How much is Sam Cooke worth?
| Net Worth: | $5 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Singer |
| Date of Birth: | January 22, 1931 (aged 33) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | Unknown |
About Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, better known by his stage name Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and businessman who lived from January 22, 1931, to December 11, 1964. His estimated net worth was $5 million. Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, but from the time he was 2 years old, he was nurtured in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of Charles Cook and Annie Mae’s eight children. Sam grew up singing in church and learning how to play the guitar and piano because his father was a pastor.
He began his musical career as a member of several bands, starting with The Singing Children, a group he and his siblings founded. Later, in 1945, he participated in the formation of the gospel vocal group The Highway QC’s, where he remained until 1950, when he joined The Soul Stirrers, another gospel group.
Going it alone
Cooke, who had added a “e” to his last name, sang with The Soul Stirrers for more than six years before leaving the group and eventually signing a deal with Keen Records. In September 1957, after leaving the gospel music industry, he achieved his first solo secular hit with the song “You Send Me” Eight Sam Cooke studio albums, including three albums with new or nearly all-new music, were released by Keen Records over the course of the following three years.
He parted ways with Keen in 1961 and joined RCA Records.
Gains with RCA
He had a lot of hit singles recorded between 1960 and 1966, some of which were released after his death. Chain Gang from 1960, Cupid and Twistin’ the Night Away from 1961, and Another Saturday Night from 1963 are a few examples. The party song “A Change is Gonna Come” (1965) and the anthem for civil rights “Shake” (1964) were both published after his passing in December 1964. He had 20 top 10 records on the Billboard R&B singles chart between 1957 and 1964.
Disputable Death
Sam, who had booked into a Los Angeles motel earlier that evening, was fatally shot after aggressively confronting the manager. Cooke was furious that the woman he had taken to his room had fled while he was in the shower, taking his clothing with her. He had stormed into the manager’s office wearing nothing but a sport jacket and sneakers. He grabbed the female manager because he believed she might know where the woman was and was hoping to get some information from her. Fearing for her life, the motel worker got free, grabbed a gun she had stashed for safety, and shot Sam once in the torso.
Police later declared the murder to be a justified homicide.
Selected Discography
1964: Sam Cooke at the Copa
1964: Ain’t That Good News.
1963: Night Beat.
1962: Twistin’ the Night Away.
1959: Hit Kit.
1958: Encore.
1957: Sam Cooke.
Posthumous Awards
1999: Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
1986: Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame.
Birth name: Samuel Cook.
Born: Jan. 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Died: Dec. 11, 1964 in Los Angeles, California.
