# Who is Sam Cooke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 22, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897 "2000-10-22T20:27:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/1 "2000-10-22T20:27:28Z")
I just got the new Wallflowers CD, “Breach”, and the first single – Sleepwalker – has a line in the chorus: > [@](#): > > Cupid don’t draw back your bow > Sam Cooke didn’t know what I know …which begs the question…_ **who???** _ ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/2 "2000-10-22T20:31:32Z")
From [www.biography.com](http://www.biography.com): > [@](#): > > **Cooke, Sam** (originally Sam Cook), 1935 – 1964 > > Soul singer, born in Chicago, IL. He started his career as a Gospel singer, but from 1956 onwards recorded many rhythm-and-blues and soul classics, much covered by other artists, including "You Send Me’, "Cupid’, and "Twistin’ the Night Away’. He was shot dead in a motel room in 1964. There’s a good profile of him at [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com/cg/x.dll?p=amg&sql=B3960). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/3 "2000-10-22T20:31:46Z")
Sam Cooke was a great R&B singer. The song refers to Cooke’s “Cupid” which pretty much has that exact line in it. He also had hits with a bunch of other R&B classics like “Summertime”. Cooke was shot dead by a motel owner when he came running downstairs naked in the hotel. It was a strange end for a great talent. ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/4 "2000-10-22T20:32:14Z")
Sam Cooke - singer 1950’s Lyrics refer to: “Cupid, draw back your bow And let your arrow go Straight to… My lover’s heart…for me.” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/5 "2000-10-22T20:35:39Z")
Thank you, **screech-owl**. That’s one of my favorite songs. Thanks for reminding me of it, as well as telling me who wrote it. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/6 "2000-10-22T20:47:41Z")
thanks, y’all! It makes sense now! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/7 "2000-10-22T21:20:46Z")
**Sam Stone** Well, with a name like Sam, I can forgive anything. _Summertime_ was done by Billy Stewart. I’m not saying that Sam Cooke didn’t do it on an album or sumptin’, but no one could ever connect the song with Cooke. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/8 "2000-10-22T21:43:56Z")
Fearless Leader himself addressed this in much more interesting detail: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_322.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_322.html) Seems The Late Great Sam Cooke (to use his full name) wasn’t quite the angel he sounded like. ---
**Author:** ![Ankh\_Too](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ab097/32.png) [@Ankh\_Too](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ankh_Too)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/9 "2000-10-22T21:45:10Z")
His most famous song was probably Chain Gang. At least, that’s the one I always associate with him. _uh ah… don’t you know, that’s the sound of the men working on the chain gang._ Good tune. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/10 "2000-10-22T22:10:09Z")
Sam Clem - “Summertime” is a classic that has been covered by dozens of artists. But Cooke did make the charts with it. So did Sam and Dave, and Janis Joplin. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/11 "2000-10-22T22:35:15Z")
**Brother Stone** I’m talking Billboard’s top 40 here. _Summertime_ made it to #10 for 7 weeks for Billy Stewart. It never made it to the Top 40 for any other artist. Now, if it made it to the top 100, I can’t say. **Ankh** Chain gang made it to Billboard’s Top 40, climbing to # 2 and remaining in the top 40 for 13 weeks. _You Send Me_ Made it to number 1 and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. Not much of a difference, I know, but that’s what makes memories so subjective. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/12 "2000-10-22T22:50:19Z")
I don’t really have anything to add, except I thought the Wallflower’s reference was pretty clever when I first heard it, and my first thought was “There are going to be a lot of youngins out there who doesn’t get the reference”. GUess I was right. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/13 "2000-10-22T23:01:35Z")
How about the R&B Charts? ‘Summertime’ is on Sam Cooke’s greatest hits collection, and I remembered hearing it on the radio many times, so I figured it must have charted. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/14 "2000-10-22T23:12:16Z")
> [@](#): > > “There are going to be a lot of youngins out there who doesn’t get the reference”. > GUess I was right. There are going to be a lot of youngins out there who _don’t_ get the reference. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/15 "2000-10-22T23:52:00Z")
**Sam Stone said** I remembered hearing it on the radio many times, so I figured it must have charted. **Samclem said** but that’s what makes memories so subjective. **pepperlandgirl** just figured you were trying to communicate with them in their native language. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/16 "2000-10-23T11:52:41Z")
“Sam Cooke Live at the Copacabana” Get this if you can. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-sam-cooke/37897/17 "2000-10-23T14:28:21Z")
Summertime is originally from the 1936 Gershwin play _Porgy and Bess_, and as noted there have been many versions recorded. The following list of U.S. charted versions since 1956 comes from _Top Pop Singles_ and _Bubbling Under the Hot 100_: Sam Cooke, 1957, #81 (B side of his #1 hit, You Send Me) Sam Cooke, 1959, #106 (song re-released as an A side) Marcels, 1961, #78 Rick Nelson, 1962, #89 Chris Columbo Quintet, 1963, #93 Billy Stewart, 1966, #10 Herb Alpert, 1971, #114