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Through them and secondary sources he paints a clear portrait of Sam's early life, his meteoric rise in gospel quartets, his crossover and astonishing contributions to the shaping of soul music, his business life and ultimate demise in a cheap fleabag hotel, shot by the manager. If you have a specific interest in soul music or a general interest in African American music read this author. Enjoyable, easy read with an abundance of narrative detail.Concerned for the most part with the narrative of a single individual this book contains little analytical information of the greater social cultural context. Another monumental volume and must read from the pen of Peter Guralnick. Although it is laid out chronologically, too few dates are included making it difficult at times to keep track (e.g. timing of events of his death).However, Guralnick is to be commended for the exhaustive interviews of family, friends and known associates.
Was Sam getting ready to fire Allen Klein, his manager who gets a squeaky clean portrayal in Guralnick's book despite apparently a sharkline reputation and massive profiteering off Sam's death. Why didn't Bertha Franklin go for her gun when Sam Cooke was reportedly trying to bash his way in her door instead of waiting until afterwards, after he had searched the manager's apartment and was reportedly in a violent struggle with her. She probably did tolerate or profit from prostitution at that seedy hotel. His murder would make for a fascinating book in and of itself. (How often did the motel owner phone the night manager in the middle of the night. At our 1990 wedding reception, my wife and I had our first dance to "For Sentimental Reasons".Very good book, with good background to the black music business of the 1950's - 1960's and a good oblique look at the need for the civil rights movement (also have a good treatment of that in Caro's LBJ biographies, believe it or not).But there are so many questions left concerning his murder.
What exactly was her background. Did she really changer her story four times as reported in other sources. He had frequented the hacienda with the Upsetters in the past; should his murderer, Bertha Franklin, have known him. Was that strange behavior for them or not). The one thing that is clear is that the official version isn't what happened. Researching through the internet, it appears she had shot other male customers previously, including only six months before.
One cannot take at face value the testimony of the whore Elisa Boyer (is she still alive and in prison for the murder of a boyfriend in the late 1970's.)., Franklin, or the motel owner who was reportedly on the phone with Franklin at 2:30 am when this all went down.
Often, time period accounts contain analyses and language that comes across as boring and doesn't really place the reader there. It's records like this one that help us to understand the generation before us, how they dreamed and how they reached for those dreams in a very real and tangible way. I enjoyed this book, not only because I'm a huge Sam Cooke fan, but because it gives context to the times and the environment of Sam Cooke's short, but impactful visit to this earth. Not so with this book. Another book that I'd strongly recommend is You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke. The little details like how the Soul Stirrers came to be, the grooming and refinement of their talent as a group and Sam's talent as an individual gave me a different perspective from what I had. Though I haven't finished reading the whole book, I have read enough to grasp the historical value of the work.
From there, his life and the entertainment factor of the book takes flight. You'll close the book being supremely glad you read it. Sam Cooke's life -- his amazing rise and tragic death -- is wonderfully told in Peter Guralnick's "Dream Boogie." The intensely researched book does a wonderful job of putting Sam's life in context. Above all -- read it to the end, and then you'll get the reward of seeing how the tragedy unfolds. So go buy it. While there was too much detail on Sam's early days as a gospel singer for my taste, I admire the author's dedication to the details. I think the book really picks up when Sam moves to LA and tries to become a pop star.
If you're interested in the civil rights movement of the 60s, the supporting cast looms large, including Malcolm X, Dr King and Cassius Clay. I'm giving this book 4 stars inseated of 5, because although it's an excellent book, you dont need it in order to get the most out of Sam's music. It seems we've come a long way in the past 40-odd years, socially and sonically, although if you do go back to those records after reading, you'll find there's not much made since which can hold a candle to his output, which ended tragically and somewhat sordidly in 1963. Some of the details about the way Sam and his band were treated in the South are very disturbing and illuminating, and you wonder at how the hard shell this must have formed around him never manifested itself in his resolutely positve and confident music. In fact some parts of it, especially those relating to Sam's dealings with women, might actually put you off the man and his (to me, outstanding) work. It's very strong on the business and financial side of things - a niche readership for that I would have thought.
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