In
The Beginning
In
The Beginning
Label: Ace CD-CHD280, Ace 9667128025 (released on LP and CD)
Songs:
Tracks 1-11 Soul Stirrers, 11-23 Sam Cooke
Sale: Amazon.com for $26,49, at Gemm, I can also make a copy, e-mail for more info,
In The Beginning
As I begin to write these notes in the last days of July 1989, my research brings me to look at the sleeves of the two previous UK releases of material by Sam Cooke and/or the Soul Stirrers from Specialty. It is quite remarkable to find that seventeen years have elapsed since the 1972 issue of 'The Two Sides Of Sam Cooke' by Sonet, and no less than 25 years since London HA-U 8232, "The Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke". A little confusion may arise from the 1988 release on UK C5 Records credited to Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers, entitled "Heaven Is My Home" and bearing a front-sleeve legend 'original recordings'. They are original in their way, since they originate from Sam's SAR label, having been cut between 1959 and 1963 with Johnnie Taylor taking lead on some items. YOU are now holding (and hopefully hearing) a selection of original Specialty recordings dating from 1951 to 1956 and featuring (with one possible exception) the distinctive and memorabie lead vocals of the late Sam Cooke.
Sam was one of seven children born to Anna Mae and Charles Cook (nb the family name is spelled without the 'e' which was appended later by Specialty producer Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell to make the name look more commercial!) in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on January 2, 1931. Soon afterwards the family moved north to Chicago, where his father became a preacher at the southside Church of Christ Holiness, and it was there that Sam began singing in the choir.
At
the age of nine he joined one brother and two sisters to form a fledgling group
called the Singing Children, drawing influence from the numerous choirs and
groups which were abundant in local churches, and while he attended Wendell
Phillips High School, Sam's talent was noted by R B Robinson, baritone with the
acclaimed Soul Stirrers group who had been gathering a strong following since
the mid-1930s. As a result Sam Cook was drafted into the Highway QCs, considered
effectively as a 'nursery group' to nurture potential future Soul Stirrers.
Since the mid-forties the Stirrers had featured a distinctive and landmark lead singer, R H Harris, who had pioneered falsetto and other aberrant voice techniques, and as a young teenager, Cook studied and learned from Harris' stylistic variations, while also noticing the increasing gimmickry coming into gospel performances and the reactions from the audiences. By 1950, Harris had become disillusioned with the increase in showmanship evident in sacred music, and July 28, 1950 marked Rebert's (that's Rebert, not Robert) final session with the group, his departure from active involvement following soon afterwards. Thus Sam Cook joined the Soul Stirrers in January 1951 to replace Harris, and at his first appearance with the group, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, met J W Alexander, member and manager of the Pilgrim Travelers, to begin a lasting and influential friendship.
Sam's first recording session with the group was on March 1 1951 in Hollywood. The Soul Stirrers comprised Silas Roy Crain, Jesse J Farley, TL Bruster, Paul Foster and R B Robinson along with the youthful Cook. His first notable contribution to their repertoire was the lyrical, a capella lilt of 'Jesus Gave Me Water', featuring the crystal-clear lead tenor, impeccable diction and enunciation of his storyline song, and appealing hints of the melisma and phrasing so characteristic of his subsequent sacred and secular output. So tight is the vocal styling that jack of instrumental support is irrelevant, and similarly, from the same session, the call-and-response delivery of 'I'm Gonna Build On That Shore' is a masterpiece of its genre. The song was written by Silas Crain, who takes lead on the first verse of this brisk item, then subsequently alternates on verses and refrains with Sam.Leaving the remainder of that session and that of February 1952 for future reissue projects, we come to 'He's My Friend 'Til The End', an Alex Bradford song cut on February 271953 with Bob King having replaced Bruster in the group. This gently-paced spiritual has keyboard and percussion support, and while Sam cuts loose a little at the end, it is a modest test of his vocal talents. To March 1954, and we hear the energetic 'Jesus, I '11 Never Forget' with vibrant lead by Sam, sweet harmonies and burbling bass voice, a capella save for same gently rippling piano; in contrast, from that same date is the stark, mournful spiritual ballad 'Any Day Now', the delivery being a model of sincerity.
