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People.
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Sam had that magic voice.
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Sam is the father ofmodern soul music. Absolutely.
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This is Sam singing to a black audience.
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It's a vastly different kind of Sam Cooke
than the mainstream,
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meaning white people,
have become accustomed to.
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People remember Sam Cooke
as a pristine Frank Sinatra wannabe.
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But in reality,
he was a complicated black man
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in a complicated world.
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Record companies
really did not want a black man
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talking about issues
that were going on in the country.
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They wanted him to be an entertainer
and nothing more,
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and that was never gonna be enough
for Sam Cooke.
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00:02:01,830 --> 00:02:04,290
In the times where everything
was so oppressive,
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he broke through a lot of color barriers
and wasn't afraid to be the first.
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Empowerment... this is what drove him
to talk with Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.
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He was so unafraid.
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If you afraid, you couldn't be
hangin' out with Malcolm, but...
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the FBI might find a way
to get rid of you.
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These were the early stages
of black power.
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That black male energy
that Sam Cooke possessed,
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unfortunately, for some people in power
in this country,
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represented a threat
that had to be stopped.
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This very mysterious death was just
the most improbable death for Sam Cooke.
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What happened? Why was he there?
And who was this woman he was with?
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And why'd he get shot?
All those become bigger questions
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than "What was he on the edge
of achieving?"
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It's a double murder.
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It's the murder of the physical being
who was Sam Cooke,
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but there's also the murder of his legacy.
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One of the biggest shocks
I ever had in my life.
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I was on the expressway in Detroit,
and the radio was on.
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Soul singer Sam Cooke
shot to death last night...
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in Compton or wherever he was.
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I was devastated.
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I don't think I functioned for a week.
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It was horrible.
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I asked my father
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when he told me he was dead,
I said, "What, a car accident?
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00:03:55,735 --> 00:03:57,278
A plane crash?"
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I couldn't... Even when he told me
he got shot, I...
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00:04:02,742 --> 00:04:04,202
I could've just passed out.
43
00:04:04,285 --> 00:04:08,331
Who would want to shoot Sam Cooke?
That's what I asked myself.
44
00:04:08,414 --> 00:04:10,583
I was sad and confused back then,
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00:04:10,667 --> 00:04:13,836
and most... other people, especially
in the black community, but not only,
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00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,339
were sad and confused.
You know, "What happened?"
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Everybody was cold but anxiously waiting.
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They wanted to see Sam Cooke.
49
00:04:31,813 --> 00:04:35,024
They wanted to know
if this really happened.
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There was just disbelief
and sorrow all mixed up.
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Two hundred thousand people-plus
showed up at his funeral in Chicago,
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and this is how this man died,
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you know, naked
at a seedy hotel in Los Angeles.
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He's one of the biggest pop stars
in America,
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00:04:55,128 --> 00:04:58,298
and he's just mysteriously dead now.
Didn't make any sense.
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00:05:00,216 --> 00:05:04,137
Muhammad Ali, in his grief and rage,
essentially said,
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00:05:04,220 --> 00:05:09,309
"If this had happened to Frank Sinatra
or The Beatles or Ricky Nelson,
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the FBI would be investigating this."
59
00:05:11,519 --> 00:05:14,314
'Cause, of course, it felt
this all went way too quickly.
60
00:05:14,397 --> 00:05:17,525
And Muhammad Ali, I think,
spoke for the entire community
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00:05:17,608 --> 00:05:21,362
who believed that this was being treated
as just another dead black person.
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Sam Cooke, at the time of his death,
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is someone who has significant meaning
to the black community.
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Black community loves him.
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00:05:30,913 --> 00:05:34,042
Sam Cooke didn't mean the same
to white America.
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00:05:34,125 --> 00:05:37,795
They didn't recognize
how important Sam Cooke was.
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Sam Cooke's death, or at least the way
that it's been treated in the media,
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00:05:42,258 --> 00:05:44,844
it's been allowed to sort of hijack
the rest of his career.
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People didn't think of Sam Cooke
in that way,
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00:05:48,264 --> 00:05:51,142
but he's a racial hero
as much as he was a musical hero.
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00:05:52,477 --> 00:05:56,939
Between the way he died
and this representation of him
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as a sort of almost
one-dimensional character
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kind of loses the essence of who he was.
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00:06:01,986 --> 00:06:03,112
You have to question
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00:06:03,196 --> 00:06:06,532
why did the record companies
suppress his politics?
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Yeah.
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- Miss Elinor Harris.
- Hello, Miss Harris.
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00:06:39,190 --> 00:06:40,817
- Sam, sit here.
- Terrific.
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00:06:41,651 --> 00:06:44,070
- It's good news.
- Good news, yeah.
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00:06:44,153 --> 00:06:46,614
Let's do a little capsule version
of the Sam Cooke story.
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- How'd it all happen...
- The captions version. Uh...
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Born. My father was a minister.
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Uh, I started singing in the church,
naturally,
84
00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:56,916
because I'm exposed
to, uh, gospel singing first, Mike.
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00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:15,351
Sam Cooke
is born in 1931 in Mississippi.
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00:07:16,477 --> 00:07:18,771
As Sam Cooke was coming of age
during the Great Depression,
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00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:20,523
late '30s into the '40s,
88
00:07:20,606 --> 00:07:23,568
slavery was something that was still
a residual memory for many people.
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00:07:28,030 --> 00:07:31,033
You're talking about a time
where black people,
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00:07:31,117 --> 00:07:33,911
especially black men,
were being lynched all over the place.
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00:07:33,995 --> 00:07:36,664
I'm certain that people
like Sam Cooke's family,
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including his father, who was a preacher,
said, "We've got to get somewhere
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where we can have a life for ourselves,
where we can actually not just survive,
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00:07:43,254 --> 00:07:44,589
but hopefully, we can win."
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00:07:50,928 --> 00:07:53,347
My great-grandmother
was a slave in Mississippi.
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She had no education.
Neither did my father.
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He was a self-made man,
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but he saw the disadvantages
to the negro child in the South,
99
00:08:01,898 --> 00:08:04,358
so he went north to Chicago.
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00:08:04,442 --> 00:08:06,903
In many ways, I'm very like my father.
101
00:08:06,986 --> 00:08:09,322
He has this intense drive that I've got.
102
00:08:11,115 --> 00:08:14,202
Papa Cook got a church in Chicago,
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00:08:14,285 --> 00:08:16,746
so everybody went to church in his family.
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Bronzeville was a beautiful place.
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In that corridor,
from 43rd and State Street
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to 51st Street,
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there must've been 200 to 300
black businesses that were vibrant.
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Segregated, of course. All black.
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It was like a black Wall Street.
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Churches everywhere on every block.
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There is no black politics at this
moment in time without the black church.
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00:08:51,531 --> 00:08:55,409
If you were a popular gospel singer,
as Sam Cooke eventually would become,
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00:08:55,493 --> 00:08:58,538
you would rub elbows
with a young Martin Luther King, right?
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00:08:58,621 --> 00:09:00,998
You would know
who Reverend C.L. Franklin was,
115
00:09:01,082 --> 00:09:02,750
who, of course,
is Aretha Franklin's father
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00:09:02,833 --> 00:09:05,127
and generally regarded as
one of the greatest preachers
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00:09:05,211 --> 00:09:07,213
produced in the 20th century.
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00:09:07,296 --> 00:09:10,591
Chicago was a place where people had to
figure out how to hustle for themselves,
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00:09:10,675 --> 00:09:13,886
and I don't think it's a coincidence
that Sam Cooke would eventually say,
120
00:09:13,970 --> 00:09:16,639
"I want to own my own record label,
own my own publishing company."
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That's what you saw in Chicago.
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00:09:18,140 --> 00:09:21,811
You saw businesses everywhere,
and I'm sure he was impacted by that.
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00:09:22,562 --> 00:09:25,982
Papa Cook...
he knew that Sam was very gifted.
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Matter of fact, the whole Cook children,
'cause they were called the Cook children.
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00:09:30,778 --> 00:09:33,781
He took 'em around
to the churches to sing.
126
00:09:43,165 --> 00:09:46,794
I met Sam at a concert in Gary, Indiana.
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I was about 16 years old,
128
00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:53,009
and Sam would had to be around 13 or 14.
129
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I went up, and I say,
"Hey, man. You were somethin' else, boy."
130
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I ain't never heard
nothing like this before in my life."
131
00:10:04,812 --> 00:10:08,566
The Soul Stirrers was a top group.
They were one of the biggest.
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00:10:08,649 --> 00:10:12,653
It was a really big deal
when Sam was tapped as a teenager
133
00:10:12,737 --> 00:10:16,073
to fill the shoes of R. H. Harris,
134
00:10:16,157 --> 00:10:18,576
who was a grown man
and had been around the circle.
135
00:10:24,624 --> 00:10:27,335
He starts out trying to sing
some of the lead songs
136
00:10:27,418 --> 00:10:30,046
the way that Harris did.
He was trying to reach...
137
00:10:30,129 --> 00:10:32,673
As the story goes,
he was trying to reach this high note
138
00:10:32,757 --> 00:10:35,384
and couldn't quite reach it
the way Harris did,
139
00:10:35,468 --> 00:10:38,137
and he instinctively did this flutter
140
00:10:38,220 --> 00:10:41,974
where he just kind of reached up
for the note and just floated down.
141
00:10:47,772 --> 00:10:50,524
When you hear a track like
"Jesus Gave Me Water,"
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you hear Sam keepin' up with the choir,
keeping the time,
143
00:10:54,195 --> 00:10:58,115
but then he goes into that
little yodel piece, right,
144
00:10:58,199 --> 00:11:01,535
that just says that
this is Sam Cooke's song now.
145
00:11:08,751 --> 00:11:11,087
Aretha Franklin is my longest friend
who is still alive.
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00:11:11,170 --> 00:11:13,839
We grew up together. Occasionally,
I would go to their church,
147
00:11:13,923 --> 00:11:17,176
but when Sam and the Soul Stirrers
came to that church,
148
00:11:17,259 --> 00:11:19,679
you would've thought they were
gonna have a rock concert there
149
00:11:19,762 --> 00:11:22,014
because... especially for women.
150
00:11:22,098 --> 00:11:25,059
There were women who never even
thought about goin' to church until...
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00:11:25,142 --> 00:11:27,853
until Sam and the Soul Stirrers
were there.
152
00:11:27,937 --> 00:11:30,356
And they would be around the block
four deep, you know,
153
00:11:30,439 --> 00:11:31,565
because Sam was there.
154
00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:45,079
I believe it was
Abyssinia Baptist Church in Newark
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00:11:45,162 --> 00:11:47,748
where the Soul Stirrers
were a part of the program.
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00:11:47,832 --> 00:11:50,126
I thought he was
the cutest thing in the world.
157
00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:52,920
I was 11 years old and madly in love.
158
00:12:15,651 --> 00:12:18,654
Sam Cooke joins the Soul Stirrers
when he's in his late teens,
159
00:12:18,738 --> 00:12:22,575
so he's 19-20 years old
when he starts to go down south to tour.
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00:12:25,619 --> 00:12:29,415
There was a Chitlin Circuit
black artists played back in those days,
161
00:12:29,498 --> 00:12:30,833
especially through the South.
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00:12:30,916 --> 00:12:33,210
We called it the Chitlin Circuit
'cause those places
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were like funky like that,
you know, like, funky like chitlins.
164
00:12:37,757 --> 00:12:41,844
This is the time when we were
on the last legs of vaudeville
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00:12:41,927 --> 00:12:44,764
and on the beginnings of rock 'n' roll,
166
00:12:44,847 --> 00:12:47,767
of-of-of that kind of R&B rock 'n' roll.
167
00:12:47,850 --> 00:12:49,685
So a lot of the places that we played
168
00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,271
were like not very much bigger
than this room.
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They had one microphone with five of us
tryin' to sing on one microphone.
170
00:13:00,070 --> 00:13:03,199
And I'm singing "Bad Girl"
into this guy's chest
171
00:13:03,282 --> 00:13:04,784
because that's how close the crowd...
172
00:13:04,867 --> 00:13:07,119
There was no stage,
and we were on the floor,
173
00:13:07,203 --> 00:13:09,455
and I'm singing "Bad Girl"
into this guy's chest,
174
00:13:09,538 --> 00:13:11,624
and people behind him
are yellin' and screamin',
175
00:13:11,707 --> 00:13:13,709
"Move out of the way. We can't see."
176
00:13:13,793 --> 00:13:17,922
And so that's an example
of what some of that stuff was like.
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00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:26,222
In traveling the South
with the Soul Stirrers,
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00:13:26,305 --> 00:13:28,724
they're dealing with where they can stay,
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00:13:28,808 --> 00:13:31,227
where they can eat,
the audiences they can play to.
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00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:33,395
At that moment, you know, he's a kid.
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00:13:33,479 --> 00:13:36,774
He's got to go with what's going on,
but it really pained him,
182
00:13:36,857 --> 00:13:40,319
you know, the heavy yoke
of-of the Jim Crow laws,
183
00:13:40,402 --> 00:13:42,655
which was something
he wasn't really that accustomed to,
184
00:13:42,738 --> 00:13:45,366
but had to get used to pretty quickly.
