Sam Cooke Accomplishments

Nevertheless, Phillips kept on putting out influential, black music. Despite the hardening Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s, songs by African American artists slowly became extremely popular. In 1958, the first black artist reached the top of the billboard hot 100. This marked the climax of Phillip’s goal to make popular music from an unpopular race. Sam Phillips’s persistence on creating popular black records and the equality protests go hand in hand. The exposure of the protests and music gave new

During the Civil Rights era, African Americans changed the way people looked at music by ending the segregation in the music world and by making a well-known “soundtrack” and influence during the Civil Rights Movement.

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

Motown helped break down some racial barriers during this era. America during this era was one of gross racial stereotypes. Motown forced America to confront its own feelings about race, community, intolerance, justice and reality. Motown coincided with the emergence of the civil rights movement and both were inextricably linked. Motown was a type of prelude for Dr. Martin Luther King; it helped set the stage for the major changes that were underway. Motown broke many of the traditional stereotypes of African Americans. This music was the backbone for conversation, particularly the young, and initiated an intense re-examination of some prevalent stereotypes. It was long overdue don’t you think? My grandmother told me that when she was growing up during the sixties she can remember her mother yelling at her to “turn off that nigger trash!”, but my grandmother could’ve cared less, she had friends who were African American and there was nothing wrongful with listening to the music, but things were different in New York, not much different but forgiving enough to let children form their own opinions on the music and the artists behind it.

Gordy released ‘Sound of Young America’ this gained popularity between both races white and black alike. This made them come together and listen to the same music. It transcended to racial boundaries and made it so revolutionary to the Motown Civil Rights. Motown's best selling and releasing albums and artist were african american they made a huge impact in this decade and in the music itself. Gordy's vision came true for there to be peace with the races and no matter what color you are it does not affect what kind of music you listen to and/ or who you listen to. The only things that matter is that we are equal and we can do things together without fighting and being racist about everything. The Civil Rights Movement brought MLK into a whole new light. They recorded his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech before he left so say it to the world. This helps because he already helped one area in the world and then he went to help so much and Motown

Charlie Pride did it in 1971. Darius Rucker did it in 2009. That’s it. Two black men, spanning thirty-eight years, are the only black artists to win a Country Music Association Award. With country music rooted in bluegrass and rhythm and blues, why aren’t there more black country music stars? When considering the roots of country music, and how closely related country is to blues, bluegrass and honky tonk music, an examination of what happened to all the black musicians seems warranted, no? This paper examines the dearth of black artists in country music and the careers of one of the few black artists who has had commercial success in this genre of music.

Sam Cooke was one of the most important soul singers in history -- he was the inventor of soul music. Cooke was one of the most popular performers in both the black and white communities. He was also among the first modern black performers and composers to venture into the business side of the music business, when he founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as an addition to being a singer and composer. Like many artist before him Cooke tackled issues including the struggle over civil rights. Some may even say the intensity of which followed an arc that paralleled Cooke's emergence as a star -- his own career bridged gaps between black and white audiences that few had tried to surmount, much less

The beginning of black militancy in the United States is said to have begun with the chants “Black Power” demanded by Stokely Carmichael and Willie Ricks during the 1966 March against Fear. While Carmichael and Ricks may have coined the phrase “black power”, the roots of the movement had been planted long before by Mr. Robert F. Williams. In Timothy Tyson’s book: Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power, Tyson details the life of a remarkable man who had the audacity not only to challenge racial injustice in America but also to contest the rarely disputed strategies of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Establishment.

