Sam Cooke - Voice Your Choice

Sam Cooke, the legendary soul singer, was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi and raised in Chicago, Illinois. As the son of a Baptist minister, he sang in church choirs from age six. For six years he was the lead singer of the gospel group, The Soul Stirrers, from 1950 to 1956.

He began his secular singing career and landed a record deal with Specialty Records, but broke through when he recorded a song for Keen Records, written by his brother, Charles "L.C." Cooke, You Send Me. Eventually he ended up with RCA Victor Records and continued to have a highly successful career until his untimely death at age 33 when he was shot to death by a female motel manager on December 11, 1964. He was acknowledged with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 1999 Grammy Awards.

Treasure Island Oldies is pleased to present Sam Cook in the spotlight on Voice Your Choice. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Wonderful World or You Send Me. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.