On to February 1955 and more storyline lyricism from Sam's pen in the highly appealing 'Nearer To Thee', the Stirrers chanting the title with steady bass-drum rhythm and delightful piano fills while Cook wails his heart out in best melismatic style. James Cleveland's 'One More River' utilizes the same musical and vocal component parts while easing down to a more soothing tempo, and the soulful timbre of Cook's vocal shines like an aural beacon. To early 1956 -yes, February again! -and the strident fervour of 'He's So Wonderful' building from a plodding start into bustling throaty passion; 'Touch The Hem Of His Garment' is another classic of its genre, storyline lyricism from Sam's creative pen, and his heartfelt delivery is convincing for the cause of miracle cures. 'Jesus Wash Away My Troubles' is strong evidence of the roots of Sam's pedigree of soul balladry -a tender performance enhanced by his occasional falsetto excursions and the sweet soul harmonies of the Stirrers.
Closing this truly memorable venture into the Specialty gospel archives -more accurately the last in this chronological sequence of critical descriptions -we have the lilting 'Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone', opened by Silas Crain but with Sam soon picking up the challenge to take alternate lead verses, building for the pair to trade responses over the Stirrers' stirring harmonies!
For around 6 years the Soul Stirrers toured the USA, building up spectacular reaction to live performances of their big-selling gospel records, and Cook's impact as a featured lead singer also caused ripples in the secular world, gaining the attention of promoters and managers. Bill Cook, who had successfully converted Roy Hamilton from a gospel group singer into a major pop/R&B name, sent Sam contracts in an attempt to lure him into the lucrative world of 'the devil's music', and Sam was taking sufficient interest in his situation to talk with his friend and mentor J W Alexander. 'Alex' took his case to Art Rupe, suggesting that Sam would prove to be a red hot commercial property, and after considerable apprehension -after all, the Soul Stirrers were selling strongly to the gospel market and he was loathe to disrupt the group's success -asked Bumps Blackwell to produce a solo session on Cook with secular material. Thus in mid-1956 the coupling of 'Lovable' and 'Forever' was cut, to be released cautiously under the credit of 'Dale Cook' in a futile attempt to camouflage the identity of such a distinctive voice, and with Rupe seeking not to alienate the sacred market of the Stirrers. 'Lovable' stylistically first-cousin to 'He's So Wonderful', a strolling love-ballad with Sam singing over group harmonies and steady piano, was never going to deceive its perceptive listeners, nor was the lilting, almost-sugary 'Forever', which also included an element of Sam's trademark melismatic phrasing.
The gospel audience was displeased both by the attempted subterfuge and the crossover, and Specialty were obliged to come clean and release the next 45 as by Sam Cooke, now for the first time spelled with an 'e'. The shufflebeat 'I'll Come Running Back To You' seemed to dilute same of Sam's natural soul feeling, and Art Rupe was upset at Bumps Blackwell's use of so many white sessioneers in the studio. Following Rupe's objections, Blackwell offered to buy Cooke's contract with money he was owed from a Little Richard session; the offer was considered, accepted and Blackwell promptly took his session tapes across town to place them with Bob Keene's Keen label, whereupon 'You Send Me' promptly became a million-seller.
Rupe shrewdly made capital by releasing 'Running Back' in the wake of 'Send Me' and also scoring a million sales. As Keen sought to consolidate the status of their acquisition, Specialty led the market with the remaining results of Sam's secular sessions for them: 'I Don't Want To Cry', written by Sam's brother L C, is an immensely appealing soulful ballad utilising the same group-and-piano backdrop that had graced 'Lovable', and the flipside 'That's All I Need To Know' used an identical formula with a strong, lyrical ballad from L C's pen. The final Specialty coupling was 'I Need You Now' and the jaunty, almost hillbilly 'Happy In Love', leaving the market free for Keen to command and build to now-classic hits like 'Win Your Love For Me', 'Only Sixteen' and 'Wonderful World', at which point in late 1959 Sam Cooke was signed to RCA Records.
