Inspired by Sam Cooke

Editors’ Notes Scoring his first No. 1 single in 1957, Sam Cooke died just seven years later. In that brief time, his once-in-a-century voice changed the sound of pop permanently. With his singular mix of gospel and the blues, it's probably easier to say whom Cooke hasn't influenced. Many of his greatest disciples, from Aretha Franklin and Al Green to Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger, went on to become icons themselves.