579 “A lot of cats try to show off their arrangements”: BBC interview with René Hall. All subsequent quotes are from that interview.
581 “Frankie and Johnny” replaced “Chain Gang”: Sam slipped in a few bars of “Chain Gang” for his encore on the first night, but it was soon dropped from the show.
582 “Sam yells a lot but doesn’t sing much”: “Frank Farrell’s New York—Day by Day,” New York World-Telegram, June 25, 1964.
582 “although he did well . . . he didn’t quite achieve his aim”: Variety, December 16, 1964.
582 “[Mr. Cooke] has dignity, humility and feeling”: Robert Alden, “Sam Cooke at the Copa,” New York Times, July 7, 1964.
582 Sam moved “like a panther”: Long Island Press, June 28, 1964.
582 “a young Belafonte” . . . “worlds of poise and savvy” . . . “a zingy, swinging style”: Nick LaPole, New York Herald Tribune, June 28, 1964.
582 “A dashing, handsome young man”: Sara Slack, “Sam Cooke Cooking in E. Side Setting,” Amsterdam News, July 4, 1964.
583 a bloc of tickets to distribute: Daniel Wolff with S. R. Crain, Clifton White, and G. David Tenenbaum, You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke, p. 306.
583 “at no time does he make any political references”: Variety, July 1, 1964.
584 “You know, those old cats”: New York Times, July 7, 1964.
584 To Don Paulsen, a young freelance reporter and photographer: Don Paulsen, “You Have to Pay Your Dues,” Hit Parader, January 1965; Paulsen, “An Exclusive Interview with Sam Cooke,” Rhythm & Blues, February 1965.
586 “The way Mr. Cooke sings [it]”: New York Times, July 7, 1964.
586 a full-page ad in Variety: Variety, July 22, 1964.
587 a reluctant final decision . . . to let the Sims Twins and Johnnie Morisette go: Their contract releases came on August 1 and August 21 respectively. J.W. continued to work with the Sims Twins, as their manager and producer, after Sam’s death.
587 an advance order of 150,000: Music Business, July 4, 1964.
588The Stars Salute Dr. Martin Luther King: This was a project promoted by the New York PR firm Louis-Rowe Enterprises, Inc., for which former heavyweight champion Joe Louis provided the public face. Although all the proper clearances were made, in the end a ten-track album was released in early 1965 (Warner Bros. 1591) without the cuts by Sam, Ray Charles, or Frank Sinatra.
588 Riots had broken out: Time, July 31, 1964; David Garrow, Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, p. 342.
588 the search continued for the three civil rights workers: Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney disappeared on June 21; their bodies were found on August 4.
588 “how it felt to be a Jew in Hitler’s Germany”: Jackie Robinson, “Murder, Hate, Violence Will Be Weapons of GOP” (syndicated column), Mobile Beacon-Alabama Citizen, July 25, 1964.
589 he was only surprised “that the American public failed to anticipate it”: Paul Learn, “Mixing Melody, Love Puts Sam Cooke on Top,” Atlantic City Press, July 30, 1964.
589 the same show: The highlighted repertoire comes from Ted Schall, “Nightly Whirl,” Atlantic City Press, July 29, 1964.
589 their breakfast of grits and wings: This is Aretha Franklin’s description.
590 “He beat [Liston] once”: Atlantic City Press, July 30, 1964.
591 “hit[ting] the trail on behalf of Negro writers”: “Sam Would ‘Cook’ Revival of Oldies,” Pittsburgh Courier, April 13, 1963 (ANP).
593 his beautiful new bride: Jack Olsen, Black Is Best: The Riddle of Cassius Clay, pp. 112, 149, 152.
2 | THE SHADOW WORLD
596 “The Negro beat & blues singer”: Variety, August 19, 1964.
597 The tryout that Earl McGrath had promised him: In addition to my interviews with J.W. Alexander and Earl McGrath, the screen test is referred to in the Herald Dispatch, December 17, 1964; the New York Daily News, September 28; Earl Wilson’s column in the New York Post, October 9; and Billboard, October 10.
598 “The Greatest Show of the Year”: Poster for the New Orleans and Norfolk shows, October 24 and 31. “The Biggest Show Ever” comes from an ad in the Birmingham World, October 21, 1964.
