Happy Birthday, Sam Cooke

Posted byRoy ShulerPosted inMusicTags:, , , , ,

A few weeks ago, Rolling Stone Magazine released its 200 Greatest Singers List. In what is certain to spur a number of spirited debates, this list will make news for who it excludes as much as for who it includes – and where they are placed.

On a personal note, I’m delighted to see that many of of my favorites made the cut: Frank Sinatra, David Ruffin, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, Steve Perry, the tragically under-appreciated Clyde McPhatter, Jackie Wilson and Gladys Knight (did they really place 100+ singers ahead of them 🤔?) Teddy Pendergrass, Dion, Amy Winehouse, and a few others. Still, from my perspective, the likes of Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops, Marvin Junior of The Dells, Sting, and Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby) would’ve been welcome additions.

But make no mistake about it: on this 92nd anniversary of his birth, I’m here to talk about Sam Cooke.

Reflect, if you will, on the fact that a voice that was silenced 58 years ago the 11th of last month in a still controversial shooting was ranked #3, behind Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, respectively – two still relatively contemporary voices who left us in 2018 and 2012.

The man hasn’t sung a note in almost six decades.

To borrow a quote that accompanied the list:

“There is American popular music before Sam Cooke and popular music after.”

Joe Gross, Rolling Stone Magazine

It’s somewhat redemptive to see the ‘pundits’ confirm what 10,000+ members of Facebook’s Sam Cooke Club have known all along.

That’s a #1 in our book.

Happy Birthday, Sam 🎉

Published by Roy Shuler

Born and raised in the village of Harlem, Roy's love for storytelling began as a child when his family purchased Stevie Wonder's magnum opus 'Songs in the Key of Life.' Moved by the lyrics and messages of its songs, it prompted a deep love for the power of words that first revealed itself in a desire to develop and hone skills as a public speaker. It was those skills that he leveraged to become an actor before eventually seeking training. Roy's acting career began in 2007 at age 42 with a non-descriptive role in a regional commercial for a health care provider. Six months later, he was cast as a principal in a spot for 1 800 J LAW, a very popular commercial that ran for several years, primarily in the Northeast region of United States. In 2012, he was cast in his first community theatre role and has been cast in several lead roles since then. In early 2015 while working as a background actor on the former ABC show 'Forever,' he was literally plucked from holding and re-cast as the body double and stand-in for guest star and Oscar winning actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. Instantly eligible to join SAG-AFTRA, he spent several more years learning his craft via training, more theatre roles, and as a background actor on dozens of network TV shows. Shortly after joining SAG-AFTRA in early 2020, he earned his first Network costar credit. About a year later, he booked his first SAG-AFTRA commercials. He lists nonpareil vocalists Sam Cooke and Frank Sinatra as acting influences.

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