Sam Cooke was gospel music's crown prince, the man who inspired a generation of singers when he took on the pop world and won. In the process he became soul music's first superstar.
This episode follows Sam Cooke's career as he made the transition from gospel to pop, and profiles some of the artists who followed him: The Staple Singers, Ben E King, Solomon Burke and Johnnie Taylor. By busting open the ivory doors of the pop tower, these artists became the bridge that established the gospel shout as a lasting sound in American music.
The Gospel Highway explores the two different worlds that divided the world of Black music before and after that revolutionary moment in 1957 - the year Sam Cooke went pop. It investigates the intriguing, enigmatic 'Gospel Highway' circuit, then enters the bright, fresh, sequined world of late 1950s and early 1960s pop. In his short life, Sam Cooke would dominate both.
Interviewees include: Bobby Womack, Solomon Burke, Ben E King, LC Cooke (Sam's brother), Candi Staton, the Fairfield Four, Mavis Staples and Peter Guralnick.
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