American singer-songwriter (born 1931)

Sam Cooke

Samuel Cooke was an American soul singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music. During his thirteen-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top 10 of Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1964, he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles.

Born

1931

January 22

Died

1964

Era

1930s

Country

—

About

Sam, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1931 Born
1964 Died

Also on January 22

What else happened on this day, through history

613 Eight-month-old Heraclius Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (Caesar) by his father Heraclius at Constantinople.
871 Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vikings at Basing.
1506 The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
1517 The Ottoman Empire under Selim I defeats the Mamluk Sultanate and captures present-day Egypt at the Battle of Ridaniya.

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The world in 1931

When Sam arrived

april 14 The Second Spanish Republic is proclaimed and King Alfonso XIII goes into exile. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, Francesc Macià proclaims the Catalan Republic.
april 17 After negotiations between Catalan and Spanish provisional governments, the Catalan Republic proclaimed in April 14 becomes the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous government of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic.
august 24 Resignation of the United Kingdom's Second Labour Government. Formation of the UK National Government.
august 5 Judge and Nazi Party member Werner Best drews the Boxheim Documents, which described a violent takeover of the government by the NSDAP.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on January 22

Francis Bacon 1561–1992 Irish painter (born 1909) Alf Ramsey 1920–1999 English footballer and manager (born 1920) August Strindberg 1849–1912 Swedish novelist, poet, and playwright (died 1912) Beatrice Webb 1858–1943 English sociologist and economist (born 1858) Bill Bixby 1934–1993 American actor and director (died 1993) Bill Durnan 1916–1972 Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1972) Cameron McConville 1974– Australian racing driver and sportscaster Carl F. H. Henry 1913– American theologian and publisher (died 2003) John Wesley Shipp 1955– American actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1931

Albert DeSalvo 1931– American serial killer known as the Boston Strangler (died 1973) Alex Delvecchio 1931–2025 Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2025) Allen Klein 1931–2009 American businessman and music publisher (died 2009) Bernard Francis Law 1931– Mexican-American cardinal (died 2017) Bob Johnson 1931–1991 American ice hockey player and coach (died 1991) Buddy Ryan 1931–2016 American football coach (died 2016) Cardiss Collins 1931–2013 American politician (born 1931) Cecil Parkinson 1931–2016 English politician (born 1931) Chalmers Johnson 1931–2010 American scholar and author (died 2010)

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Keep going

More to explore

Sam's birthday January 22 Sam's zodiac Aquarius When Sam arrived 1931