Clarksdale · Chicago · New Orleans · New York · Miami · Shreveport
A preacher’s son who led a gospel quartet, then crossed to pop under a borrowed name. Two sides of one voice, like a church fan: a picture on the front, an address on the back.
Clarksdale, 1931 · Bronzeville, from 1933
His father, the Reverend Charles Cook, was a Baptist minister. The family lived at 2303 7th Street until they moved to Chicago in 1933. The family moved to Chicago about two years after he was born.
Order of serviceSunday
Four groups on the programme. Start at the top.
Wendell Phillips High School
He graduated from Wendell Phillips High School in 1948. The 1904 building by William Bryce Mundie became a Chicago Landmark in 2003. Nat “King” Cole and Dinah Washington were students here too.
A working school: see the landmark building from East Pershing Road.
Sam Cooke Way, 36th Street and Cottage Grove
In 2011 the city named part of East 36th Street near Cottage Grove Avenue Sam Cooke Way.
The corner is about a block south of where he once lived. He marries Barbara Campbell at her grandmother’s house in Chicago; his father performs the ceremony.
A public street in Bronzeville; free to walk. The family home on 7th Street in Clarksdale is a private address, so it is named here and not mapped.
Chicago
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Compare toursThe guide, on the backs of the fans
Church fans carry a picture on the front and a printed address on the back. These six carry his towns: turn one over for the place you can stand in today.
No fans turned yet. Pick one from the rack.
New Orleans · winter 1956
His first pop session, in New Orleans, gives “Lovable”, a secular rewrite of the gospel “Wonderful”, issued as Dale Cook to keep it from his gospel audience.
Sunday side up: a gospel song the Soul Stirrers sang.
He signs to Keen; “You Send Me” goes to number one on the pop and R&B charts.
J&M Recording Studio, North Rampart Street
Cooke’s first pop session, in the winter of 1956, was in the New Orleans studio where Bumps Blackwell had recorded Little Richard.
Cosimo Matassa put recording equipment in the back of the J&M Music Shop, on the corner of Rampart and Dumaine, in 1946. In 1956 Matassa moved his studio to 523 Governor Nicholls Street.
A working laundromat now: see the J&M floor at the door and the displays inside during opening hours. The Rampart Street building is a city and state landmark; it is a laundromat now, with photographs and displays of its history, and the J&M floor still at the door.
New Orleans
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Compare tours10 East 60th Street, New York
He first played the Copa in 1958.
Variety’s reviewer thought he was not yet ready for the Copa’s more knowing crowd.
BookedHe becomes the first major Black artist to sign with RCA.
The Copacabana, 10 East 60th Street
The Copacabana opened at 10 East 60th Street, near the entrance to Central Park, in 1940. The club closed at this address in the early 1970s.
The building still stands near Central Park; the club is long gone, so see it from the pavement.
1959–1963
A label, a better deal, then his own company. Sign each line.
| Year | Entry | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | SAR RecordsHe and J.W. Alexander form SAR Records; the Soul Stirrers, Johnnie Taylor, Billy Preston and the Valentinos record for it. | |
| 1960 | RCAHe becomes the first major Black artist to sign with RCA. | |
| 1963 | TraceyA new agreement routes his RCA work through his own company, Tracey, with RCA’s rights limited to 30 years. |
Nothing signed yet.
Overtown, Miami · 12 January 1963
On 12 January 1963 the Harlem Square Club was packed for the live performance and recording of Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963.
Label executives shelved the tapes; the album finally came out in 1985.
1963: the tapes go into the archive.
Little Broadway and the Harlem Square Club site
The club was one of the music halls on Overtown’s Second Avenue corridor, known as Little Broadway. In the Jim Crow years Overtown housed visiting Black artists who were not allowed to stay where they played in Miami Beach.
In February 2026 the county approved naming Northwest 11th Street, from Northwest 7th Avenue to Biscayne Boulevard, Harlem Square Street, near the club’s former site.
Public streets in Overtown. The club is gone; this street runs near where it stood.
The Lyric Theater, Overtown
In the 1950s Overtown’s nightclubs and music halls were known as Little Broadway; the Lyric is the district’s lone survivor.
Geder Walker built the Lyric in 1913. Expressway building in the 1960s split the neighbourhood and ended that era. The Black Archives bought the theatre in 1988; it reopened in 2000 and again in 2014.
Shows, a gallery and a monthly community walk; check bahlt.org or call (786) 708-4610 before you go.
Overtown, Miami · Check bahlt.org or call (786) 708-4610
The last survivor of Little Broadway, with a gallery and shows. A guided community walk through Overtown leaves on the last Saturday of each month, through 26 December 2026.
See what’s on
Shreveport, Louisiana
On 8 October 1963 he and his wife Barbara were refused a room at the Holiday Inn North, 1906 North Market Street.
He and his party were arrested and charged with disturbing the peace; each paid a $102.50 cash bond.
That night he headlined here, with Bobby “Blue” Bland opening; a bomb threat nearly stopped the show.
He records “A Change Is Gonna Come” at RCA’s studio in Hollywood, with René Hall conducting.
In 2019 Mayor Adrian Perkins apologised on behalf of the city and gave his daughter, Carla Cook, a key to the city.
A working venue, open year-round: see it from the street, or call (318) 841-4000 for current hours. The auditorium, once home of the Louisiana Hayride, is a National Historic Landmark.
Shreveport, Louisiana · Call (318) 841-4000
The hall where he headlined on 8 October 1963, open year-round for concerts and events. Call ahead for current hours.
Plan a visit11 December 1964
He was killed in Los Angeles on 11 December 1964, aged 33. About 5,000 people came to his funeral at Mount Sinai Baptist Church in Los Angeles, a church built for 1,500. He rests at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.
