Some of the greatest advancements in modern music are credited to an artist who died over 40 years ago, yet only lived to be 33?Sam Cooke. Now his dynamic achievements are remembered in his most intimate biography to date, ?Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family?s Perspective? (Trafford Publishing, $22.50, www.ourunclesam.com), written by his great-nephew Erik Greene.After six years as the reigning voice in gospel music, Cooke burst onto the pop scene with the 1957 release of his million-selling single, You Send Me. The song?s innovative blend of Gospel, Pop, and R&B earned him the title of ?The Man Who Invented Soul? and stayed on the charts an amazing 26 weeks, rising to #1 in both the Pop and R&B markets. The next single he?d release, I?ll Come Running Back to You, soared to #1 on the R&B charts as well. Cooke would eventually chart an amazing 34 Top 40 R&B hits over his eight year pop career, with most like You Send Me and I?ll Come Running Back to You written by Sam himself. Cooke also wrote and recorded such classics as Chain Gang, Only Sixteen, Cupid, Wonderful World, Having a Party and A Change is Gonna Come, and was among the original inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.In ?Our Uncle Sam?, Greene not only emphasizes Sam Cooke?s accomplishments in music history, but gives the reader an inside look on the childhood influences that drove him to excel. Sam adopted his winning attitude from his strict but loving father, the late Rev. Charles Cook, Sr., who taught his children to never give less than their best effort and stressed the importance of family unity. ?My mother and father were both family oriented, and they instilled in us ?all for one and one for all?,? Sam?s youngest sister Agnes remembers. ?We were a very tight, close-knit family. If you had a problem with one of us, you had a problem with all of us.? The Sam Cooke saga is a remarkable one, and is best retold by his closest family members. ?Our Uncle Sam? follows Cooke from his days growing up in Chicago?s Bronzeville neighborhood to his rise as a Gospel and R&B superstar and music industry entrepreneur. It takes the reader behind the scenes with intimate family photos and the compelling testimonies of his brothers, sister, nieces, nephews and children. The general public knew Sam Cooke as a singer, songwriter, and producer whose musical style has often been imitated but never equaled. Now, the intimate facets of his life are explored in detail in ?Our Uncle Sam??from the driving force behind his success, to the special moments spent with family, to the pressing issues he faced in the last years of his life. Hear Sam Cooke?s story as it should be told--by the people who knew him long before he became a household name.Erik Greene is the grandson of Sam?s oldest sister, Mary. ?Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family?s Perspective? can be ordered through www.ourunclesam.com or by calling (888) 232-4444 toll-free in the USA and Canada. Erik Greene is a Financial Advisor by trade who lives in Chicago's South Suburbs with his wife, Augustine. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, traveling, and cheering on his local sports teams (Go White Sox!)
Category : General Art & Entertainment: Books
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