential black vocalists of the post-World War II period. If Charles represented raw, Cooke symbolized sweet soul. Free Download Program Narco At150 Transponder Manual. To his many celebrated disciples—,, and among them—he was an icon of unrivaled stature.

Cooke’s career came in two phases. As a member of the groundbreaking, a premier group of the 1950s, he electrified the African American church community nationwide with a light, lilting vocal style that soared rather than thundered. “Nearer to Thee” (1955), “Touch the Hem of His Garment” (1956), and “Jesus, Wash Away My Troubles” (1956) were major gospel hits and, in the words of, “perfectly chiseled jewels.” Cooke’s decision to turn his attention to pop music in 1957 had tremendous implications in the black musical community. There long had been a taboo against such a move, but Cooke broke the mold. He reinvented himself as a romantic crooner in the manner of. His strength was in his smoothness.