S2 Ep39: Soul Leaves Body: The Life and Death of Sam Cooke

Crimes of the Centuries

Amber Hunt and Audioboom

History, Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.7 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 November 2022

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Singing his way through the 1950s and early 1960s, appealing to audiences across a segregated music industry, churning out hits of dreamy quality like “You Send Me” and inspirational fortitude like “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Sam Cooke was more than an artist. He lived – and died – a legend. So how did he end up shot in a Los Angeles motel in 1964? In this episode, we’ll trace the tale: start to finish.

"Crimes of the Centuries" is a podcast from Grab Bag Collab exploring forgotten crimes from times past that made a mark and helped change history.

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter: @centuriespod

Episode Sponsors:

Lomi - The countertop electric composter that turns scraps to dirt in under 4 hours! Head to www.lomi.com/COTC and use the promo code COTC to get $50 off your Lomi.
Wildgrain - The first bake-from-frozen box for artisanal bread! Go to www.wildgrain.com/COTC or use promo code COTC for $30 off your first box and free croissants in every box!
Helix - Comfort designed for every body. Helix is offering up to $200 off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners at www.HelixSleep.com/cotc
Miracle Brand - Self-cooling and self-cleaning sheets to transform how you sleep! Go to www.trymiracle.com/COTC and use code COTC for over 40% off and three free towels!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Some crimes are so heartbreaking or shocking that they earn the label crime of the century.
0:14.8	But the stories that made headlines in decades past are necessarily remembered today.
0:22.6	I'm Amber Hunt, a journalist and author.
0:26.4	In each episode of this show, I'll examine a case that's maybe less known today, but
0:32.3	was huge when it happened.
0:35.4	This is crimes of the centuries.
0:40.6	Hearing Sam Cook on the Radio was in no way unusual in 1964.
0:55.2	The singer-songwriter had been one of America's most celebrated musicians since you send
1:00.9	me, had soared to number one on both Billboard's Rhythm and Blues Records chart and the Billboard's
1:07.2	Hot 100 in 1957.
1:10.1	But the news that greeted radio listeners on the night of December 11, 1964 had nothing
1:15.9	to do with Sam Cook's record-breaking music.
1:22.1	This is Smokey Robinson, a music legend in his own right, speaking in a documentary called
1:27.7	The Sam Cook Story.
1:45.8	Sam Cook was one of the most popular singers in the entire world, one of the first black
1:51.0	men to cross over from gospel into the mainstream as a favorite for black and white listeners
1:56.5	alike.
1:57.5	And now not only was he dead, but the story surrounding his fatal shooting was an especially
2:03.2	ugly one.
2:04.3	The tale told by Los Angeles Police was that Cook had chased down a woman he had intended
2:10.1	to sexually assault, then attacked another woman, who shot him three times in self-defense
2:15.4	inside at the main office of a CD motel.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Amber Hunt and Audioboom, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Amber Hunt and Audioboom and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.