The blues have deep roots embedded within American history—particularly that of African American history. The history of the blues originated on Southern plantations in the 19th century and was created by slaves, ex-slaves, and descendants of slaves. They were created by individuals who endured great hardship while performing endless hours of arduous labor and blues served as a form of escapism. To these individuals, songs provided them with the strength to persevere through their struggles. Blues songs depicted individuals who persevered in the face of adversity. They were symbols of hope to those squandering in the depths of oppression. In relations to the blues, every song has a story behind it and within every story, there is something to be said. Blues artists, through their struggles, detail how they overcame hardship and laughed at the face of oppression. They defied the rules and in doing so, showed African Americans that they too are beacons of hope for the hopeless. The best blues is instinctive, cathartic, and intensely emotional. From irrepressible bliss to deep sadness, no form of music communicates more genuine emotion than that of the blues. Like many bluesmen of his day, Robert Johnson applied his craft as a lonely traveling musician on street corners and in juke joints. He was a lonely man whose songs romanticized that existence. With Johnson’s unique vocal style, haunting lyrics, and creative guitar techniques, Johnson’s innovation embodied the essence of

During the early 1970’s legendary singer, songwriter, music producer and minister, Reverend Al Green, dominated music charts with his classic hits of southern soul music. Records including “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Love and Happiness,” has endlessly been passed down through generations of families predominantly in the African American community (Dr. J). Although Green has had an enormously influential impact on the history of R&B music, the eleven-time Grammy award winner decided to step away from soul music at the peak of his career and rededicate his life to Christ. He strolled down many paths of which the religious author, James Martin, refers to as the paths of belief, exploration, and return. To further understand how Al Greens has explored each of these paths, this essay will analyze significant moments in the life of Reverend Al Green.

Bobby Womack, a singer who had sang alongside Cooke in some acts said, “He went out there and started singing and people would not believe his voice.” Sam Cooke was a different breed of Gospel singer, and he changed the style, giving it an edge and a more youthful appeal. In 1955, Cooke began cutting secular songs to make it big with Specialty Records, and became a hit instantly with his hits, “I’ll Come Running Back to You,” and “You Send Me” (Gulla, 114). His short career produced many memorable hits and records, and in the midst of it, Cooke served his black community in the struggle over civil rights. In parallel to the movement and in light of his son’s tragic death and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In the Wind,” Cooke wrote, “A Change Is Gonna Come” in 1963 (“Song Facts”). Cooke suddenly died in 1964, right before the release of the song, and black America plunged into despair because he had been a ray of light, a symbol of hope, and an emblem of equality and racial balance (Gulla, 109). He had been an icon for both blacks and whites alike. In spite of his shorted career, “A Change Is Gonna Come” affected America with is raw lyrics and unprecedented emotion Cooke displays in his song.

Sam Cooke, ‘A Change is Gonna Come” Heralded by many as the anthem to the Civil Rights Movement, ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ by Sam Cooke was and still is one of the most influential songs of all time. The song was originally released in 1964 on the album ‘Ain’t That Good News’, but was released again as a single eleven days after Sam Cooke’s untimely death on the 11th of December, 1964. There is no other social movement so effected by pop culture in the last century than the black Civil Rights Movement in America during the 1960s. The music at the time had political motivation and yet it was still enjoyed widely as pop music.

This judgment began unexpectedly to spread as African American music, especially the blues and jazz, became a worldwide sensation. Black music provided the pulse of the Harlem Renaissance and of the Jazz Age more generally. The rise of the “race records” industry, beginning with OKeh’s recording of Mamie Smith’s

In the January/February 2017 edition of The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes a look at the last eight years of American history, a time when the Commander in Chief of the United States of America was an African American. The article, entitled “My President Was Black” focused on the implications of having an African American in office. Within the first subheading, which focused on the different styles of music that were being performed at the White House, my mind was off on a number of tangents. This article really showcased how much music can matter to an African American.

Although a change in the equality and rights of the Black Community were meant to be created in the hopes and actions of people like Sam Cooke, years later Black men and women were still being poorly treated by the white man based on his or her color. This is important because we still see injustices being made towards the Black community today that is still not being given a full life of freedom and that is still waiting for an actual change to come. Between the two literary pieces “Conspiracy: A Suite” by Angel Nafis and “A Change is Gonna Come” released on December 22, 1964 by Sam Cooke from the album Ain’t That Good News, the discrimination and injustices of the past and present are recognized and a call to action is perceived.