185
00:13:45,449 --> 00:13:49,662
The conditions were very hard
and very prejudice.
186
00:13:49,745 --> 00:13:52,665
There were places in the South
where we couldn't even stay in the hotels.
187
00:13:52,748 --> 00:13:54,250
We'd have to stay in rooming houses.
188
00:13:55,292 --> 00:14:00,881
We used to have to sleep in mortuaries
with six bodies there,
189
00:14:00,965 --> 00:14:04,218
us sleepin' in a cot
with six bodies in caskets, you know.
190
00:14:07,847 --> 00:14:10,182
Sam, he didn't like the Chitlin Circuit
191
00:14:10,266 --> 00:14:13,978
because he wanted to be able to go
where he wanted to go, you know.
192
00:14:15,563 --> 00:14:17,314
After he went on that tour down south,
193
00:14:17,398 --> 00:14:22,778
he came back, and he says, "Scoe,
it's a shame how people is being treated.
194
00:14:22,862 --> 00:14:24,446
Somebody should do something about it."
195
00:14:25,364 --> 00:14:27,867
So only thing I could say
I know what he was talkin' about
196
00:14:27,950 --> 00:14:31,287
because I had been through the same...
some of the same things myself.
197
00:14:31,370 --> 00:14:35,040
I was comin' from school,
and I was on the sidewalk walkin',
198
00:14:35,207 --> 00:14:36,292
and he...
199
00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:40,004
he hit me and knocked me off the sidewalk,
say, "I teach a nigger how to...
200
00:14:40,087 --> 00:14:42,256
how to walk on the sidewalk
with a white man."
201
00:14:45,050 --> 00:14:46,468
You're talking about a time
202
00:14:46,552 --> 00:14:50,431
where a little black boy, 14 years old,
who was also from Chicago,
203
00:14:50,514 --> 00:14:52,433
with roots in Mississippi,
just like Sam Cooke,
204
00:14:52,516 --> 00:14:55,394
Emmet Till allegedly
whistled at a white woman,
205
00:14:55,477 --> 00:14:58,856
and he was beaten savagely
in Money, Mississippi,
206
00:14:58,939 --> 00:15:01,734
and had a fan tied around his neck
and was killed.
207
00:15:02,443 --> 00:15:04,987
Sam and I...
we talked about Emmett Till a lot.
208
00:15:05,779 --> 00:15:08,782
We was wondering
just how could that be possible?
209
00:15:09,658 --> 00:15:11,744
We didn't understand it at all.
210
00:15:11,827 --> 00:15:18,125
When we saw the picture, I think Sam
felt really hurt on a personal level.
211
00:15:18,208 --> 00:15:22,254
Sam thought that there's got to be
something that can be done.
212
00:15:22,338 --> 00:15:24,798
We're living in a world
where we pay taxes,
213
00:15:24,882 --> 00:15:27,259
and we're law-abiding people,
you know what I mean?
214
00:15:27,343 --> 00:15:31,555
This should not happen to a 14-year-old
anywhere, you know,
215
00:15:31,639 --> 00:15:33,849
so he was, like, very bitter about that.
216
00:15:49,031 --> 00:15:51,158
It was a wake-up call,
217
00:15:51,241 --> 00:15:53,327
and it was actually, the really,
218
00:15:53,410 --> 00:15:55,704
the beginning of
the Civil Rights movement.
219
00:15:55,788 --> 00:15:58,791
Sam had things on his mind
that he wanted to do,
220
00:15:58,874 --> 00:16:01,627
and he especially wanted to help
his people, our people,
221
00:16:01,710 --> 00:16:03,420
and he was determined to do that.
222
00:16:03,504 --> 00:16:07,216
And he told me, "'Scoe, one of these days,
the world gonna know Sam Cooke,
223
00:16:07,299 --> 00:16:09,218
and I'm gonna help my people."
224
00:16:20,688 --> 00:16:23,482
Sam was a person
of the early rock-'n'-roll generation,
225
00:16:23,565 --> 00:16:25,317
so he was hearing Chuck Berry.
226
00:16:25,401 --> 00:16:26,860
He was hearing Little Richard.
227
00:16:35,285 --> 00:16:38,831
I met Sam in Specialty Records' office
228
00:16:38,914 --> 00:16:40,708
in 1953.
229
00:16:40,791 --> 00:16:43,502
They were celebrating "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy"
230
00:16:43,585 --> 00:16:45,462
because it was
their first rock-'n'-roll record
231
00:16:45,546 --> 00:16:46,922
to ever sell a million copies.
232
00:16:48,298 --> 00:16:50,718
Sam would sneak off to rock-'n'-roll shows
233
00:16:50,801 --> 00:16:54,430
because he saw something bigger, you know.
234
00:16:55,014 --> 00:16:57,891
Sam knew all of the joints to go to.
235
00:16:57,975 --> 00:17:00,144
He'd say, "The Soul Stirrers didn't know,
but we'd be out
236
00:17:00,227 --> 00:17:03,272
till two or three o'clock in the morning
and have to sing the next day."
237
00:17:03,355 --> 00:17:05,566
He'd say, "But Sam would be ready,"
you know.
238
00:17:06,483 --> 00:17:10,069
When he came to my show at the Apollo,
I pointed something out to him.
239
00:17:10,154 --> 00:17:14,282
I said, "Now, you had about 300.
I got 1,700 in here.
240
00:17:14,366 --> 00:17:18,579
They're doin' the same thing here
you had 'em doing in Richmond in church.
241
00:17:18,746 --> 00:17:20,789
There's no different than this."
242
00:17:20,873 --> 00:17:23,250
And he just didn't wanna switch.
243
00:17:23,333 --> 00:17:27,087
But all the gospel singers
back during that time didn't wanna switch.
244
00:17:27,171 --> 00:17:30,591
You know, I guess it was because
of the fear of Jesus.
245
00:17:30,674 --> 00:17:32,676
We are told straight up
in the black church,
246
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:36,263
"Either you're gonna sing God's music,
or you're gonna do the Devil's music."
247
00:17:36,346 --> 00:17:39,767
And there's a kind of a guilt complex
that gets tied to that
248
00:17:39,850 --> 00:17:40,768
because you're like,
249
00:17:40,851 --> 00:17:45,230
"Well, I wanna sing God's music,
but this Devil music's got me dancing.
250
00:17:45,314 --> 00:17:48,942
And this Devil music can make me famous.
I can do more things with my life."
251
00:17:49,818 --> 00:17:52,404
He said himself, "I was afraid at first
252
00:17:52,488 --> 00:17:55,783
because I knew that if I switched over...
253
00:17:56,533 --> 00:17:59,328
if it didn't work, I couldn't come back
with the Soul Stirrers."
254
00:17:59,411 --> 00:18:00,746
That's the way people were.
255
00:18:00,829 --> 00:18:03,082
Once you went out there,
they weren't forgiving.
256
00:18:04,500 --> 00:18:07,002
Papa Cook was like my father,
you know.
257
00:18:07,086 --> 00:18:09,046
He said, "Boy, let me tell you something.
258
00:18:09,129 --> 00:18:11,006
You can gain the world...
259
00:18:11,090 --> 00:18:12,341
and lose your soul.
260
00:18:12,424 --> 00:18:15,302
You're doin' good with the Soul Stirrers.
Everybody loves you.
261
00:18:15,385 --> 00:18:17,471
You're known all around the country."
262
00:18:18,388 --> 00:18:21,975
But Sam told him, "I want to be known
all around the world."
263
00:18:23,727 --> 00:18:27,564
Sam was saying early on,
"I wanna make a wide range of music.
264
00:18:27,648 --> 00:18:30,359
I wanna appeal to a wide range of people."
265
00:18:30,442 --> 00:18:32,402
Well, why is that? It's about freedom.
266
00:18:32,486 --> 00:18:35,405
I think he understood that whatever
he was doing in this period
267
00:18:35,489 --> 00:18:38,242
would have an impact on the people
who would come after him.
268
00:18:40,536 --> 00:18:42,246
There was a song called, uh,
269
00:18:56,593 --> 00:18:57,928
He took that song and said,
270
00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:15,529
The first record that he came out with,
he didn't use Sam Cooke.
271
00:19:15,612 --> 00:19:19,908
He used Dale Cook
because he was afraid of the backlash.
272
00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:22,369
We used to, "Man,
that's-that's-that's gotta be Sam.
273
00:19:22,452 --> 00:19:25,789
I don't know anybody... I haven't
heard anybody who sang like that."
274
00:19:27,916 --> 00:19:30,419
At some point, he just
made peace with the fact that,
275
00:19:30,502 --> 00:19:32,754
"I'm gonna make the kind of music
that I wanna make,
276
00:19:32,838 --> 00:19:35,674
and I'm gonna use my name...
C-O-O-K.
277
00:19:35,757 --> 00:19:37,718
I'm gonna add a "E" to it
for some flavor,
278
00:19:37,801 --> 00:19:39,469
you know, special Chicago flavor,
279
00:19:39,803 --> 00:19:43,473
and I'm gonna put out this little song
in 1957 called 'You Send Me.'"
280
00:19:43,557 --> 00:19:45,392
This is "You Send Me."
281
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:04,620
Even though it's presented in
a much more polished way in "You Send Me,"
282
00:20:04,703 --> 00:20:08,373
you can hear aspects
of his gospel background.
283
00:20:12,711 --> 00:20:14,963
That moment where he does
the "whoa-oa-oa,"
284
00:20:15,047 --> 00:20:17,591
I mean, it's just, like, fantastic
as a signature.
285
00:20:20,093 --> 00:20:25,098
"You Send Me" is one of the most perfect
pop songs of the era.
286
00:20:25,182 --> 00:20:28,477
It's a song that was probably too pop-ish
for Elvis Presley.
287
00:20:30,854 --> 00:20:35,108
When they announced they were gonna have
Sam Cooke on Ed Sullivan's show...
288
00:20:35,943 --> 00:20:38,153
we knew that the record was a hit.
289
00:20:39,029 --> 00:20:41,573
For African-Americans,
of course there was this great pride.
290
00:20:41,657 --> 00:20:45,285
You know, not everyone has a television,
so it wasn't unusual that you might have
291
00:20:45,369 --> 00:20:47,412
the one or two families
in the black neighborhood
292
00:20:47,496 --> 00:20:49,289
that has a television,
293
00:20:49,373 --> 00:20:50,999
and everybody shows up at the house
294
00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:54,461
just to catch a glimpse
of blackness on television.
295
00:20:54,544 --> 00:20:56,922
And now, ladies and gentlemen... Sam Cooke.
296
00:20:58,590 --> 00:21:02,052
We were all waiting, 30 or 40 people
around a little television,
297
00:21:02,135 --> 00:21:03,762
waiting for Sam to come on.
298
00:21:03,845 --> 00:21:06,515
It was like seein' God, really.
299
00:21:19,945 --> 00:21:23,699
It's a gold record
commemorating the million-record sale
300
00:21:23,782 --> 00:21:26,285
of your big hit "You Send Me,"
and here it is.
301
00:21:26,368 --> 00:21:28,287
Ha ha. Thank you, Steve, and I'd like to...
302
00:21:32,416 --> 00:21:34,626
One night, I was singin' in the church
303
00:21:34,710 --> 00:21:38,171
and thinkin' maybe
I'll have to get a side job.
304
00:21:38,255 --> 00:21:42,259
I'd heard of the stories
of Cinderella singers like Elvis Presley,
305
00:21:42,342 --> 00:21:46,555
but I never expected to be in
one of those big payoffs myself.
306
00:21:47,389 --> 00:21:50,934
"You Send Me" went straight up the charts,
so he felt like,
307
00:21:51,018 --> 00:21:56,231
"I'm going to do what I wanna do,
and I'm going to go where I wanna go."
308
00:21:58,525 --> 00:22:00,485
Dick Clark from American Bandstand
309
00:22:00,569 --> 00:22:03,280
was also a concert promoter
all around the country,
310
00:22:03,363 --> 00:22:08,368
and he hired Sam Cooke to come down
to Atlanta and to do a live show.
311
00:22:08,452 --> 00:22:09,661
Dick Clark has such an impact
312
00:22:09,745 --> 00:22:12,998
in terms of how young folks
listen to American music.
313
00:22:13,081 --> 00:22:16,335
If you're Sam Cooke,
you had to be on that show.
314
00:22:16,418 --> 00:22:17,794
Sam was about the only black,
315
00:22:17,878 --> 00:22:21,173
or I should say negro singer at the time
on the show,
316
00:22:21,256 --> 00:22:23,967
and the Klan members down there
had a problem with that.
317
00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:28,013
Suddenly, there are threats
coming from the KKK
318
00:22:28,096 --> 00:22:30,724
suggesting that perhaps
you should not go up on that stage.
319
00:22:32,059 --> 00:22:35,437
Ku Klux Klan had just bombed
a Jewish synagogue down there,
320
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,189
so we know they meant business.
321
00:22:38,023 --> 00:22:40,609
Sam told us
Dick was thinking about canceling
322
00:22:40,692 --> 00:22:43,737
'cause he was getting
all of this threatening mail,
323
00:22:43,820 --> 00:22:46,698
and people saying that
they were gonna blow up the studio
324
00:22:46,782 --> 00:22:49,201
if he had a-a nigger on, you know.