599 “Man, you’re killing me”: J.W. Alexander is the direct source for the quote, but L.C. Cooke (who went out on tour with Jackie right after Sam’s death), Hank Ballard, and Grady Gaines all confirmed Jackie’s acknowledgment of how things had changed and how daunting an advantage Sam’s seemingly endless procession of hits proved.
600 “Sam wasn’t a jealous kind of fellow”: This was to L.C. Cooke in Houston shortly after Sam’s death.
603 joining George on various Supersonic tours: Jimi Hendrix spoke of these tours in various interviews and cited his experience playing with soul stars like Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, the Impressions, and Solomon Burke. After scrutinizing those interviews, however, and having any number of conversations with Gorgeous George on the subject, I’m still unable to nail down specific dates. I do know that Hendrix joined Little Richard’s band by early 1965.
603 In St. Louis Jackie Wilson was arrested: In addition to my interviews, this was covered by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 2, 1964, and Jet, November 19.
605 Ray Charles had been busted: The front page of the November 5, 1964, California Eagle, read “Ray Charles Faces Boston Dope Charge” above the headline. The headline was “Johnny Mathis in Million $$ Bust-Up,” while “Singer Frankie Lyman Held on N.Y. Dope Rap,” was the third headline, beneath the main headline.
605 Little Willie John had gotten into a barroom fight: By far the best and most cohesive account of this sad final chapter in Little Willie John’s life is Kim Field, “The Strange Story of Little Willie John: Fever and Fate,” Village Voice Rock & Roll Quarterly, spring 1990.
606 “Now you get you a high hooker”: In addition to Bobby Womack, Jerry Brandt, Hank Ballard, Lou Rawls, and Barbara Cooke all testified to both the practical considerations and Sam’s personal predilections.
608 they . . . went off to the Gaiety Deli: In addition to my own interview with Earl Palmer on the subject, Tony Scherman’s interview with Earl for his book, Backbeat: Earl Palmer’s Story, was of great help.
608 The Palladium in London. A one-man show at Carnegie Hall: There are numerous press mentions of Sam’s ambitions, including the Atlantic City Press, July 30, 1964, which specifies that the one-man show will focus on “American jazz”; Earl Wilson’s syndicated column in the Philadelphia Daily News, August 31, which reports that a scheduled September 25 Carnegie Hall concert would be filmed to sell as a television special; and Ted Green, “Main Street,” in the Allentown, Pennsylvania, Morning Call, October 20 re the Palladium. None of these events ever actually took place.
UNCLOUDY DAY
609 The last time Sam had come through town: In addition to J.W.’s vivid memory of the encounter, the Los Angeles Sentinel, December 24, 1964, referred in one of its many columns on Sam’s life and death to a “series of benefits [Sam] had been mapping [out] for the civil rights movement.”
611 Carrie Cunningham, who had opened the Royal Peacock: Biographical information on Carrie Cunningham comes from Herman “Skip” Mason Jr., African-American Entertainment in Atlanta, pp 21-23, and the memories of her granddaughter Delois Scott.
611 The song was “A Change Is Gonna Come”: Grady Gaines recalled Sam uncharacteristically singing the song at around this time, and Gorgeous George did, too. Lotsa Poppa said it was the first time he had ever heard Sam sing it.
612 “I was the Johnnie Taylor that everybody knew”: John Broven and Cilla Huggins 1989 interview with Johnnie Taylor.
614 he planned to stop off and see Jess Rand: Jess has said that Sam told him on this visit that he wanted to have a lawyer look into his business relationship with Allen Klein, but whether that was what Sam genuinely felt or he simply said it at Jess’ prompting in order to make Jess feel better about the loss of
a favorite client is impossible to say. There is certainly no question how Jess felt about Allen Klein, and he believes to this day that Sam would eventually have come back to him. Bumps Blackwell, too, spoke disparagingly of Allen in interviews without ever having met him and expressed his conviction that Sam would have come back to him, despite Sam’s clear (and very early) disillusionment with Bumps’ managerial approach and the notable skepticism of such intimates of Sam’s as René Hall and J.W. Alexander on the subject. It is certainly possible that the implications of Allen Klein’s ownership of Tracey were beginning to come home to Sam, and J.W. told me somewhat enigmatically that his own intention was to take more control of the business at this point. But nothing J.W. ever said in the fifteen years that I knew him, for all of his recognition of the unsentimental nature of business, ever indicated any mistrust of Allen Klein’s character, business practices, or intentions. And Sam had just agreed to do a benefit performance for the orphanage where Allen had grown up. Most significantly, as Allen Klein himself has pointed out with full recognition that all managerial relationships are bound to end (as Jess Rand says, the client always leaves), everything was going well at this point, Sam had just gotten his second payment of $100,000, nothing had yet had a chance to go wrong. And Sam and Alex continued to retain unchallenged ownership of their label and publishing, which for both of them had from the beginning been the foundation of their business and remained (the publishing anyway) its most valuable asset.