A working memorial park: visit quietly, and check Forest Lawn’s opening hours.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland
He was inducted in 1986; Herb Alpert inducted him.
Open every day 10am–5pm, Thursdays to 9pm (September to June); adults $45. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Cleveland, Ohio · Daily 10am–5pm, Thu to 9pm · adults $45
The Cleveland museum that inducted him in 1986. Pictured: his jacket and hat in a case there in 2014; check what is on show before you go.
Plan a visit10 places you can visit, from Clarksdale to Glendale. The family home in Clarksdale is private and is not mapped; the Chicago school is seen from the street.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. On the pavement in the New World District; free to visit at any time.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working laundromat now: see the J&M floor at the door and the displays inside during opening hours.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working venue, open year-round: see it from the street, or call (318) 841-4000 for current hours.
Issaquena Avenue, New World District, Clarksdale, Mississippi
He was born in Clarksdale on 22 January 1931.
On the pavement in the New World District; free to visit at any time.
838 North Rampart Street, New Orleans
Cosimo Matassa put recording equipment in the back of the J&M Music Shop, on the corner of Rampart and Dumaine, in 1946.
A working laundromat now: see the J&M floor at the door and the displays inside during opening hours.
705 Elvis Presley Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana
On 8 October 1963 he and his wife Barbara were refused a room at the Holiday Inn North, 1906 North Market Street.
A working venue, open year-round: see it from the street, or call (318) 841-4000 for current hours.
Stay
A Clarksdale stay with live music on its calendar.
Clarksdale, Mississippi · Lobby 8am–8pm · call 662-624-8329
A Clarksdale stay on Commissary Circle Road, with live music on its own events calendar. Guests must be 25 or over; no children. Pictured: Clarksdale from the air.
Check roomsGo there
The Rock Hall, the Lyric and Overtown, the Shreveport auditorium, and music tours in New Orleans and Bronzeville.
Cleveland, Ohio · Daily 10am–5pm, Thu to 9pm · adults $45
The Cleveland museum that inducted him in 1986. Pictured: his jacket and hat in a case there in 2014; check what is on show before you go.
Plan a visitOvertown, Miami · Check bahlt.org or call (786) 708-4610
The last survivor of Little Broadway, with a gallery and shows. A guided community walk through Overtown leaves on the last Saturday of each month, through 26 December 2026.
See what’s onShreveport, Louisiana · Call (318) 841-4000
The hall where he headlined on 8 October 1963, open year-round for concerts and events. Call ahead for current hours.
Plan a visitNew Orleans
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Compare toursChicago
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Compare toursWhat’s on
A jazz concert at the Lyric this November.
Checking current event dates…
Take it home
The full biography, and the Overtown, Copa and 1964 albums.
Peter Guralnick
The full life, from Bronzeville to Glendale.
Find the bookSam Cooke · LP, RCA Victor, 1985
The Overtown night, released 22 years after it was taped.
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Find a copySam Cooke · LP, RCA Victor, 1964
Taped at 10 East 60th Street in July 1964.
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Find a copySam Cooke · LP, RCA Victor, 1964
The 1964 album that carried “A Change Is Gonna Come”.
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Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
11 of 11 places · 24 of 24 Moments
Issaquena Avenue, New World District, Clarksdale, Mississippi
With the Soul Stirrers he sings in Clarksdale, at Higgins High School and the George H. Oliver School.
7th Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Sam Cook is born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the son of a Baptist minister.
838 North Rampart Street, New Orleans
His first pop session, in New Orleans, gives “Lovable”, a secular rewrite of the gospel “Wonderful”, issued as Dale Cook to keep it from his gospel audience.
He crosses from religious to secular music and adds an “e” to his surname.
He signs to Keen; “You Send Me” goes to number one on the pop and R&B charts.
705 Elvis Presley Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana
Refused a room at the Holiday Inn North, he and his party are arrested; that night he headlines the Municipal Auditorium.
He records “A Change Is Gonna Come” at RCA’s studio in Hollywood, with René Hall conducting.
Shreveport’s mayor apologises for 1963 and gives Carla Cook a key to the city.
244 East Pershing Road, Bronzeville, Chicago
At 15, at Wendell Phillips, he becomes lead singer of the Highway Q.C.’s.
S.R. Crain picks him to replace R.H. Harris as the Soul Stirrers’ lead singer, at 19.
The Soul Stirrers record “Jesus Gave Me Water”; it joins the National Recording Registry in 2022.
East 36th Street at Cottage Grove Avenue, Bronzeville, Chicago
The family moves to Chicago; the children sing gospel as the Singing Children.
He and J.W. Alexander form SAR Records; the Soul Stirrers, Johnnie Taylor, Billy Preston and the Valentinos record for it.
He marries Barbara Campbell at her grandmother’s house in Chicago; his father performs the ceremony.
A new agreement routes his RCA work through his own company, Tracey, with RCA’s rights limited to 30 years.
Chicago names part of East 36th Street Sam Cooke Way.
10 East 60th Street, Manhattan
He plays the Copacabana; Variety thinks he is not ready for its crowd.
He becomes the first major Black artist to sign with RCA.
He returns to the Copacabana and records Sam Cooke at the Copa over two nights.
Northwest 11th Street, Overtown, Miami
He plays and records at the Harlem Square Club in Overtown; the tapes are shelved for two decades.
Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 is released at last.
Miami-Dade approves naming Northwest 11th Street Harlem Square Street.
819 NW 2nd Avenue, Overtown, Miami
Glendale, California
He is killed in Los Angeles at 33, and laid to rest at Forest Lawn, Glendale.
1100 Rock & Roll Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio
He is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
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