325
00:22:49,284 --> 00:22:51,912
That's just the way it was, you know.
326
00:22:52,829 --> 00:22:56,375
Dick Clark did
what a powerful white man would do.
327
00:22:56,458 --> 00:23:00,837
He called the National Guard
to keep people safe from the KKK,
328
00:23:00,921 --> 00:23:02,964
but what Dick Clark didn't know
329
00:23:03,256 --> 00:23:05,300
that probably
most black people in Atlanta knew
330
00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,886
that you probably couldn't trust
the National Guard, either.
331
00:23:07,969 --> 00:23:09,429
That's how pervasive this was.
332
00:23:09,513 --> 00:23:12,557
Welcome aboard. It's niceto have you here on a Saturday night.
333
00:23:12,641 --> 00:23:17,479
He was angry, but he wasn't afraid
to go nowhere, not Sam.
334
00:23:17,562 --> 00:23:18,939
It's Sam Cooke.
335
00:23:20,857 --> 00:23:23,276
For Sam to go and do it anyway,
336
00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,821
absolutely courageous,
absolutely fearless,
337
00:23:25,904 --> 00:23:27,864
because he was
breaking boundaries, you know,
338
00:23:27,948 --> 00:23:30,450
and I think Sam realized very early on
"This is bigger than me."
339
00:23:32,035 --> 00:23:34,746
What Sam Cooke would've said
is that, "I'm a man,
340
00:23:34,830 --> 00:23:36,623
and I'm a black man, and as a black man,
341
00:23:36,706 --> 00:23:39,626
I have a responsibility to go on this show
342
00:23:39,709 --> 00:23:41,545
and bring down whatever walls
I can bring...
343
00:23:41,628 --> 00:23:45,507
whatever boundaries I can help dissipate
by showing that I am talented,
344
00:23:45,590 --> 00:23:48,427
I am skilled, I can compete
with the best of them.
345
00:23:48,510 --> 00:23:50,971
And in fact, there was an audience
within white America
346
00:23:51,054 --> 00:23:53,181
that was very interested
in having me seen there."
347
00:24:03,024 --> 00:24:06,445
Los Angeles, California,
when you live in Cleveland, Ohio,
348
00:24:06,528 --> 00:24:09,072
is like a... a wonderland.
349
00:24:09,990 --> 00:24:13,452
He had moved out to California
where all the movie stars,
350
00:24:13,535 --> 00:24:17,831
so we looked at him
as really had hit it big, you know.
351
00:24:17,914 --> 00:24:19,499
He could be the forerunner.
352
00:24:19,958 --> 00:24:21,960
The Arthur Murray Party.
353
00:24:25,589 --> 00:24:28,758
To start the evening off,
we have invited a young singer,
354
00:24:28,842 --> 00:24:32,888
who already has the most
amazingly long list of hit recordings,
355
00:24:32,971 --> 00:24:34,931
and he deserves every one of them.
356
00:24:35,015 --> 00:24:36,391
It's Sam Cooke.
357
00:24:53,366 --> 00:24:54,534
Yeah.
358
00:24:54,618 --> 00:24:56,870
I remember when he signed with RCA Victor.
359
00:24:56,953 --> 00:24:58,330
He says, "Man, can you believe
360
00:24:58,413 --> 00:25:01,500
that I'm number two
under Elvis Presley in sales?"
361
00:25:07,756 --> 00:25:10,050
We liked Elvis Presley, you know,
362
00:25:10,133 --> 00:25:11,801
but I never thought I'd meet him.
363
00:25:11,885 --> 00:25:15,222
One day, Sam said, "Hey, listen.
Elvis is comin' over."
364
00:25:15,305 --> 00:25:18,266
And we were like...
"Sam's bullshittin' us, man.
365
00:25:18,350 --> 00:25:21,478
Elvis Presley ain't comin' over here
to meet us, you know."
366
00:25:22,395 --> 00:25:25,315
But sure enough,
he came over to the studio,
367
00:25:25,398 --> 00:25:29,402
and I thought like, "Man, Sam is out here.
He knows everybody."
368
00:25:38,870 --> 00:25:41,122
People think of Sam Cooke
primarily as a singer,
369
00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:43,959
and I don't think he gets enough credit
as a songwriter.
370
00:25:44,668 --> 00:25:47,295
You know, if you listen to a song
like "Having a Party"...
371
00:25:49,881 --> 00:25:52,133
...you get these little snapshots
of his life.
372
00:25:52,217 --> 00:25:53,468
You wanna be at that party.
373
00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:56,429
You feel the joy,
the emotion of what's going on.
374
00:26:00,642 --> 00:26:04,938
Sam likes the idea of suddenly being in
these exclusive circles
375
00:26:05,021 --> 00:26:06,690
with very powerful white people
376
00:26:06,773 --> 00:26:08,858
who could help him,
and he could learn from them.
377
00:26:08,942 --> 00:26:12,821
It's kind of changing his idea of
who he is and the influence he can have.
378
00:26:13,905 --> 00:26:17,867
RCA built their own studio
at Sunset and Vine,
379
00:26:17,951 --> 00:26:21,913
and I was the first engineer they hired.
380
00:26:21,997 --> 00:26:25,083
Recording Sam
was like catching fish in a barrel.
381
00:26:25,250 --> 00:26:29,254
He wrote the songs. He sang the songs.
He knew exactly what he wanted.
382
00:26:29,337 --> 00:26:33,925
We spent a lot of time together,
and Sam got inside me, you know.
383
00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:37,053
He was more like a brother to me.
384
00:26:45,729 --> 00:26:48,982
He certainly had hit a point in his career
where he could've just been playing
385
00:26:49,065 --> 00:26:52,235
the biggest nightclubs in New York,
in Los Angeles, in Chicago.
386
00:26:52,319 --> 00:26:54,904
It would've been easy for him
to not go back to the South.
387
00:26:54,988 --> 00:26:58,199
But I think it was important for him
to constantly keep that connection
388
00:26:58,283 --> 00:27:00,035
for himself and for his audience,
389
00:27:00,118 --> 00:27:04,205
but to keep his finger on what was
happening in the Civil Rights movement,
390
00:27:04,289 --> 00:27:07,709
which wasn't happening the same way
in the North or the West.
391
00:27:19,262 --> 00:27:21,556
My very first tour was with Sam Cooke.
392
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,683
We were in South Carolina,
393
00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:26,561
and Sam says, "Everybody hungry?"
We say, "Yeah."
394
00:27:26,645 --> 00:27:28,938
We walked into this little place,
395
00:27:29,022 --> 00:27:33,652
and we sat down
and were asked to stand up.
396
00:27:34,527 --> 00:27:36,363
Oh, ok.
397
00:27:36,446 --> 00:27:40,033
And we asked. I said,
"Are you gonna take our orders?"
398
00:27:40,116 --> 00:27:41,993
"You gotta shut up
and wait till I get to you."
399
00:27:42,077 --> 00:27:45,455
So me and my big mouth.
I said, "You know what you can do?
400
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:50,168
Take that order and shove it."
And we left.
401
00:27:50,251 --> 00:27:53,630
Ten minutes later,
there was a police officer...
402
00:27:54,422 --> 00:27:56,049
that came to the bus...
403
00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,135
and he stepped onto the bus.
404
00:27:59,219 --> 00:28:01,137
And Sam said, "Can I help you?"
405
00:28:01,930 --> 00:28:04,891
He said, "Yeah, we wanna know
who those two gals were
406
00:28:04,974 --> 00:28:08,144
that were rude to the waitress
in the tavern house."
407
00:28:09,104 --> 00:28:13,441
And Sam says, "First of all,
we don't have gals on our bus.
408
00:28:13,608 --> 00:28:15,610
We have ladies and gentlemen...
409
00:28:16,319 --> 00:28:17,987
and this happens to be my bus.
410
00:28:18,071 --> 00:28:19,489
It's private property,
411
00:28:19,572 --> 00:28:22,575
and I'm gonna ask you kindly
to step off of it."
412
00:28:23,368 --> 00:28:26,746
He thought about who he was
413
00:28:26,830 --> 00:28:29,749
and those around him, who they were,
414
00:28:29,833 --> 00:28:31,751
and that they were not
going to take advantage
415
00:28:31,835 --> 00:28:33,962
of anybody that he cared about.
416
00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:36,464
I will never forget the day
417
00:28:36,548 --> 00:28:40,635
I was unable to fulfill
a one-night singing engagement in Georgia
418
00:28:40,719 --> 00:28:43,054
because I wouldn't sit in a Jim Crow bus,
419
00:28:43,138 --> 00:28:45,140
and because no white taxicab driver
420
00:28:45,223 --> 00:28:47,809
would take me
from the airport to the city.
421
00:28:47,892 --> 00:28:52,439
And negro cab drivers were not permitted
to bring their cabs into the airport.
422
00:28:54,441 --> 00:28:57,861
We used to play places in the South
whereas the audiences,
423
00:28:57,944 --> 00:29:00,697
even though they were integrated,
they were segregated
424
00:29:00,780 --> 00:29:03,283
because the white people
would be upstairs,
425
00:29:03,366 --> 00:29:05,577
and the black people
would be downstairs or vice versa.
426
00:29:05,660 --> 00:29:07,912
Or there'd be a big stage
in the center of this arena,
427
00:29:07,996 --> 00:29:10,540
and white people would be on one side,
black people on the other,
428
00:29:10,623 --> 00:29:12,500
not even hardly lookin' at each other.
429
00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:15,962
They had signs that said,
"General Admission... 2.50.
430
00:29:16,045 --> 00:29:18,214
White spectators... a dollar and a half."
431
00:29:18,423 --> 00:29:20,258
They'd sit up in the top of the places
432
00:29:20,341 --> 00:29:23,845
and watch the black people dance,
you know. It was sickening.
433
00:29:37,025 --> 00:29:38,777
In February of 1960,
434
00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:43,907
Jesse played
the first integrated show in Arkansas.
435
00:29:43,990 --> 00:29:45,241
It was a big deal.
436
00:29:45,325 --> 00:29:48,077
After the show was over, everybody left,
went their separate ways,
437
00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:50,121
and about a half an hour out on the road,
438
00:29:50,205 --> 00:29:53,291
Jesse Belvin
had a... head-on-head-on collision,
439
00:29:53,541 --> 00:29:54,959
and it was fatal.
440
00:29:56,503 --> 00:30:00,632
Jesse Belvin, his wife,
and three other people died.
441
00:30:01,341 --> 00:30:03,468
At first, we thought it was an accident,
442
00:30:03,551 --> 00:30:09,557
but later, we found out that his tires
had been cut by some locals in the area.
443
00:30:11,226 --> 00:30:16,105
It was very, very shocking, you know,
'cause he had a great future ahead of him.
444
00:30:16,189 --> 00:30:18,191
Of course it was a message.
445
00:30:19,275 --> 00:30:22,946
I think Sam sort of saw that potential
and wanted him to be a bigger star,
446
00:30:23,029 --> 00:30:25,949
and in that sort of terrible way,
he was just sort of cut down. He was gone.
447
00:30:26,032 --> 00:30:28,576
So now he wasn't
just carrying Emmett Till,
448
00:30:28,660 --> 00:30:32,413
he was also carrying Jesse Belvin with him
and the things that he wanted to do
449
00:30:32,497 --> 00:30:34,707
and the ways that he wanted to
break down racism.
450
00:30:41,464 --> 00:30:44,092
On May 12th, 1961,
451
00:30:44,175 --> 00:30:47,762
we were playin'
the Memphis City Auditorium.
452
00:30:48,429 --> 00:30:52,559
Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson.
It was at least about 12 acts.
453
00:30:52,642 --> 00:30:54,602
So Sam asked the people that's in charge,
454
00:30:54,686 --> 00:30:56,813
"Would the blacks sit at
in the auditorium?"
455
00:30:56,896 --> 00:30:59,774
The guy say,
"Well, the back and the balcony,
456
00:30:59,858 --> 00:31:01,734
but they can't be up-front."
457
00:31:01,818 --> 00:31:05,196
So Sam said, "Well..."
He said, "I can't perform here."
458
00:31:06,030 --> 00:31:09,784
Sam would say... "How does it look?
459
00:31:09,868 --> 00:31:14,539
You know, I'm a star,
and I'm known the world over...
460
00:31:15,748 --> 00:31:18,793
but in my own home country...
461
00:31:19,502 --> 00:31:21,838
I'm goin' along with some shit like this.
462
00:31:21,921 --> 00:31:26,384
I'm gonna perform
while my people is up in the balcony,
463
00:31:26,467 --> 00:31:29,679
and the people downstairs
can dance and have a good time,
464
00:31:29,762 --> 00:31:31,723
but my people can't dance?
465
00:31:31,806 --> 00:31:34,434
I don't care what nobody else do.
I ain't goin' for that shit."
466
00:31:35,643 --> 00:31:39,981
Sam gathered a meeting
with all of the entertainers...
467
00:31:41,024 --> 00:31:42,609
to boycott the show.