CD buyers now benefit in this selection from the inclusion of same previously unissued material to add to the trio of gospel sides 'One More River', 'He's So Wonderful" and 'Jesus Gave Me Water' which do not appear on the LP version of this album; in addition to the released versions of the songs, the last four tracks herein present the original studio cuts of 'That's All', "I Don't Want To Cry', 'Forever' and 'Loveable', without the encumbrance of overdubs. Writing about this without the benefit of aural evidence I take this to mean that it is Sam plus basic rhythm, without background vocals.
After a couple of early hiccoughs, Cooke's RCA career took off with the massive-selling 'Chain Gang' followed by a succession of splendid R&B/pop hits and a wealth of albums, lasting past his untimely death in December 1964 into posthumous releases up to the end of 1966.
As Sam's own career had taken a major step at the end of 1959, so his old colleagues in the Soul Stirrers reached a nadir. Johnnie Taylor had been Sam's replacement, and they continued to be popular in performance if underrepresented on disc. By the end of the fifties, the wane of the golden rock'n'roll years saw a downturn in Art Rupe's fortunes with Specialty and the Stirrers were left without a record contract.
At this point Sam Cooke and J W Alexander formed SAR Records, initially to maintain an outlet for the Stirrers' music, then subsequently building to be an independent label with a strong roster of local talent. Interestingly SAR were able to acquire Sam's back-catalogue of Keen material for just $2,000 when bankruptcy followed a lawsuit against Bob Keene, and in a shrewd business move Alexander sold this material on to RCA for $15,000 after briefly sampling the market with DJ-copies of a Sam Cooke 45 on SAR.
SAR (an acronym for Sam and Alexander Records) output would include 45s by the Soul Stirrers, Johnny Morisette, Sam's brother L C., ex-Stirrer/Highway ac Johnnie Taylor, following Sam's footsteps in a secular solo career, the Sims Twins and the Womack Brothers, soon metamorphosing into the Valentinos, from which Bobby Womack would eventually break into soul superstardom. Sister label Derby was launched in 1963 for young organist Billy Preston, the suave Mel Carter and more of Johnnie Taylor, solidifying Cooke's business interests as his own disc career flourished.
During the evening of December 10, 1964 Sam was dining at a Hollywood restaurant and was introduced to a 22-year old Eurasian woman named Elisa Boyer. The couple left the eaterie at around 1.30am bound for P J's nightclub and then went on to Los Angeles where they registered at the
Hacienda Motel on South Figueroa Blvd at 2.35am, checked in by duty-clerk Bertha Franklin. Following events in their motel room, Boyer ran out carrying bath her own and Cooke's clothing, leaving Sam in the bathroom. He Game out, clad only in his overcoat, went in search of Boyer, checking first in the Motel office. Turned away by Franklin, he went to his car, then returned to the office demanding to know the girl's whereabouts and using same physical aggression on Bertha Franklin, apparently pushing her to the floor; as she gat up, she grabbed a pistol and fired three shots into Sam, but he continued to lunge at her so she reached for a wooden rod and clubbed him to death on the floor.
The Los Angeles Court Coroner's jury returned a verdict of "justifiable homicide" in "protection of life, limb and property" on Sam Cooke, "Mr Soul".
CLIVE RICHARDSDN BLACK ECHOES
JULY 1989
(Clive 'R' -RTM Radio)
Acknowledgements:
Joe McEwen "Sam Cooke" (Sire/Chappell)
Soul Stirrers discography compiled by
Cedric J Hayes
Bob Laughton
further reading:
Viv Broughton -Black Gospel (Blandford Press)
Tony Heilbut -Gospel Sound (Limelight/ Harper & Row)