SAM COOKE: LEGEND
1 X 70’ SD
WRITTEN BY PETER GURALNICK
PRODUCED BY MARY WHARTON
AN ABKCO FILMS PRODUCTION
Grammy® award winning film documenting the rise of soul music legend Sam Cooke, from his beginnings as a gospel singer to his crossover to the pop and R&B charts.
Everyone knows the perfection of Sam Cooke’s voice and music; what is less well-known is his story: how he went from being the #1 gospel singer of his day to having a #1 pop hit with You Send Me, his very first record under his own name. How his music developed from the pure charm and instant accessibility of (What A) Wonderful World and Having A Party to the social relevance of A Change Is Gonna Come, which became an anthem of the civil rights movement.
This biography takes on a scope of greater dimensions than music alone. Sam’s good friend Muhammad Ali plays an integral role, with Malcolm X and the Beatles, to share the world stage with Sam in Miami at the time of the first Ali-Sonny Liston fight.
The film includes illuminating interviews with Aretha Franklin, Lloyd Price, Bobby Womack, Lou Rawls, Lou Adler, legendary disc jockey Magnificent Montague, Luigi Creatore, and Sam’s brothers, sister and daughter, all of whom speak with rare candour and insight about a man whose contributions continue not only to be recognized but to grow long after his death.