468
00:31:43,359 --> 00:31:45,069
And everybody agreed,
469
00:31:45,153 --> 00:31:49,032
"Yeah. Yeah, Sam. You're right.
You're right. Yeah, we with you, man."
470
00:31:50,283 --> 00:31:51,618
Went back to the hotel.
471
00:31:51,701 --> 00:31:54,454
I went to Beetle Street first
and got me some bourbon.
472
00:31:55,663 --> 00:31:57,665
I laid down, took a little nap.
473
00:31:58,583 --> 00:32:00,752
And I got up later...
474
00:32:01,586 --> 00:32:03,880
everybody... I went round and knocked.
475
00:32:03,963 --> 00:32:07,800
Everybody had gone
and went back to the auditorium.
476
00:32:07,884 --> 00:32:11,179
I went to Sam's room. He was in the room.
Had on a... never will forget.
477
00:32:11,262 --> 00:32:14,432
He had on a white T-shirt,
and he watching television.
478
00:32:14,515 --> 00:32:16,267
And I says, "Sam, they all gone."
479
00:32:16,351 --> 00:32:19,228
I said, "They said they was gonna
stick with you," you know.
480
00:32:20,021 --> 00:32:23,274
He say, "Yeah, I know." He said, "But..."
He said, "I'm not goin'."
481
00:32:24,233 --> 00:32:26,945
I'm not sure that Jesse Belvin's death
482
00:32:27,028 --> 00:32:30,740
had an effect
on the outcome of this boycott
483
00:32:30,823 --> 00:32:33,159
Sam was trying to do
484
00:32:33,242 --> 00:32:36,329
because they was afraid
what could happen to them.
485
00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:39,207
He was takin' a big risk.
486
00:32:39,290 --> 00:32:43,461
He could've been hurt or killed there,
you know, at that time, you know.
487
00:32:44,671 --> 00:32:46,839
That's when I saw him in a different...
488
00:32:46,923 --> 00:32:49,050
I had never seen that in him before.
489
00:32:49,926 --> 00:32:52,136
And the hotel that time was the Lorraine.
490
00:32:53,137 --> 00:32:57,016
Same hotel Martin Luther King
was killed at some years later.
491
00:33:02,021 --> 00:33:05,566
I've always detested people of any color,
religion or nationality
492
00:33:05,650 --> 00:33:08,778
who lack courage
to stand up and be counted.
493
00:33:09,654 --> 00:33:11,739
It is a difficult thing to do.
494
00:33:11,823 --> 00:33:15,201
I hope, by refusing to play
to a segregated audience,
495
00:33:15,284 --> 00:33:18,204
it would help to break down
racial segregation here.
496
00:33:18,287 --> 00:33:19,956
And if I'm ever booked here again,
497
00:33:20,039 --> 00:33:22,542
it won't be necessary
to do a similar thing.
498
00:33:34,721 --> 00:33:37,015
During that time period,
there were major artists,
499
00:33:37,098 --> 00:33:38,474
Nina Simone comes to mind,
500
00:33:38,683 --> 00:33:40,935
whose music would get banned
from parts of the country
501
00:33:41,019 --> 00:33:42,437
for some of their political stances.
502
00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:44,355
And Sam was taking a big risk by saying,
503
00:33:44,439 --> 00:33:46,149
"I don't wanna play in
a segregated space,"
504
00:33:46,232 --> 00:33:48,568
you know, particularly because
he was a major star.
505
00:34:03,207 --> 00:34:07,253
Folks who didn't understand that Sam
actually had some political concerns,
506
00:34:07,336 --> 00:34:08,880
you listen to a song like "Chain Gang,"
507
00:34:08,963 --> 00:34:11,757
which just the rhythm of the song
immediately would resonate
508
00:34:11,841 --> 00:34:15,762
for generations of black folks
who know about places like Parchman
509
00:34:15,844 --> 00:34:17,263
and other prison farms.
510
00:34:17,346 --> 00:34:20,058
Yet you see these photos
of Hugo and Luigi,
511
00:34:20,141 --> 00:34:22,310
his two producers, and Sam Cooke,
512
00:34:22,393 --> 00:34:25,855
and they're comically dressed up
in their black-and-whites and little caps,
513
00:34:25,938 --> 00:34:30,359
and so it's a way to take this song
and bring it to mainstream white America,
514
00:34:30,443 --> 00:34:33,029
but is also delivering
a particular kind of critique
515
00:34:33,112 --> 00:34:35,864
of what would've been
a prison industrial complex
516
00:34:35,947 --> 00:34:37,617
of the late 1950s,
517
00:34:37,699 --> 00:34:39,827
in which white audiences
and black audiences
518
00:34:39,911 --> 00:34:41,536
hear that very, very differently.
519
00:34:41,621 --> 00:34:44,290
And there had been
so few examples of black artists
520
00:34:44,373 --> 00:34:46,501
who could code switch in that way
521
00:34:46,583 --> 00:34:51,089
and be recognized in both the black world
and the white world and still be men.
522
00:34:51,172 --> 00:34:52,924
What white people have to do
523
00:34:53,007 --> 00:34:55,551
is try to find out in their own hearts
524
00:34:55,635 --> 00:34:58,805
why it was necessary
to have a nigger in the first place
525
00:34:58,888 --> 00:35:00,306
because I'm not a nigger.
526
00:35:00,389 --> 00:35:01,349
I am a man.
527
00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:04,435
If I'm not the nigger here...
528
00:35:04,519 --> 00:35:07,855
and if you invented him,
you, the white people, invented him...
529
00:35:07,939 --> 00:35:09,774
then you got to find out why.
530
00:35:09,857 --> 00:35:13,528
James Baldwin
was one of his favorite authors.
531
00:35:13,611 --> 00:35:15,488
He captured his attention.
532
00:35:16,072 --> 00:35:18,741
Baldwin was a deep writer.
533
00:35:18,825 --> 00:35:20,701
I could understand...
534
00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:24,247
Sam respecting him
and pickin' up on his...
535
00:35:24,330 --> 00:35:26,874
meaning and what he's contributing.
536
00:35:26,958 --> 00:35:29,418
He says, "You guys got to read."
537
00:35:29,502 --> 00:35:32,880
And we weren't really carin' about
no books or nothin' like that.
538
00:35:32,964 --> 00:35:36,467
You know, we just wanted to sing
and be on television and stuff.
539
00:35:36,551 --> 00:35:38,302
But he's like,
"Man, that's not all of it."
540
00:35:38,386 --> 00:35:40,513
He say, "You got to be knowledgeable."
541
00:35:40,888 --> 00:35:42,932
The country has arbitrarily declared
542
00:35:43,015 --> 00:35:46,269
that kinky hair and dark skin,
wide nose and big lips
543
00:35:46,352 --> 00:35:48,646
is a hideous thing to be afflicted with.
544
00:35:48,729 --> 00:35:52,859
Sam was the one
who started the black guys...
545
00:35:53,734 --> 00:35:54,610
to wearin' fros.
546
00:36:02,076 --> 00:36:05,329
and we were wearin' the slickback,
the waves, and all that stuff like that.
547
00:36:05,413 --> 00:36:07,582
Sam said, "No, that won't be me."
548
00:36:09,208 --> 00:36:13,963
He went on TV, where his mother
almost passed out because of the hair.
549
00:36:14,046 --> 00:36:17,341
Heh. She did not like it, and she said,
550
00:36:17,425 --> 00:36:19,385
"Oh, look at my child."
551
00:36:20,386 --> 00:36:23,014
Sam would talk to I.C. about,
552
00:36:23,097 --> 00:36:26,684
"Man, you ought to get that process
out your hair and let it go natural."
553
00:36:26,767 --> 00:36:31,063
He felt that it was part of
his history... his culture.
554
00:36:32,356 --> 00:36:33,733
Switched over immediately.
555
00:36:33,816 --> 00:36:36,068
All the black guys
started gettin' the fros, you know.
556
00:36:36,152 --> 00:36:37,236
Sam was a powerful man.
557
00:36:39,655 --> 00:36:41,616
We were in Atlanta,
558
00:36:41,699 --> 00:36:45,119
and in between concerts, he'd go to
a newsstand and buy every magazine,
559
00:36:45,203 --> 00:36:48,748
and one day, he went
and bought a boxing magazine.
560
00:36:49,540 --> 00:36:51,125
And there was this guy.
561
00:36:51,209 --> 00:36:55,296
I said, "Sam, this kid is the shit."
562
00:36:55,379 --> 00:36:56,881
He said, "All right, go get him."
563
00:36:56,964 --> 00:36:59,967
And I said, "What do you mean?"
He said, "Tell him I sent you."
564
00:37:01,761 --> 00:37:03,095
I said, "Oh, my God."
565
00:37:07,725 --> 00:37:09,143
I knock on his door.
566
00:37:09,227 --> 00:37:12,063
His brother Rudy cracks the door,
and I said,
567
00:37:12,146 --> 00:37:14,941
"I'm with the William Morris..."
and he slams the door in my face.
568
00:37:15,024 --> 00:37:17,526
And I said... "Sam Cooke."
569
00:37:18,236 --> 00:37:21,364
And his mother said, "Let that boy in."
570
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:24,575
And his mother
couldn't stop talking about Sam.
571
00:37:25,493 --> 00:37:28,871
So, we made a deal to do an album...
572
00:37:29,664 --> 00:37:31,624
and they really bonded.
573
00:37:31,707 --> 00:37:33,709
Sam was God to him.
574
00:37:33,793 --> 00:37:36,254
This is Sam Cooke. As you can see,
like me, he's awful pretty.
575
00:37:36,337 --> 00:37:38,422
- Ha ha.
- And we are here now
576
00:37:38,506 --> 00:37:41,384
workin' on a record
called "The Gang's All Here."
577
00:37:41,467 --> 00:37:43,552
Would you like to give us
a preview of this disc?
578
00:37:43,636 --> 00:37:47,890
We'll do a lot better if we had the music
here with us, but we'll try.
579
00:37:53,437 --> 00:37:54,272
Ha ha ha.
580
00:38:01,195 --> 00:38:03,781
The joy that they brought out of
each other and the laughter...
581
00:38:03,864 --> 00:38:06,325
they were showing
a range of emotions together.
582
00:38:06,409 --> 00:38:08,869
A kind of black male freedom, if you will.
583
00:38:09,704 --> 00:38:12,081
That was not really... heh...
584
00:38:12,164 --> 00:38:14,750
something we saw a lot of
at that time in America.
585
00:38:14,834 --> 00:38:16,669
You know, you always saw,
up until that point,
586
00:38:16,752 --> 00:38:19,714
these really harsh, stereotypical images
of black people
587
00:38:19,797 --> 00:38:22,258
who were either, you know,
buffoons and clowns
588
00:38:22,341 --> 00:38:24,260
and, you know,
exaggerated facial expressions,
589
00:38:24,343 --> 00:38:26,429
eyes bugging out, stuff like that.
590
00:38:28,306 --> 00:38:32,601
- How you like that?
- Let's think about a young Michael Jackson
591
00:38:32,685 --> 00:38:34,854
or a young Prince Rogers Nelson,
592
00:38:34,937 --> 00:38:36,814
who would've been five or six years old,
593
00:38:36,897 --> 00:38:39,275
sitting around the television
watching these two young men.
594
00:38:39,358 --> 00:38:42,653
What Ali and Sam Cooke represented
was possibility.
595
00:38:42,737 --> 00:38:46,824
Right? That there was another way for them
to be in the world
596
00:38:46,907 --> 00:38:48,242
other than the way that the world
597
00:38:48,326 --> 00:38:51,245
had dictated that black men
had to be in the world.
598
00:38:51,329 --> 00:38:55,374
It disturbed perceptions
of what black masculinity was.
599
00:38:56,792 --> 00:39:00,504
Cassius Clay very quietly was being
mentored by a man named Malcolm X,
600
00:39:00,588 --> 00:39:04,675
who was this fearless, and very much
feared, black leader in America
601
00:39:04,759 --> 00:39:06,844
who spoke, as he said, truth to power.
602
00:39:06,927 --> 00:39:09,930
It's not hate to say that we were
kidnapped and brought here. It's true.
603
00:39:10,014 --> 00:39:13,642
It's not hate to say we were Jim Crowed,
discriminated, and segregated. It's true.
604
00:39:13,726 --> 00:39:16,228
Sam Cooke doesn't know Malcolm X yet,
605
00:39:16,312 --> 00:39:19,106
but he's just seen
how the Nation of Islam moves,
606
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:20,941
how they dealing with white supremacy,
607
00:39:21,025 --> 00:39:22,985
He's, "Oh, this is kind of interesting."
Right?
608
00:39:23,069 --> 00:39:25,237
And he starts paying more attention
to Malcolm X.
609
00:39:25,321 --> 00:39:27,156
They eventually become friends.
610
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:28,908
Black men should have
a hand in controlling
611
00:39:28,991 --> 00:39:31,452
the economy
of the so-called negro community.
612
00:39:31,535 --> 00:39:33,537
He should be developing
the type of knowledge
613
00:39:33,621 --> 00:39:36,457
that will enable him to own
and operate the businesses,
614
00:39:36,540 --> 00:39:41,003
and thereby be able to create employment
for his own people, for his own kind.
