Tuesday, January 15, 2008
















Sam Cooke: Mean Old World [1963]

"At the heart of the story is a man who, while creating some of the most memorable pop songs of a generation, in addition to a universally recognized civil rights anthem, was himself as complex, uncategorizable, and sometimes unreadable as his work was transparent. Exploring this hidden side of Sam Cooke was as much of a challenge, and as rewarding in its own way, as seeking out some of the vanished touchstones of a world all but lost to mainstream history."

- Peter Guralnick, author of Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke

Author interview here.

4 comments:

Emmett said...

Nice! Happy 2K8, Big B. You're reading a Sam Cooke bio?

Anonymous said...

Hey Big B. HNY! liking the pic as much as the song itself.

Anonymous said...

Sam wasn't as "uncategorizable" and "unreadable" as Peter Guralnick states--not if the right people are asking the right questions of the right people.

Erik Greene
Author, "Our Uncle Sam: The Sam Cooke Story From His Family's Perspective"
www.OurUncleSam.com

Big B said...

erik thanks for the link! will have to check out your work. ib, cheers for the shout out...and emmett, is it true, it's the "year of winging it"?