Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964” by Sam Cooke

Jerry Wexler, the legendary Atlantic Records producer, once said, “Sam Cooke was the greatest singer that ever lived, no contest.” That’s some praise from the man who produced Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and many others. But the 2003 compilation, Portrait of a Legend 1951-1964, does some justice to this praise. Unfortunately, it focuses mainly on his excellent pop work at the expense of his largely superior gospel records with the Soul Stirrers in the 1950s. Critic Dave Marsh once wrote something like that Cooke’s best records were his gospel ones, with 1964’s civil rights anthem, “A Change is Gonna Come,” being the exception that proves the rule.

When I first heard this compilation, despite some familiarity with hits like “Chain Gang” and “Cupid,” I was struck by how many of the songs used the same basic chord progression (some variation of I-IV-V, as it’s called in music theory terminology), and so I had trouble seeing how this CD deserved a spot so high on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest albums ever (putting aside quibbles about if compilations should be included). Over time, the more I’ve gotten into Cooke’s music, I’ve grown to appreciate the variety in the arrangements on these songs even as the chord progressions still sound the same across most songs.

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