614 the kind of blues album he was planning: Both Lou Rawls and Al Schmitt spoke of Sam’s intention to record a “downhome” album. In his Hit Parader interview with Don Paulsen, Sam cited Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, along with Howlin’ Wolf, as being among his favorite blues artists.
616 They drove out Santa Monica: There was an enormous amount of coverage of Sam’s death, but the most reliable came in the various witness statements and descriptions (including those of the police) in the inquest. Louie Robinson, “The Tragic Death of Sam Cooke,” Ebony, February 1965, and “The Inglorious Death of Sam Cooke,” Sepia, February 1965, both had good summary stories; the Los Angeles Sentinel was thorough and, for the most part, accurate in its coverage, as were the Chicago Defender,California Eagle, and Philadelphia Tribune. Those periodicals also provided good reporting through the funerals. The stories in other papers were primarily rehashes, though nearly all had some local angle on Sam. But most of the particulars in all of the accounts are drawn from the inquest testimony (and the autopsy report), which, with the exception of exactly how the death occurred (i.e., were there really only two people in the room?) and, more particularly, why was Sam so exercised, appears to be unexceptionably accurate. Here the private investigator’s report fills in some of the gaps. For all that went on afterward, Barbara Cooke’s flat, straightforward, and highly detailed account of both events and motivation was altogether convincing and in keeping with other, necessarily more narrowly focused recollections by Bobby Womack, Beverly Campbell Lopez, J.W. Alexander, Carol Ann Woods, the Cook family, Allen Klein, and others.
617 the club they played all the time: The Sims Twins by this time had a weekly gig at the Sands; Beverly and Betty Prudhomme recalled going out to the club with Sam, as did Barbara Cooke. In addition to the Upsetters, who stayed there regularly, Hank Ballard recalled the Hacienda, as did Gatemouth Moore—and Rip Spencer of the Valiants referred to the area as “motel row,” popular for both its inexpensive motels and restaurants.
622 “I didn’t depend on Sam taking care of me”: Dred Scott Keyes interview with Reverend Charles Cook, 1995.
625 a private detective from the Beverly Hills Investigating Service: Report of Investigator, Agency File No. 731. This was supplied by Allen Klein and is the source for all information deriving from the private investigation.
625 He and his brothers had arrived in Houston: Bobby Womack has always remembered it this way, from as early as a 1974 Soul & Jazz interview through all of his interviews with me. His brother Cecil, like Bobby, recalled that they had just arrived at their Texas motel when they got the news. Cecil also recalled L.C. Cooke being present, though L.C. has no recollection either of how he learned of Sam’s death, where he was when he was told, or of the tour itself. In Upsetters leader Grady Gaines’ memory, they had all just checked into their motel in Oklahoma City, but the December 11 issue of the Oklahoma City weekly, the Black Dispatch, advertises the show at the Golden Eagle Club for the following night (Saturday), with L.C. billed as the headliner.
629 None of the cash that Sam was said to have been carrying: Despite all the rumors, then and since, Barbara told the police at the time that Sam was carrying no more than $150 (Ebony, February 1965), and that is what she insists on today. In her recollection, Sam was always running out of money, because he rarely thought to carry much on his person.
630 The mourners were out in front of the funeral home: The vast majority of coverage of the Chicago funeral is from the Chicago Defender, primarily the week of December 19-25, 1964. The Philadelphia Tribune, December 22, and Los Angeles Sentinel, December 24, also had good firsthand accounts, and the Obsequies program provides quite a bit of detail.
631 Georgie Woods . . . vowed that he and other DJs would hire private investigators: Mark Bricklin, “Georgie Woods Vows to Learn True Facts of Singer’s Death,” Philadelphia Tribune, December 15, 1964. Georgie Woods also spoke of this in our interview. See also Brad Pye Jr., “Disc Jockeys Demand Investigation,” Los Angeles Sentinel, December 24, 1964.