615
00:39:41,087 --> 00:39:44,131
Just like the Civil Rights movement
was basically saying, "Why not us?"
616
00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:45,508
Sam was saying the same thing
617
00:39:45,591 --> 00:39:48,636
as an entrepreneur, a black businessman.
"Why not us?"
618
00:39:52,264 --> 00:39:57,269
Black blues musicians and jazz musicians
and early black rock-'n'-roll artists
619
00:39:57,353 --> 00:39:59,647
who didn't really make anything
from their music.
620
00:39:59,730 --> 00:40:03,109
It was like sharecropping, where
you do all the work, you do the labor...
621
00:40:03,192 --> 00:40:04,944
it's your creativity, your energy...
622
00:40:05,027 --> 00:40:07,154
and then someone else
reaps the benefits of it.
623
00:40:07,238 --> 00:40:11,867
This publishers would rook songwriters
out of their music.
624
00:40:11,951 --> 00:40:16,372
Give 'em $25 and buy songs
that became massive hits.
625
00:40:20,209 --> 00:40:23,170
Black musicians didn't get treated fairly.
626
00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:25,089
Instead of gettin' royalties,
they would get...
627
00:40:25,172 --> 00:40:27,216
they'd get... you'd get cocaine.
628
00:40:29,635 --> 00:40:32,721
And that's just the way it was back then.
629
00:40:34,014 --> 00:40:36,058
Disc jockey out of Philadelphia said,
630
00:40:36,142 --> 00:40:39,812
"Sam, you know they're probably
rippin' you off, RCA Records?"
631
00:40:39,895 --> 00:40:43,357
And he says, "I got a good CPA friend
that I want you to meet."
632
00:40:44,275 --> 00:40:47,278
Allen Klein was an accountant in New York.
633
00:40:48,154 --> 00:40:50,364
Klein had overheard conversations
634
00:40:50,448 --> 00:40:54,785
about Sam's dissatisfaction with
receiving royalty payments from RCA.
635
00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,415
So Allen Klein audits RCA Victor...
636
00:41:00,291 --> 00:41:03,127
and comes up with
a bunch of money for Sam.
637
00:41:04,420 --> 00:41:05,838
Sam was extremely generous,
638
00:41:05,921 --> 00:41:08,632
always looked out for,
not just his wife and children,
639
00:41:08,716 --> 00:41:12,636
but also for his family members
back in Chicago.
640
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:16,640
He could've had
a perfectly fine career as a singer,
641
00:41:16,724 --> 00:41:19,602
but it was always this idea
there was something more.
642
00:41:19,685 --> 00:41:21,645
He was always looking at
what was gonna be next
643
00:41:21,729 --> 00:41:24,732
because he had this sense
of the bigger picture.
644
00:41:24,815 --> 00:41:29,320
J.W. Alexander was a member of
the Pilgrim Travelers,
645
00:41:29,403 --> 00:41:32,031
and when that group disbanded,
646
00:41:32,114 --> 00:41:34,116
he started a publishing company.
647
00:41:34,200 --> 00:41:36,202
Said, "Sam, you're writing a lot of songs.
648
00:41:36,285 --> 00:41:39,079
You need to own your publishing
because that's where the money's at.
649
00:41:39,163 --> 00:41:40,331
That's where the power's at."
650
00:41:40,414 --> 00:41:42,708
Sam says, "Well, if we're gonna start
a publishing company,
651
00:41:42,791 --> 00:41:44,877
how about us starting
a record company on top of it
652
00:41:45,044 --> 00:41:46,378
and record our own artists?"
653
00:41:46,462 --> 00:41:48,672
And that was the beginning of
the partnership.
654
00:41:48,756 --> 00:41:50,549
- Johnnie?- Hey.
655
00:41:50,633 --> 00:41:52,134
I want you to sing this real plain...
656
00:41:59,975 --> 00:42:02,019
He was Berry Gordy before Berry Gordy
657
00:42:02,102 --> 00:42:06,357
when Sam started SAR Records
with J.W. Alexander.
658
00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:07,983
The purpose of SAR Records
659
00:42:08,067 --> 00:42:12,029
was to give many of the gospel artists
that Sam knew
660
00:42:12,112 --> 00:42:15,991
an opportunity to record pop records,
perhaps cross over.
661
00:42:16,659 --> 00:42:18,744
He had Johnnie Taylor and Mel Carter.
662
00:42:18,827 --> 00:42:23,123
And I loved... The Valentinos.
I loved them.
663
00:42:23,207 --> 00:42:25,084
There was a song called,
"I'm Lookin for a Love,"
664
00:42:25,167 --> 00:42:28,045
and Bobby sounded like Sam on there.
665
00:42:36,637 --> 00:42:41,058
Sam Cooke and J.W. Alexander
were both good businessmen,
666
00:42:41,141 --> 00:42:43,978
but I know it was all about...
667
00:42:44,061 --> 00:42:46,313
tryin' to help these artists out.
668
00:42:47,940 --> 00:42:50,734
I am aware that ownin' a record company
669
00:42:50,818 --> 00:42:53,946
is a losing deal
much too often for comfort,
670
00:42:54,029 --> 00:42:57,575
but this company of mine is
concentrating on recording negro artists
671
00:42:57,658 --> 00:43:02,037
I feel have the ingredients
to become as successful as I have.
672
00:43:02,121 --> 00:43:06,625
And if I lose a few dollars along the way,
in the end, it will be worth it to me.
673
00:43:06,709 --> 00:43:09,461
Morally, it's a worthwhile project.
674
00:43:09,545 --> 00:43:11,922
People think the Rolling Stones'
first hit was "Satisfaction."
675
00:43:12,006 --> 00:43:14,091
It wasn't. It was "It's All Over Now."
676
00:43:20,598 --> 00:43:25,269
And few people know that that song
was written by... Bobby Womack,
677
00:43:25,352 --> 00:43:27,730
who was a member of The Valentinos,
678
00:43:27,813 --> 00:43:30,399
which was a group
signed to Sam Cooke's label.
679
00:43:30,482 --> 00:43:35,279
The fact that they knew Sam Cooke
and admired his music as much as they did
680
00:43:35,362 --> 00:43:39,408
and would want to record something
by an artist affiliated with Sam Cooke
681
00:43:39,491 --> 00:43:40,701
isn't surprising at all.
682
00:43:41,619 --> 00:43:44,079
SAR Records and Sam Cooke...
683
00:43:44,747 --> 00:43:48,292
was a threat to every other record company
in the country.
684
00:43:49,460 --> 00:43:50,711
The vision was that
685
00:43:50,794 --> 00:43:54,173
"We're gonna make the artist
just as important as the owner...
686
00:43:54,923 --> 00:43:57,968
and we're not gonna treat them
as second-class citizens."
687
00:43:58,052 --> 00:43:59,762
He was so forward-thinking
688
00:43:59,845 --> 00:44:02,222
about the industry
and the control of the money.
689
00:44:02,306 --> 00:44:05,559
It's part of what makes Sam Cooke
so dangerous.
690
00:44:05,643 --> 00:44:08,395
What could be the greatest thing
in the world that would happen to you?
691
00:44:08,479 --> 00:44:12,274
The greatest thing to happen to me... if all
the singers I'm connected with had hits.
692
00:44:13,150 --> 00:44:16,987
Though he was making moves that could be
identified as black self-empowerment,
693
00:44:17,071 --> 00:44:19,615
his own record label,
his own publishing company,
694
00:44:19,698 --> 00:44:21,158
at the same time,
695
00:44:21,241 --> 00:44:24,578
he was grappling with, "How can I be
my authentic black self
696
00:44:24,662 --> 00:44:27,206
and speak truth to what's happening?"
697
00:44:36,382 --> 00:44:39,093
It's hard to sing
"Everybody Likes To Cha-Cha-Cha"
698
00:44:39,176 --> 00:44:42,346
when there were songs like
"Blowing in the Wind."
699
00:44:42,888 --> 00:44:46,892
The combination of this Jewish brother,
Bob Dylan, and that song,
700
00:44:46,975 --> 00:44:50,104
and these black-and-white folks
and other people comin' together
701
00:44:50,187 --> 00:44:52,606
in places like the march on Washington
702
00:44:52,690 --> 00:44:55,526
gave Sam the fuel to say,
703
00:44:55,609 --> 00:44:57,319
"Okay, in some of my performances,
704
00:44:57,403 --> 00:45:00,906
I'm gonna start to weave in songs
like "Blowing in the Wind."
705
00:45:21,051 --> 00:45:22,803
Even if I'm gonna speed the song up
706
00:45:22,886 --> 00:45:25,764
so you may not catch
exactly what I'm doing,
707
00:45:25,848 --> 00:45:27,683
but those who know will know,
708
00:45:27,766 --> 00:45:30,811
"Hey, he's now performingan anthem,
a political anthem."
709
00:45:41,113 --> 00:45:45,576
Sam is moved by the ideas
in "Blowing in the Wind,"
710
00:45:45,659 --> 00:45:46,827
but he's also embarrassed.
711
00:45:46,910 --> 00:45:49,830
Why is it Bob Dylan, this white artist,
712
00:45:49,913 --> 00:45:53,834
who is speaking to the masses
about social change at this moment,
713
00:45:53,917 --> 00:45:56,003
during the midst
of the Civil Rights movement?
714
00:45:56,086 --> 00:45:59,548
Why aren't we seeing black artists
do that themselves?
715
00:46:07,765 --> 00:46:10,976
I came by the session when they were
recording "Change is Gonna Come,"
716
00:46:11,059 --> 00:46:13,854
and my hair stood up, you know.
717
00:46:14,521 --> 00:46:16,648
He wanted to write things like that,
718
00:46:16,732 --> 00:46:19,318
and it was amazing how well that came out.
719
00:46:30,871 --> 00:46:32,581
You know, as a singer grows older,
720
00:46:32,664 --> 00:46:36,126
his conception goes a little deeper
because he lives life,
721
00:46:36,210 --> 00:46:39,755
and he understands
what he's trying to say a little more.
722
00:46:39,838 --> 00:46:44,468
I think if a singer tries to find out
what's happening in life,
723
00:46:44,551 --> 00:46:45,969
it gives him a better insight
724
00:46:46,053 --> 00:46:49,097
on telling the story of the song
he's trying to sing.
725
00:46:49,181 --> 00:46:52,643
I told him,
I said, "Man, it sounded like eerie.
726
00:46:52,726 --> 00:46:55,562
It sounded like death
or something, you know."
727
00:46:55,646 --> 00:46:57,773
He said, "Well, you know what?
It is like death.
728
00:46:57,856 --> 00:47:00,818
It's the death of the old me
729
00:47:00,901 --> 00:47:03,237
and a birth of the new me."
730
00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:06,448
He said, "That's what I was thinkin' about
when I wrote this song.
731
00:47:06,532 --> 00:47:09,076
That, uh, it's gonna come,
732
00:47:09,159 --> 00:47:11,662
but I wanna be
a part of makin' it happen."
733
00:47:12,454 --> 00:47:15,249
There is no doubt about Sam
734
00:47:15,332 --> 00:47:19,294
moving more into the center
of the movement
735
00:47:19,378 --> 00:47:22,756
because the satisfaction of hit records...
736
00:47:23,632 --> 00:47:24,675
didn't do it.
737
00:47:25,843 --> 00:47:27,928
Just like touchdowns didn't do it for me.
738
00:47:28,011 --> 00:47:30,973
Browns' Jimmy Brownblasts his way right down the middle
739
00:47:31,056 --> 00:47:33,058
with a sensational scoring run.
740
00:47:33,141 --> 00:47:38,522
And if you were a popular celebrity
that had crossover value,
741
00:47:38,605 --> 00:47:43,360
you did have the pressure of
were you going to be careful,
742
00:47:43,443 --> 00:47:46,488
or were you going to be truthful?
Were you going to be real?
743
00:47:51,285 --> 00:47:52,786
I'm ready to rumble.
744
00:47:52,870 --> 00:47:54,830
I can't be beat.
745
00:47:54,913 --> 00:47:55,914
I'm the champ.
746
00:47:55,998 --> 00:47:59,334
Sam and I and a bunch of people
all went to see the fight.
747
00:47:59,418 --> 00:48:02,170
All of a sudden,
all these Muslims were around us.
748
00:48:03,422 --> 00:48:06,300
Malcolm X was there. I shook his hand.
749
00:48:06,383 --> 00:48:08,302
Malcolm X, Sam Cooke,
750
00:48:08,385 --> 00:48:09,553
Ali and myself.
751
00:48:09,636 --> 00:48:15,475
It was a rare experience for all of us
to be in one place at the same time.
752
00:48:15,559 --> 00:48:17,519
We're almost all set to go
753
00:48:17,603 --> 00:48:19,771
for that World Heavyweight
Championship fight.
754
00:48:19,855 --> 00:48:23,817
When I found out
that Jim Brown, Sam Cooke,
755
00:48:23,901 --> 00:48:26,403
Muhammad Ali aka Cassius Clay,
756
00:48:26,486 --> 00:48:28,113
and Malcolm X were all connected,
757
00:48:28,196 --> 00:48:31,116
I said, "What an amazing connection,
758
00:48:31,199 --> 00:48:34,453
but what a huge threat to America
at that time."
