The 500 - #439 - Sam Cooke - Live at The Harlem Square Club

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 439

Album Title: Live at the Harlem Square Club
Artist: Sam Cooke
Genre: Soul
Recorded: January, 1963 
Released: June, 1985
My age at release: 19
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly (These songs are legendary hits.)
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Bring it on Home to Me  (Suggested by my teaching colleague, Milt Betteridge.)

On January 12, 1963, a live performance was recorded at the Harlem Square Club in Overtown -- an historically African-American section of Miami, Florida. The performers were Sam Cooke and his seven-piece band. Cooke was already a legend in the entertainment industry, having found commercial success in the world of Gospel, Soul and Pop music. He was a singer, songwriter, civil-rights activist, businessman and entrepreneur. Dubbed The King of Soul, he had recorded thirty U.S. Top-40 hits between 1957 and 1964 including You Send Me, Chain Gang, Wonderful World and Twistin' the Night Away. 

His live performances were legendary and this record is a testament to his energy, enthusiasm and talent. However, the record company (RCA) felt differently and shelved it for 22 years. It was their opinion that the performance and audience were "too loud, raw and raucous", presuming that a contemporary pop-music audience wouldn't embrace unfiltered versions of his chart-topping singles. One might argue that the words "contemporary pop-music audience" could be changed to "white audience" in that sentence.

It is impossible to know how the record would have been received in 1964. However, when released in 1985 it was celebrated by contemporary music critics as one of the greatest live recordings of all time and has since been ranked in multiple "best of" lists, including Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - which has it at #439. 

I have never thought of myself as a fan of Sam Cooke but hearing this record made me realize I've always loved his music. His voice is effortlessly smooth and his songwriting skills are undeniable. Cooke is a generational talent who pioneered a sound influencing everyone from Aretha Franklin to James Brown to The Beatles and beyond.

Cooke died on December 11, 1964, of a single gunshot to the heart. The death was ruled a justifiable homicide. But there were many conflicting reports and to this day there are some who believe a deeper investigation is required. This is covered in great detail in the recently released Netflix documentary ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke.

However, at this time there is "no concrete evidence supporting a criminal conspiracy."