Sam's Pop Music Days and Death.

There was no way he could combine singing in both the gospel- and secular music scene so he decided to quit singing with the Soul Stirrers. Main reason was that he could make more money for himself in the popular field. Although crossing over was seen as a sin by some he did not have any major problems because of it. A few years later he signed them to his own SAR label. 

Sam only recorded a few singles for Specialty and in June 1957 he signed for Keen. He also took producer Bumps Blackwell with them. The duo started recording and they struck gold with “You Send Me” which sold more than a million and a half copies. Other hits were “Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha”, “Only Sixteen” and “Wonderful World”.

 He also tried to break through in the nightclub world with a performance at the Copa club in New York City. This failed, or as he said it he “bombed”.

 On a more personal front, during his years at Keen he also married his long time sweetheart from Chicago, Barbara Campbell. With her he had three children, Tracey and Linda. Their son Vincent died tragically in their swimming pool at the age of three.

 In 1960 Sam was signed by RCA. They wanted him to become the black counterpart of Elvis Presley. Saleswise he did just that.  His first single on RCA was ‘Teenage Sonata’, which didn’t show his greatness. When he recorded his own ‘Chain Gang’ things started rolling. After that every single he released on RCA was a hit, even after his death. Hits like ‘Cupid’, ‘Another Saturday Night’ and ‘Twistin’ the Night Away’ are known to many up to this day. 

He toured extensively around the United States but also in England and on army bases in Germany. On these tours he had to battle either Jackie Wilson or Little Richard every night. Richard’s gospel driven shows made Sam realize that he could bring even more gospel into his music. In January of 1963 he recorded a show in the Harlem Square Club in Miami. It was to be a gospel show with secular songs. Sam talked to the audience, made him answer his calls and got them so much into a groove that they almost exploded. Unfortunately RCA thought it was too risky to release the album, afraid the white audience would turn away. It would take more than 22 years before we could hear this show, showing a new face of this great singer. He also returned to the Copa, this time it was a great success, in part because of the gospel elements he brought into his show. He also sang ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’.

 1964 was the last year of his life, but it was a year in which a lot happened. Inspired by Bob Dylan and events in the South surrounding segregation Sam wrote his greatest composition ever: “A Change Is Gonna Come” which he sang on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The song only ended up on an album side but became a civil rights classic. He performed it only a few times.

 After having dinner with friends one night he and a girl went to a motel. The girl, Lisa Boyer, went off with his money and clothes. When Sam rushed to the manager he was angry because he was robbed. The manager, Bertha Franklin, felt intimidated and shot him three times. His last words were: “Lady, you shot me!”

His funeral was attended by thousands of people and almost got out of hand. Lou Rawls, Bobby Blue Band and Ray Charles all performed at the funeral. Many in the black community felt that he was killed on purpose because he was a black and independent man.  

The real reasons and backgrounds for his death remain a mystery up to this day. It has never been fully investigated.