759
00:48:37,205 --> 00:48:41,293
Malcolm X is the oldest of them,
the political theorist, if you will.
760
00:48:41,376 --> 00:48:43,378
Sam Cooke's only 33 years old.
761
00:48:43,462 --> 00:48:47,299
Great well-known singer, but in many ways,
a business genius, right?
762
00:48:47,966 --> 00:48:51,845
And then you have these two
20-something professional athletes
763
00:48:51,929 --> 00:48:54,890
who young and white folks adore.
764
00:48:54,973 --> 00:48:57,267
What you see
is this interesting kind of moment
765
00:48:57,351 --> 00:49:00,646
in the early stage development
of what we might call black power.
766
00:49:00,729 --> 00:49:03,190
I am the greatest.
767
00:49:04,650 --> 00:49:06,818
Overconfidence.This can happen.
768
00:49:06,902 --> 00:49:09,321
This is the legend of Cassius Clay,
769
00:49:09,404 --> 00:49:11,907
the most beautiful fighter
in the world today.
770
00:49:11,990 --> 00:49:13,533
Look at the guy yawning.
771
00:49:13,617 --> 00:49:16,411
This brash young boxeris something to see,
772
00:49:16,495 --> 00:49:19,331
and the Heavyweight Championship
is his destiny.
773
00:49:19,414 --> 00:49:21,750
He is the greatest.
774
00:49:24,670 --> 00:49:27,965
They might be stopping it.That might be all, ladies and gentlemen.
775
00:49:28,048 --> 00:49:29,549
Get up there, Joe.
776
00:49:29,633 --> 00:49:31,218
Sam Cooke is front and center,
777
00:49:31,301 --> 00:49:34,054
and he watches Clay become
heavyweight champion in the world.
778
00:49:34,137 --> 00:49:36,848
At that moment,
Clay's yelling at the sportswriters,
779
00:49:36,932 --> 00:49:39,434
tellin 'em that, "I told ya."
He's pointing fingers.
780
00:49:39,518 --> 00:49:43,897
And he yells out, "Sam Cooke.
Sam Cooke's the greatest.
781
00:49:43,981 --> 00:49:45,565
Come on, Sam. Come up here."
782
00:49:45,649 --> 00:49:49,027
Hey, let that man up here. Let Sam in.
World's greatest rock-'n'-roll singer.
783
00:49:49,111 --> 00:49:50,153
This is Sam Cooke.
784
00:49:50,237 --> 00:49:53,657
Sam Cooke, a very good friend,
a good vocalist, with Cassius.
785
00:49:53,740 --> 00:49:57,119
Excuse me. Move back, if you will.
786
00:49:57,202 --> 00:49:59,162
- Did I shake up the world?
- You are beautiful.
787
00:50:01,164 --> 00:50:05,544
We all ended up that night
in this little black motel.
788
00:50:05,627 --> 00:50:08,213
It became sort of historical.
789
00:50:08,296 --> 00:50:10,048
We just shared our thoughts.
790
00:50:10,132 --> 00:50:13,135
Standing up
was a big thing for all of us...
791
00:50:13,218 --> 00:50:16,847
because we defied second-class citizenship
792
00:50:16,930 --> 00:50:18,765
and being considered inferior.
793
00:50:19,725 --> 00:50:24,021
Being outspoken,
the risk was to lose money
794
00:50:24,104 --> 00:50:26,690
or to lose your popularity
with Middle America...
795
00:50:27,733 --> 00:50:30,193
but those of us who, uh...
796
00:50:30,277 --> 00:50:33,363
were there that night
cared nothing about that.
797
00:50:33,613 --> 00:50:37,159
We were talkin' about standing up
as human beings and demanding our rights.
798
00:50:38,035 --> 00:50:40,787
That black male energy
that Sam Cooke possessed,
799
00:50:40,871 --> 00:50:43,623
that Malcolm X possessed,
that Cassius Clay possessed...
800
00:50:43,707 --> 00:50:45,959
unfortunately
for some people in power in this country,
801
00:50:46,043 --> 00:50:48,378
represented a threat
that had to be stopped,
802
00:50:48,462 --> 00:50:50,964
and that's why informants
were all around those folks.
803
00:50:51,048 --> 00:50:53,467
And little did we know
that one year after that,
804
00:50:53,550 --> 00:50:56,636
both Sam Cooke and Malcolm X
would be dead.
805
00:50:57,846 --> 00:51:02,267
Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali
were being surveilled by the FBI.
806
00:51:02,350 --> 00:51:05,479
So Sam Cooke
gets caught up in all of that, also.
807
00:51:05,562 --> 00:51:07,064
In these FBI documents,
808
00:51:07,147 --> 00:51:10,025
you know, he's this negro recording star
from Los Angeles
809
00:51:10,108 --> 00:51:12,944
who's spending time with Muslims.
Well, that was Sam Cooke.
810
00:51:13,028 --> 00:51:16,114
What was he doing politically
that they might find threatening.
811
00:51:16,948 --> 00:51:18,283
If you're J. Edgar Hoover,
812
00:51:18,366 --> 00:51:20,577
who was always concerned and fearful
813
00:51:20,660 --> 00:51:23,038
of the radicalization of black people,
814
00:51:23,121 --> 00:51:25,082
and you're looking at these four men,
815
00:51:25,165 --> 00:51:27,209
Sam Cooke might be
the most dangerous to you
816
00:51:27,292 --> 00:51:29,503
because he's already in
white American living rooms.
817
00:51:30,212 --> 00:51:33,799
Cassius Clay announces the next day,
"My name is now Muhammad Ali."
818
00:51:33,882 --> 00:51:37,552
Clay was a white man's name.
It was a slave name.
819
00:51:37,636 --> 00:51:40,097
And I'm no longer Clay,
I'm no longer a slave,
820
00:51:40,180 --> 00:51:42,015
so now I'm Muhammad Ali.
821
00:51:42,099 --> 00:51:44,684
Because he's a clean-living young man,
822
00:51:44,768 --> 00:51:47,771
and this is the main thing
that the honorable Elijah Muhammad
823
00:51:47,854 --> 00:51:50,982
does teach in spreading
the religion of Islam throughout the...
824
00:51:51,066 --> 00:51:53,026
among our people in this country.
825
00:51:53,110 --> 00:51:56,446
We saw a picture of Sam with Malcolm X,
826
00:51:56,530 --> 00:52:00,408
and we were askin' him, "Was he
thinkin' about turnin' to be a Muslim?"
827
00:52:00,492 --> 00:52:01,910
And he's like, "Nah, man."
828
00:52:01,993 --> 00:52:05,247
Sam was drawn to
the economical part of it...
829
00:52:05,455 --> 00:52:07,666
owning and having your own.
830
00:52:07,749 --> 00:52:13,046
We didn't see the Muslims here
as spiritual.
831
00:52:13,130 --> 00:52:14,798
It was more educational.
832
00:52:14,881 --> 00:52:17,843
About self independence.
833
00:52:17,926 --> 00:52:19,845
That's what it all was about.
834
00:52:21,721 --> 00:52:23,390
I'm sure the RCA marketing people
835
00:52:23,473 --> 00:52:28,436
would've had great concern
that Sam was hanging out with Malcolm X.
836
00:52:28,645 --> 00:52:33,608
They would've feared the loss of
considerable portion of Sam's audience.
837
00:52:33,692 --> 00:52:36,987
If you're RCA, you don't want
your mainstream black artist
838
00:52:37,070 --> 00:52:38,655
talking about those kind of politics,
839
00:52:38,738 --> 00:52:41,324
so there's a second verse
of "Change is Gonna Come"
840
00:52:41,408 --> 00:52:44,452
that was famously deleted
when it was initially released,
841
00:52:44,536 --> 00:52:47,914
that very explicitly
talks about segregation
842
00:52:47,998 --> 00:52:50,000
and Jim Crow segregation in the South.
843
00:53:02,012 --> 00:53:04,222
And I think it's very telling that,
you know,
844
00:53:04,306 --> 00:53:07,058
the record company deleted that verse
because they were concerned
845
00:53:07,142 --> 00:53:09,853
about what kind of reaction
the public would have
846
00:53:09,936 --> 00:53:11,980
with this very political verse
in the song.
847
00:53:13,315 --> 00:53:15,192
At that moment in his career,
848
00:53:15,275 --> 00:53:20,530
Sam was a musical icon, a culture hero,
who had reached out to white audiences,
849
00:53:20,614 --> 00:53:23,325
and had a real foothold
in those white audiences,
850
00:53:23,408 --> 00:53:28,413
and could play a show like the Copa,
and it's incredibly successful.
851
00:53:29,539 --> 00:53:32,626
And yet, he never had left
his black audience.
852
00:53:32,709 --> 00:53:36,588
And you hear all of that
in "Live at the Harlem Square,"
853
00:53:36,671 --> 00:53:38,423
and "Bring It On Home To Me"
854
00:53:38,506 --> 00:53:42,469
is just such an amazing,
powerful moment on that record.
855
00:53:44,179 --> 00:53:45,513
Ha ha.
856
00:53:55,023 --> 00:53:57,609
There's something else
in that "Harlem Square" recording
857
00:53:57,692 --> 00:53:59,319
that's so much grittier and blacker.
858
00:54:04,532 --> 00:54:06,618
There is something terribly tragic
859
00:54:06,701 --> 00:54:10,288
that folks didn't get to hear
the "Harlem Square" album... until 1985.
860
00:54:11,122 --> 00:54:12,791
I think there's probably several reasons
861
00:54:12,874 --> 00:54:15,794
why it wasn't released
at the time it was recorded.
862
00:54:15,877 --> 00:54:20,632
I can't discount the fact that RCA
didn't relate to it on a commercial level.
863
00:54:20,715 --> 00:54:26,596
Forget about... you know, too R&B,
too black... or whatever.
864
00:54:27,180 --> 00:54:30,016
That was not the guy
they wanted playing Vegas and the Copa,
865
00:54:30,100 --> 00:54:31,685
which were things Sam wanted as well,
866
00:54:31,768 --> 00:54:35,146
but Sam felt there was room to do
both of those. The record industry didn't.
867
00:54:35,230 --> 00:54:38,275
I think the more they pushed it aside,
the more Sam pushed forward with it
868
00:54:38,358 --> 00:54:40,860
because he had to be who he was.
He had to fulfill that.
869
00:54:40,944 --> 00:54:43,947
These things had been important to him
for a very long time.
870
00:54:45,865 --> 00:54:50,161
Sam really wanted to build an empire.
871
00:54:50,245 --> 00:54:52,872
He felt he could do it,
872
00:54:53,415 --> 00:54:55,542
and he was not afraid to do it.
873
00:54:56,376 --> 00:54:59,254
Sam had an ideal
of getting all the big entertainers
874
00:54:59,337 --> 00:55:03,133
like Jackie Wilson, James Brown...
to put all their money together,
875
00:55:03,216 --> 00:55:07,804
and let's start our own big record company
and booking agency all within one.
876
00:55:08,638 --> 00:55:12,183
The mob has always been
involved in the record industry...
877
00:55:12,267 --> 00:55:14,227
simply because it's a lucrative business.
878
00:55:15,145 --> 00:55:19,149
He would get phone calls,
and he would get visits from mob figures
879
00:55:19,232 --> 00:55:21,151
who wanted a piece of his businesses.
880
00:55:21,234 --> 00:55:24,362
There were some guys that came up
to Sam's dressing room,
881
00:55:24,446 --> 00:55:26,990
and he would never let us
leave the dressing room.
882
00:55:27,073 --> 00:55:31,369
He said, "Anything you can say,
you can say with my little brothers."
883
00:55:31,453 --> 00:55:33,204
So they were like, "Sam, look here.
884
00:55:33,288 --> 00:55:37,917
We hear you're tryin' to start
a music union of your own,
885
00:55:38,001 --> 00:55:40,587
and we want you to leave that alone."
886
00:55:40,670 --> 00:55:42,547
But he's like, "Well, fuck all y'all.
887
00:55:42,630 --> 00:55:44,758
I don't give a damn about that shit.
888
00:55:44,841 --> 00:55:47,052
Hell, I'm gonna...
I will do what I wanna do."
889
00:55:47,135 --> 00:55:50,638
And Sammy Davis
even called Sam, said, uh...
890
00:55:50,722 --> 00:55:53,391
"You got to listen to these guys.
These guys are serious guys."
891
00:55:55,352 --> 00:56:00,607
It was very courageous and was scary, too,
you know, 'cause a lot of people was...
892
00:56:00,690 --> 00:56:03,526
"Oh, man. Oh, no,
you can't mess with that." You know.
893
00:56:03,610 --> 00:56:05,570
"I don't wanna get killed." You know.
894
00:56:08,531 --> 00:56:10,658
I got a phone call at the office,
895
00:56:10,742 --> 00:56:15,372
and they wanted to have him
come home... immediately.
896
00:56:15,455 --> 00:56:16,623
There was trouble.
