What Happened to Soul Singer Sam Cooke?

His killing by a motel employee may not be what it seems

The 911 call was received shortly after 3 am on Friday, December 11, 1964: a young black man had been shot dead at the seedy Hacienda Motel in South Central Los Angeles.

It was hours before police realised that the dead man was acclaimed singer/songwriter, businessman, and Civil Rights activist Sam Cooke.

Cooke’s Career

Samuel Cook was a preacher’s son. Born in Clarkesdsale, Mississippi in 1931, he soon moved with his family to Chicago.

After performing with his siblings as a child, by the age of 14 Cooke was lead singer in nationally-known gospel group the Highway Q.Cs.

In 1950, aged 19, Cooke joined gospel quintet the Soul Stirrers. The Soul Stirrers had existed since 1926 but Cooke’s lead vocals enhanced their fame and recording successes.

In 1957, Cooke released the pop/soul track Lovable, a remake of the gospel song Wonderful. In order not to alienate his gospel-loving fan base, he released the track under the alias ‘Dale Cook’ — although his distinctive voice was easily recognisable.

After this, Cooke left the Soul Stirrers, added the ‘e’ to his surname and went solo.

According to his biographer Peter Guralnick, Cooke “wanted to reach everyone — black, white, rich, poor. And there was simply no way to do that within the framework of…