634 The funeral was scheduled to begin at 2 P.M.: In addition to my own interviews, the Los Angeles Sentinel, December 24, 1964, is the primary source of information. Once again the funeral Obsequies program supplies a good deal of detail, and Gertrude Gipson, in a follow-up to her moving December 17 recollection in the Sentinel, “The Sam Cooke I Knew,” reflects on the funeral in her “Candid Comments” column December 24, suggesting obliquely that while “it was a wonderful tribute . . . on the other hand the disrespect that was given the family was certainly not at all fitting and proper.”
634 “Long lines of convertible Cadillacs”: Richmond Afro-American and New Jersey Afro-American, December 26, 1964.
635 “I had a fist”: Daniel Wolff with S. R. Crain, Clifton White, and G. David Tenenbaum, You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke, p. 332. Many of those present mentioned the drama of Zelda’s entrance in their interviews with me, as did Zelda.
635 J.W. leaned over, gravely holding the mike: There is a photograph, and a story, “Crescendo of Songs for Sam” by Chester L. Washington, in the December 24 Los Angeles Sentinel. The rest is from my 2004 interview with Ray Charles.
636 “the greatest gospel rendition I ever heard”: Steve Propes interview with René Hall, 1987.
636 a lengthy sermon by Reverend Charles: Paul C. McGee, “Rock ’n Roll Idol Given Giant Rites,” Los Angeles Sentinel, December 24, 1964.
636 Barbara picked a rose: There is a picture on the front page of the Sentinel, December 24, 1964. The dialogue is from Sepia, February 1965.
AFTERMATH
639 “Bobby has been my constant escort”: Gertrude Gipson, “Sam Cooke’s Widow Denies Marriage to Young Musician” [subhead: “Admits New Ring”], Los Angeles Sentinel, January 28, 1965. The accompanying article, “Hey! Meet Mrs. C.’s ‘Steady,’” by Paul McGee, was in the same issue.
642 For J.W., there was first disappointment, then disgust: Interviews as well as a veiled reference in A. S. “Doc” Young, “Sam Cooke’s Death—It’s Been a Year Now,” Amsterdam News, December 18, 1965 (syndicated), where J.W. is quoted: “We brought him from Cleveland, gave him a place to live and eat . . . ” In the same story, L.C. Cooke says, “Sam gave him a Jaguar to drive.” In later life J.W. and Bobby would once again be friends, and Bobby showed a devotion to J.W. in his final days, even taking him out on the road as Bobby’s “executive” road manager just before his death.
642 “The story goes that Sam Cooke picked Miss Boyer up”: Glenn Douglas
s for ANPI, “Slaying of Sam Cooke Shocks Fans,” The Carolinian and Norfolk Journal and Guide (under the title “‘Was Just Beginning to Live,’ Friends Say”), both December 19, 1964.
642 “Sam was a swinging guy”: A. S. “Doc” Young, “The Mysterious Death of Sam Cooke,” part 3, Chicago Defender, December 31, 1964 (syndicated). In Sepia, February 1965, and elsewhere, the same quote is used with modifications, the principal one being that it was “15-cent tramps” who were Sam’s undoing.
642 “Sam would walk past a good girl”: Wolff, You Send Me, p. 339.
643 J.W. Alexander . . . came to see it as little more than a tragic accident: Over and over, both in my discussions with him and in his conversations with others, J.W. saw it this way. Many others within the most immediate circle of Sam’s acquaintance were in general agreement, though only infrequently on the record because of the heat that Sam’s death (and all the talk of racial and Mafia conspiracy) continues to generate. J.W.’s point always had more to do with Elisa Boyer than with Sam. “I believe he went there by invitation,” he said both on the record and off. What happened was in the nature of the sometimes happenstantial nature of life.
643 “the giant-sized entertainment shoes of his slain brother”: Lee Blackwell, “Sam Cooke’s Brother to Follow Him on Stage,” Amsterdam News, December 26, 1964 (ANPI); “L.C. Cooke, Sam’s Brother, Seeks to Step Into Dead Singer’s Shoes,” same story, same date, Philadelphia Tribune.
643 “a crack organization of private investigators”: Dorothy Kilgallen, “The Voice of Broadway,” New York Journal-American, December 28, 1964.
Dream boogie: the triumph of Sam Cooke Page 91