897
00:56:17,624 --> 00:56:20,919
And he went home
and found out that his son died.
898
00:56:22,545 --> 00:56:25,673
Vincent was... by the pool,
899
00:56:25,757 --> 00:56:28,593
and Sam's wife
went in the house for a little while,
900
00:56:28,676 --> 00:56:32,472
and he just slipped into the pool...
and he died.
901
00:56:33,932 --> 00:56:36,726
And, uh, it affected Sam a lot.
902
00:56:37,727 --> 00:56:42,315
It took a long time for him
to be able to even talk about it.
903
00:56:43,942 --> 00:56:46,903
And then it was a touchy subject
904
00:56:46,986 --> 00:56:50,657
that you don't wanna bring
those kind of things up to anybody.
905
00:56:51,282 --> 00:56:54,327
Every time he walked in the house,
he walked right by the pool
906
00:56:54,411 --> 00:56:56,371
in the front yard that his son died in.
907
00:56:57,122 --> 00:57:00,583
So he didn't have a lot of
peaceful days at home after that.
908
00:57:01,543 --> 00:57:03,211
It affected his marriage a lot.
909
00:57:04,379 --> 00:57:08,633
I would sit many a time
at the dinner table...
910
00:57:08,716 --> 00:57:11,970
and Sam would get up to go out.
911
00:57:13,555 --> 00:57:18,935
And Barbara suspected what he was doing.
Every... we all knew.
912
00:57:19,644 --> 00:57:21,312
He was a womanizer.
913
00:57:22,313 --> 00:57:24,691
He started drinking
a little bit more Beefeaters.
914
00:57:24,774 --> 00:57:28,153
He... It changed him.
915
00:57:28,236 --> 00:57:31,197
After Vincent died,
all he wanted to do was work.
916
00:57:31,281 --> 00:57:33,241
He poured himself into his work.
917
00:57:33,324 --> 00:57:35,618
Immediately wanted to go on tour.
"Let's go."
918
00:57:59,809 --> 00:58:03,771
He's masking the very real pain
and loss in his life...
919
00:58:03,855 --> 00:58:04,856
the loss of a son.
920
00:58:04,939 --> 00:58:07,484
And that's in concert with
just the added pressures
921
00:58:07,567 --> 00:58:09,611
of being Sam Cooke,
922
00:58:09,694 --> 00:58:12,322
as being famous,
as being a celebrity,
923
00:58:12,405 --> 00:58:14,449
as being what most white folks
924
00:58:14,532 --> 00:58:17,660
would've thought of
as a credit to the race.
925
00:58:17,744 --> 00:58:19,954
That doesn't come without a price.
926
00:58:21,748 --> 00:58:23,875
It was renegotiation time at RCA...
927
00:58:24,876 --> 00:58:27,670
so Allen Klein,
who's become Sam's manager,
928
00:58:27,754 --> 00:58:30,882
"I'll tell you what.
I'll negotiate the contract."
929
00:58:30,965 --> 00:58:34,427
And they came up with a concept where
they'd create their own record company,
930
00:58:34,511 --> 00:58:38,640
separate from RCA,
and then lease the material out to RCA.
931
00:58:38,723 --> 00:58:41,434
The company was named Tracey Limited,
932
00:58:41,518 --> 00:58:44,521
and Tracey was the name
of Sam's middle daughter.
933
00:58:44,604 --> 00:58:48,024
And how it was explained to Sam
934
00:58:48,107 --> 00:58:51,236
was that this would be a venture
935
00:58:51,319 --> 00:58:54,280
where Sam would own the company,
936
00:58:54,364 --> 00:58:57,951
own the rights to the recorded materials,
937
00:58:58,034 --> 00:59:02,330
be in charge in the studio,
which is something he really wanted.
938
00:59:03,498 --> 00:59:06,334
It turns out that Sam
was bedridden around this time.
939
00:59:06,417 --> 00:59:07,502
He had the flu.
940
00:59:07,585 --> 00:59:10,797
What that time period did
was give Sam a chance
941
00:59:10,880 --> 00:59:12,173
to look through his papers,
942
00:59:12,257 --> 00:59:14,509
and he realized that
there were things that weren't right
943
00:59:14,592 --> 00:59:18,096
as far as the ownership
of his music business,
944
00:59:18,179 --> 00:59:21,140
and he realized that,
"Wait a minute. Things are very wrong."
945
00:59:21,224 --> 00:59:25,186
I can imagine...
it would be quite a shock...
946
00:59:25,853 --> 00:59:30,233
when he learned that the real effect
of all of this paperwork
947
00:59:30,316 --> 00:59:35,029
is that Allen Klein
was the owner of Tracey Limited,
948
00:59:35,113 --> 00:59:37,198
which, in effect, makes Sam...
949
00:59:38,032 --> 00:59:41,327
an employee... of Allen Klein.
950
00:59:43,413 --> 00:59:46,916
Before he died, Sam said to me,
"I'm gonna leave that asshole."
951
00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:51,004
That Thursday, he had proclaimed that
he was gonna fly to New York Monday
952
00:59:51,087 --> 00:59:54,632
and make a whole lot of changes,
including firing Allen Klein,
953
00:59:54,716 --> 00:59:57,302
but he never made it through the weekend.
954
01:00:03,808 --> 01:00:05,602
Sam and I had talked earlier in the day,
955
01:00:05,685 --> 01:00:10,481
and we were gonna meet... for dinner...
at Martoni's,
956
01:00:10,565 --> 01:00:14,152
which was a big music hangout on Cahuenga.
957
01:00:14,235 --> 01:00:17,822
I had brought my wife at the time,
Joan, with me.
958
01:00:17,905 --> 01:00:21,868
Sam had... a few martinis.
959
01:00:21,951 --> 01:00:24,454
He liked his martinis, and, uh...
960
01:00:25,747 --> 01:00:30,793
and we were talking about...
we were gonna do a blues album.
961
01:00:30,877 --> 01:00:33,921
Sam pulled out a big wad of money
from his pocket.
962
01:00:34,005 --> 01:00:36,466
I mean, it was like a fistful of money.
963
01:00:36,549 --> 01:00:38,217
And he said to Al, he said,
964
01:00:38,301 --> 01:00:40,470
"I just came in off the road
and look what I got,"
965
01:00:40,553 --> 01:00:42,513
or "Look what I earned,"
or something like that.
966
01:00:42,597 --> 01:00:46,392
And Al said to him, "Yeah. Sam,
don't be flashing that money here.
967
01:00:46,476 --> 01:00:48,936
Put it back in your pocket.
Don't show that around."
968
01:00:49,020 --> 01:00:52,065
And Sam kind of laughed, you know,
because in Sam's mind,
969
01:00:52,148 --> 01:00:55,985
nobody ever would try to take money
from Sam Cooke.
970
01:00:56,069 --> 01:00:57,320
Are you serious?
971
01:00:57,403 --> 01:00:59,447
I mean, in his mind, he was invincible.
972
01:00:59,530 --> 01:01:01,032
When we got up to leave,
973
01:01:01,115 --> 01:01:05,536
Sam went up to the bar,
and this woman was there.
974
01:01:06,496 --> 01:01:10,083
When we left... as I recall,
he was still at the bar,
975
01:01:10,166 --> 01:01:12,126
you know, talking, laughing, carrying on.
976
01:01:12,752 --> 01:01:13,753
Now...
977
01:01:15,338 --> 01:01:20,259
there's all kinds of things that go on
with what happened after that.
978
01:01:21,886 --> 01:01:24,681
The number is PL79984.
979
01:01:24,764 --> 01:01:28,101
- 79984?- That's a telephone booth I'm at.
980
01:01:28,184 --> 01:01:30,770
Uh-huh. What street are you on?
981
01:01:30,853 --> 01:01:32,772
- I don't know.
- What's your problem there?
982
01:01:32,855 --> 01:01:35,108
Well, I-I was kidnapped.
983
01:01:35,191 --> 01:01:36,818
- You were kidnapped?
- Right.
984
01:01:36,901 --> 01:01:39,445
But you have no idea where you're at?
985
01:01:39,529 --> 01:01:40,863
No, it's pretty dark here.
986
01:01:40,947 --> 01:01:42,699
Can you stay right there
in the phone booth?
987
01:01:42,782 --> 01:01:44,242
- Right.
- I'll find out where you are.
988
01:01:44,325 --> 01:01:45,868
- You stay right where you're at.
- I will.
989
01:01:45,952 --> 01:01:46,911
- Ok.
- Bye.
990
01:01:46,994 --> 01:01:48,538
What is your name?
991
01:01:49,539 --> 01:01:54,252
Joan and I got home... went to bed.
Five o'clock, the phone rang.
992
01:01:54,335 --> 01:01:56,504
And I heard that Sam Cooke...
993
01:01:58,131 --> 01:01:59,215
was shot.
994
01:01:59,298 --> 01:02:00,758
I went to the police station,
995
01:02:00,842 --> 01:02:04,679
wanting to know more details
about what had actually happened.
996
01:02:05,221 --> 01:02:07,849
The desk sergeant said,
"What is going on here?
997
01:02:07,932 --> 01:02:09,434
We've had calls from everywhere.
998
01:02:09,517 --> 01:02:13,688
We even had a phone call from London.
Who the hell is... Sam Cooke?
999
01:02:13,771 --> 01:02:17,233
Just another n-word killed in Watts.
What is the big deal?"
1000
01:02:18,025 --> 01:02:21,028
So I told him he was a fucking idiot.
1001
01:02:22,488 --> 01:02:27,785
I joined the Los Angeles Police Department
in May of 1959.
1002
01:02:27,869 --> 01:02:32,749
The attitude of the police at 77th Street
toward the black community
1003
01:02:32,832 --> 01:02:35,334
was just purely suppressive.
1004
01:02:35,418 --> 01:02:38,880
All blacks look alike,
and all Asians look alike. Right?
1005
01:02:40,131 --> 01:02:44,594
The official story is that Sam went out
the night of December tenth
1006
01:02:44,677 --> 01:02:47,096
and met a woman named Lisa Boyer
1007
01:02:47,180 --> 01:02:49,974
in a restaurant called Martoni's,
1008
01:02:50,057 --> 01:02:54,812
and he left with her
and went to the Hacienda Motel.
1009
01:02:59,233 --> 01:03:02,153
And he... dragged me into that room.
1010
01:03:02,236 --> 01:03:06,240
I started talking very loudly,
and I told him, "Please take me home."
1011
01:03:06,324 --> 01:03:10,495
He latched the night latch on...
and, um...
1012
01:03:14,123 --> 01:03:18,002
he pushed me on the bed, and he says,
"Well, we're just gonna talk."
1013
01:03:18,085 --> 01:03:20,630
I knew that he was about to rape me...
1014
01:03:20,713 --> 01:03:23,090
so while he was in the bathroom,
1015
01:03:23,174 --> 01:03:26,302
I picked up my clothes,
my shoes, and my handbag.
1016
01:03:26,385 --> 01:03:29,013
I opened the latch, and I ran out.
1017
01:03:29,096 --> 01:03:33,100
She grabs his pants... runs out,
1018
01:03:33,184 --> 01:03:36,896
so he went to the manager's door
and started bangin' on the door,
1019
01:03:36,979 --> 01:03:40,483
'cause he thought...
the girl was in there.
1020
01:03:40,566 --> 01:03:43,694
Miss Franklin stated that
the deceased came to the door...
1021
01:03:46,030 --> 01:03:50,660
and started pounding and shouting
and asking if his lady friend was inside.
1022
01:03:50,743 --> 01:03:53,329
And at this time, the deceased...
1023
01:03:55,623 --> 01:03:56,833
broke the door open.
1024
01:03:57,458 --> 01:03:59,502
And he grabbed both of my arms
1025
01:03:59,585 --> 01:04:02,463
and started twistin' 'em
and asked me where was the girl.
1026
01:04:02,547 --> 01:04:06,008
I started kickin', and I...
he maybe have a bite. I don't know.
1027
01:04:06,092 --> 01:04:08,594
But I tried bite him through that jacket.
1028
01:04:08,678 --> 01:04:10,263
You tried to bite Mr. Cooke?
1029
01:04:10,346 --> 01:04:13,224
Yeah, I was fightin', scratchin', bitin'
and everything.
1030
01:04:13,307 --> 01:04:16,561
Finally, I got up and grabbed a pistol.
1031
01:04:16,644 --> 01:04:18,396
I started shootin'.
1032
01:04:19,188 --> 01:04:21,816
And how many times
did you fire this pistol?
1033
01:04:21,899 --> 01:04:23,025
Three times.
1034
01:04:24,694 --> 01:04:26,779
Did you know you struck Mr. Cooke?
1035
01:04:27,613 --> 01:04:30,157
Yes, 'cause he said, "Lady, you shot me."
1036
01:04:32,451 --> 01:04:36,747
I didn't believe that Sam was killed
the way they say they did.
1037
01:04:36,831 --> 01:04:40,376
I didn't make sense of that,
and Papa Cook didn't make sense of that.
1038
01:04:40,459 --> 01:04:43,254
I don't believe it.
That's far as I go with that.
1039
01:04:43,337 --> 01:04:46,799
That just didn't sound like him at all,
at all.
