Like many Black artists back in the day, Sam Cooke came from Southern gospel roots. His voice, a rich tenor, had made him a teen idol in the gospel world – but Cooke wanted more.
So he crossed over, and change would soon come.
Cooke went from deep gospel to pop-soul. “Crossing over” often meant white record labels tried diluting an artist's Blackness to make their music more palatable for whites.
But Sam wasn't having that. He did it his way.
Never abandoning his roots, Cooke crafted a new sound that fused pop music with soul and a hint of gospel. “I'll always be able to go back to my people 'cause I'm never gonna stop singing to them," he once said.
Despite his "mainstream" success, Cooke had a deeper mission in mind.
He kept his ear to the movement, having faced racism himself while touring. Once, he was denied service at a Louisiana hotel despite his reservation! Cooke didn't back down – and was arrested.
Shortly after, the lyrics to his powerful protest song, "A Change Is Gonna Come," came to him in a dream.
It became a sonic ritual of the movement that demanded change and encouraged our perseverance.
Sometimes we have to make moves to survive, but we can never compromise our Blackness. We can be successful while still staying true to our roots despite the world saying otherwise!