Singles of Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers (1951-1957)
Before "Change Is Gonna Come," before the live soul meltdown at Harlem Square, before the series of ground-breaking soul classics, Sam started down the path that so many soul singers would take as their training ground before conquering the world: gospel singing. In fact, his six years with the Soul Stirrers would be almost the same length as his time as a pop singer. Still, it is hardly given much recognition by his fans, who consider his gospel-era a footnote (in his classic Portrait of a Man compilation, only two of his Soul Stirrers songs would be included). Yet, his gospel beginnings did not just set the stage for his pop career: they defined it in many ways. No matter how much you have a distaste for religious music, one's understanding of his career is incomplete without studying this prelude. The essence of what made him such a vital figure in the history of pop music does not lie in "Chain Gang," "Wonderful World," or even "Change Is Gonna Come:" the secret to his magic can only be found in these 15 gospel singles.
Before Sam joined in 1951, The Soul Stirrers had been around for over 20 years. They were a very innovative gospel combo in their own right, breaking down many of the genre's norms. Still, many of these innovations were technical in nature, and there's a reason that it took Sam to draw young listeners into the genre. Of course, one of the biggest is his god-given vocal cords, making him one of the greatest vocalists ever. Many vocalists are technically perfect, but to call his voice merely "pretty" is an understatement. His divine, silky smooth voice gushes with beauty. It's so wonderful that no matter what he sings, it will sound good simply because he's the one singing it. Whether he stretches his voice to rough edges or tenderly croons, it always sounds heavenly. No vocalist in the Stirrers could surpass Sam's level, so naturally, his voice dominated the band when he came on board.
Yet, his vocal presence is not the main reason these gospel songs became so successful among the youth. The elegant purity of his voice would be perfect for religious music, but he wouldn't be able to match the style of Mahalia Jackson and others. Most gospel singers were thundering presences, where emotionality was stretched to such enormous heights that it overwhelmed the audience. Listening to their version of "Peace In The Valley," the limitations of Sam as a gospel singer are pretty evident. He gives it a pretty introduction, but Paul Foster is responsible for stirring up the fiery religious spirit by screaming out the verses as impactfully as possible. This is something Cooke could never recreate: he could shout, but it was too soft to crash down and boom like what gospel requires. At first, it might be hard to see how his style would survive in such a demanding genre.
It is this brand of "singer-songwriter" gospel that transforms standards like "Were You There" into spiritual masterpieces. Sam does not merely sing this song: he lives each and every line, truly sounding like a devastated follower of Jesus after his crucifixion. He trembles in every verse, screaming out as if he had really lost everything once his savior had died. It is a song of intense heartbreak and sorrow, where you can sense the pain early Christians must have felt. He doesn't impose a sermon upon his audience: he viscerally induces empathy, showing how deep a person's devotion can be. This same approach is used in the self-written composition "Touch The Hem Of His Garment," one of his greatest performances by the incredible emotional palette delivered. As he enters the body of the protagonist of the story, he expresses suffering, anticipation, surprise, elation, and so much more. Each lyric shows an entirely different side to the profound experience he describes, but Cooke puts so much emotion into it that it feels real. When he cries "whoa lord," it is bound to reverberate within your soul for hours.
"How Far Am I From Canaan" is even more personal than either of these, taking you down Sam's own spiritual journey. The quiet introduction is an incredibly intimate, almost introspective performance. You can feel him recounting his suffering when he sings, "there I'll rest my every burden until all doubts and fears subside," and how much he is searching for an answer. This makes the faster section so cathartic: it is a chant of hope for salvation and peace, and in the process, he sounds like he is getting closer and closer to it. Instead of trying to steal his spotlight, the band clearly comprehends what he is trying to do. They only serve to amplify the spirit of Cooke's introspective journeys, whether it be the heartstoppingly gorgeous "He's So Wonderful," the tight rave-up of "Come And Go To That Land," or their classic call-and-response version of "Jesus Gave Me Water." Sadly, not all the singles are of this quality, but every time Cooke sings, it really works. Once you start to comprehend the greatness of his style, the Soul Stirrers' popularity with Cooke becomes self-evident. How many singers could insert genuine introspection into gospel songs to make them personal?
And this initial run with gospel really paid off. If you listen carefully to his performances on "Nearer To Thee" or "He's My Friend Until The End," it's easy to imagine them becoming pop classics with secular lyrics. Over these 6 years, he slowly began to see no boundaries between gospel and pop, realizing that twisting another Saturday night away in this wonderful world here on Earth could carry the same spiritual depth as a prayer to God. It is this grand unified vision that would mature into a brand new genre, soul, that he helped to build. He would go on to create pop music at its core, yes, but with the depth his style attained through gospel, every song amounted to so much more. Whether he was singing "Everybody Loves To Cha Cha" or "Change Is Gonna Come," there was a spiritual undercurrent to both that made them transcendent. As much as I love Ray Charles, he was rough and grittier, stripping soul music of its religious power. All of Sam Cooke's pop masterpieces would maintain this element of divine beauty, something few other soul artists would know how to recreate.
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