1040
01:04:46,883 --> 01:04:50,219
I never seen him
be aggressively at-at-at a lady.
1041
01:04:50,303 --> 01:04:51,971
Sam wasn't that kind of a guy.
1042
01:04:52,054 --> 01:04:55,474
That's totally bullshit.
1043
01:04:55,558 --> 01:04:58,686
He wasn't that kind of a guy
that had to be domineering
1044
01:04:58,769 --> 01:05:01,355
or have power over people.
1045
01:05:01,439 --> 01:05:03,482
I never saw that in Sam ever.
1046
01:05:04,942 --> 01:05:08,946
It turns out that she was a hooker,
and she was a Hollywood hooker.
1047
01:05:09,030 --> 01:05:11,908
There was the idea that the girl
had come to this place before,
1048
01:05:11,991 --> 01:05:15,328
and she threw his pants out the window,
which had all his money in the pant...
1049
01:05:15,411 --> 01:05:17,788
the $5,000 I told you about earlier.
1050
01:05:20,458 --> 01:05:22,877
Somebody was out there, her pimp,
1051
01:05:22,960 --> 01:05:26,505
and grabbed the pants,
and then she ran out with that person.
1052
01:05:27,131 --> 01:05:31,302
And rumor had it
that Bertha was in with the mob.
1053
01:05:31,385 --> 01:05:34,096
That she was like a pimpess or something.
1054
01:05:34,847 --> 01:05:37,475
It was ruled that Bertha Franklin
shooting Sam Cooke
1055
01:05:37,558 --> 01:05:39,477
was a case of justifiable homicide,
1056
01:05:39,560 --> 01:05:40,853
and nobody bought that.
1057
01:05:40,937 --> 01:05:44,815
It just didn't seem like he was the person
that got shot down in the way that he did.
1058
01:05:44,899 --> 01:05:46,525
There had to be something more in play,
1059
01:05:46,609 --> 01:05:49,487
and that's what fueled the idea
of this being some sort of conspiracy.
1060
01:05:51,364 --> 01:05:55,034
Elvis believed that there was a sense
in the music industry
1061
01:05:55,117 --> 01:05:58,371
that Sam was getting too powerful
and had to be stopped,
1062
01:05:58,454 --> 01:06:02,124
which echoed what a lot of people
in the black community thought.
1063
01:06:02,208 --> 01:06:05,836
You know, that this was about a black man
who didn't know his place,
1064
01:06:05,920 --> 01:06:08,130
and to stop him, he had to be murdered.
1065
01:06:08,214 --> 01:06:11,384
They didn't mind Sam
seepin' through the cracks
1066
01:06:11,509 --> 01:06:13,135
and being successful on his own.
1067
01:06:13,219 --> 01:06:16,097
But the problem was
that too many other entertainers
1068
01:06:16,180 --> 01:06:18,724
were watching Sam and listening to Sam.
1069
01:06:18,808 --> 01:06:19,892
That was the problem.
1070
01:06:22,311 --> 01:06:26,107
There's another wild theory
that Allen Klein killed Sam Cooke.
1071
01:06:26,190 --> 01:06:27,942
Well, from what I hear...
1072
01:06:29,318 --> 01:06:32,613
he had the argument with Allen,
1073
01:06:32,697 --> 01:06:34,865
maybe two, three days before.
1074
01:06:34,949 --> 01:06:39,662
Allen Klein loved Sam Cooke,
but he also was a thief.
1075
01:06:39,745 --> 01:06:42,790
He used his love to steal his songs.
1076
01:06:43,457 --> 01:06:47,294
Klein was ready to take everything.
1077
01:06:47,378 --> 01:06:50,589
He did a similar thing
to the Rolling Stones,
1078
01:06:50,673 --> 01:06:54,176
and he was one of the forces
that broke up The Beatles.
1079
01:06:55,052 --> 01:06:57,722
Well, the problem with that
is that in 1964,
1080
01:06:57,805 --> 01:07:02,018
Allen Klein didn't have the kind of power
to set up this big, elaborate murder
1081
01:07:02,101 --> 01:07:04,645
where the police is gonna be
a part of it, too?
1082
01:07:04,729 --> 01:07:08,357
And the district attorney?
Allen Klein... he wasn't that powerful yet.
1083
01:07:08,441 --> 01:07:11,277
I was on a plane
coming back from New York,
1084
01:07:11,360 --> 01:07:14,447
and I hadn't seen Barbara
in quite some time,
1085
01:07:14,530 --> 01:07:20,369
and as I recall, she said,
"I sold Sam's work, and I got $50,000."
1086
01:07:20,453 --> 01:07:22,830
Or something.
Some ridiculous amount of money.
1087
01:07:22,913 --> 01:07:27,501
I mean, obviously it's worth millions
and millions and millions of dollars.
1088
01:07:27,585 --> 01:07:31,464
KAGS, which was the publishing company,
and SAR Records...
1089
01:07:32,506 --> 01:07:34,258
all went to Allen Klein.
1090
01:07:34,341 --> 01:07:37,470
J.W. Alexander died broke.
1091
01:07:38,721 --> 01:07:40,056
What it is is inequality.
1092
01:07:40,139 --> 01:07:45,519
What it is is someone was in a position
to take advantage and they did.
1093
01:07:45,603 --> 01:07:51,150
It's a double pain. The pain of losing Sam
and the pain of, uh...
1094
01:07:51,233 --> 01:07:53,319
losing what he worked for,
1095
01:07:53,402 --> 01:07:55,988
what he was all about,
what he fought to establish.
1096
01:08:00,034 --> 01:08:03,412
Whether or not there was
any real conspiracy that went down,
1097
01:08:03,496 --> 01:08:08,417
we won't know because there wasn't
a thorough investigation done to find out
1098
01:08:08,501 --> 01:08:13,255
because to many people in the LAPD
who were investigating this case,
1099
01:08:13,339 --> 01:08:17,259
and just to be quite frank,
Sam Cooke was another nigger...
1100
01:08:17,343 --> 01:08:19,761
and this was just more nigger shit.
1101
01:08:19,845 --> 01:08:24,350
And it didn't deserve any more attention
than what it got.
1102
01:08:24,433 --> 01:08:28,520
When you see someone
as prominent as Sam Cooke...
1103
01:08:28,604 --> 01:08:31,564
get killed like that
under very mysterious circumstances,
1104
01:08:31,649 --> 01:08:37,029
and even his life is not valuable enough
to have a real investigation
1105
01:08:37,113 --> 01:08:39,740
by local law enforcement
there in Los Angeles...
1106
01:08:40,616 --> 01:08:42,660
it's not a surprise that to this day,
1107
01:08:42,743 --> 01:08:44,578
there are a lot of people
who still believe
1108
01:08:44,662 --> 01:08:46,455
that there was some sort of cover-up,
1109
01:08:46,538 --> 01:08:49,582
some sort of conspiracy
around the death of Sam Cooke.
1110
01:08:49,667 --> 01:08:53,546
I mean, what else are we gonna think,
particularly given our history in America,
1111
01:08:53,629 --> 01:08:57,258
our relationships with law enforcement
all over the country,
1112
01:08:57,341 --> 01:09:00,261
and the fact that if you happen to be
a black person
1113
01:09:00,344 --> 01:09:03,180
who speaks out in any kind of way,
1114
01:09:03,264 --> 01:09:06,642
who does anything that seems to be
empowering for the black community,
1115
01:09:06,725 --> 01:09:08,602
you are automatically a target.
1116
01:09:08,685 --> 01:09:13,064
If we were to transpose today
back to then,
1117
01:09:13,149 --> 01:09:16,902
we would say black lives matter. Right?
1118
01:09:16,986 --> 01:09:18,654
And in 1964,
1119
01:09:18,737 --> 01:09:23,492
even Sam Cooke's
black life didn't matter. Right?
1120
01:09:23,576 --> 01:09:27,371
So... it's-it's-it's just hard
to overcome that.
1121
01:09:28,122 --> 01:09:31,959
Do I think that the events of Sam Cooke
1122
01:09:32,042 --> 01:09:34,420
and the institutional attitude
1123
01:09:34,502 --> 01:09:37,715
contribute to the upcoming riots here?
1124
01:09:37,798 --> 01:09:40,718
Well, absolutely. Absolutely.
1125
01:09:40,801 --> 01:09:45,346
I don't wanna say Sam Cooke's death
caused the Watts riots.
1126
01:09:45,430 --> 01:09:46,599
I don't wanna say that.
1127
01:09:46,682 --> 01:09:48,184
But Sam Cooke's death
1128
01:09:48,267 --> 01:09:51,645
is a really big example
of a million things
1129
01:09:51,729 --> 01:09:55,441
that caused dissatisfaction
among black people in America.
1130
01:09:55,524 --> 01:10:00,404
Those people being, you know, murdered,
being enslaved, being imprisoned.
1131
01:10:00,487 --> 01:10:02,907
Like, all of that, is why.
1132
01:10:02,990 --> 01:10:06,493
And Sam Cooke
is yet another example of that.
1133
01:10:08,245 --> 01:10:12,124
Black people don't trust law enforcement
for good reason.
1134
01:10:12,208 --> 01:10:15,753
It is not beyond the realm of possibility
to a lot of people
1135
01:10:15,836 --> 01:10:19,798
that the FBI was somehow involved
in Sam Cooke's death.
1136
01:10:19,882 --> 01:10:21,967
That he was set up in some way,
1137
01:10:22,051 --> 01:10:26,138
that he was murdered because
he was just becoming too threatening,
1138
01:10:26,222 --> 01:10:29,767
you know, through the work he was doing,
the people he was associating with,
1139
01:10:29,850 --> 01:10:31,560
and the music he was now
gonna start making.
1140
01:10:31,644 --> 01:10:33,562
See, it's one thing
to have a little meeting.
1141
01:10:33,646 --> 01:10:36,523
It's another thing to put out a song
that could sell a million copies
1142
01:10:36,607 --> 01:10:39,693
and is on the radio, and everyone's
gonna start to hear and absorb.
1143
01:10:39,777 --> 01:10:43,447
So, you know, people,
whether it was true or not...
1144
01:10:43,530 --> 01:10:46,033
deeply felt that, you know,
the government was involved in this.
1145
01:10:46,951 --> 01:10:48,702
In a very short period of time...
1146
01:10:49,578 --> 01:10:52,539
Medgar Evers, Sam Cooke,
1147
01:10:52,623 --> 01:10:54,041
Malcolm X,
1148
01:10:54,124 --> 01:10:55,626
King a little later.
1149
01:10:55,709 --> 01:11:01,257
Langston Hughes isn't killed by the state,
but, you know, there are very real losses.
1150
01:11:01,340 --> 01:11:03,133
Something really...
1151
01:11:04,593 --> 01:11:08,430
powerful and important
and intimate to blackness,
1152
01:11:08,514 --> 01:11:11,058
it gets lost with those deaths.
1153
01:11:11,141 --> 01:11:14,770
That's a part that white America
will never fundamentally understand.
1154
01:11:18,816 --> 01:11:22,736
What we know is that we never
got to see him as a fully mature artist
1155
01:11:22,820 --> 01:11:25,489
and thinker and activist
1156
01:11:25,572 --> 01:11:29,743
who, had he lived, would've had
a dramatic impact on the next generation
1157
01:11:29,827 --> 01:11:31,829
of artists, thinkers, and activists.
1158
01:11:31,912 --> 01:11:34,999
We could've had this monument
to what was to come.
1159
01:11:35,958 --> 01:11:39,086
"A Change is Gonna Come," there it is.
But that's all we have.
1160
01:11:39,169 --> 01:11:41,338
The song isn't released
until after he dies.
1161
01:11:42,339 --> 01:11:45,175
"Change is Gonna Come"
is the perfect ending
1162
01:11:45,259 --> 01:11:50,848
for a career that was way too short...
for a life that was way too truncated.
1163
01:11:51,974 --> 01:11:55,519
It was a long time coming in 1964,
1164
01:11:55,602 --> 01:11:59,398
and it is the shame of this nation...
1165
01:11:59,481 --> 01:12:02,568
that that song
should still be so relevant.
1166
01:12:04,528 --> 01:12:08,824
The activism is one thing,
but the music is powerful.
1167
01:12:08,907 --> 01:12:09,825
"Change is Gonna Come"
1168
01:12:09,908 --> 01:12:13,579
communicates the rent of black life
in America,
1169
01:12:13,662 --> 01:12:16,832
and Sam Cooke taps into that
with such poetry.
1170
01:12:26,175 --> 01:12:30,304
It's meant to touch the soul, you see.
That's what this song is about.
1171
01:12:37,227 --> 01:12:40,147
It's his eulogy, the greatest gift
he could've given us.
1172
01:12:53,243 --> 01:12:54,119
Yes, it will.
1173
01:12:57,831 --> 01:13:01,960
All I can say to you, darling,is Sam Cooke's yours.
1174
01:13:02,044 --> 01:13:04,296
He'll never grow old. Sam, it's been nice.
1175
01:13:04,380 --> 01:13:05,756
- It's been wonderful.
- Thank you.
1176
01:13:05,839 --> 01:13:06,840
You're welcome.
102901
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