Rating: 
Summary: Soulful&Moving
Review: I can't say enough about this Documentary.Sam Cooke was a One of a Kind Artist,BusinessMan&down to Earth cat.Aretha Franklin,Lou Rawls,Lloyd Price,Bobby Womack,Sam's Family etc... put it down about the Good Nature of the Man&His Musical Genius.very complete&Just Hits Home.He is truly one of the All-Time Greats to me."A Change is Gonan Come" is stil one of the most Haunting&Moving songs ever to me.
Rating: 
Summary: HE IS STILL THE MAN
Review: I LOVE THIS DVD IT's shows why sam cooke is still the man. sam cooke is a legend there's only one sam cooke.
Rating:
Summary: Sam Cooke Legend: A Man and Talent Above All Others
Review: I've been a fan of Sam Cooke for over 30 years. I can honestly say I've waited all that time for something, anything that could capture the essence of who he was. I believe his celebrity is far too complex to summarize in less than 3 hours, yet the quality and content of the Legend DVD is befitting a man of his caliber. I sincerely hope there's more to come regarding this remarkable man, talent and humanitarian.
Rating:
Summary: Sam Cooke Legend: A Man and Talent Above All Others
Review: I've been a fan of Sam Cooke for over 30 years. I can honestly say I've waited all that time for something, anything that could capture the essence of who he was. I believe his celebrity is far too complex to summarize in less than 3 hours, yet the quality and content of the Legend DVD is befitting a man of his caliber. I sincerely hope there's more to come regarding this remarkable man, talent and humanitarian.
Rating:
Summary: the place to start
Review: It's true. Sam Cooke was not only the greatest male RnB singer of all time, he was one heck of a songwriter. I feel lucky just to hear his music.
Rating:
Summary: Keep Movin' On
Review: Like this recent release of a 'new' Sam Cooke song, the legend continues. The CD peaked my interest for more on this trajic hero. Then after buying other disks, I came across this DVD. I had not warched it until the Christmas holiday, when my sister had sent me Sam Cooke SARs collection: a double treat! The DVD is insightful and suggests the multi-dimensional aspects of this gospel/soul artist/songwriter/producer personality. My quest continued with the 'You Send Me' biography which chronicled his rise from obscurity to his untimely demise.
Definitely a winner! Now we need a feature movie with Denzel Washington (directed by Spike Lee of course) to 'bring it on home to me! (I'm reading both Marvin Gaye's bio and my 2nd Temptations book as well)
Rating:
Summary: Keep Movin' On
Review: Like this recent release of a 'new' Sam Cooke song, the legend continues. The CD peaked my interest for more on this trajic hero. Then after buying other disks, I came across this DVD. I had not warched it until the Christmas holiday, when my sister had sent me Sam Cooke SARs collection: a double treat! The DVD is insightful and suggests the multi-dimensional aspects of this gospel/soul artist/songwriter/producer personality. My quest continued with the 'You Send Me' biography which chronicled his rise from obscurity to his untimely demise.
Definitely a winner! Now we need a feature movie with Denzel Washington (directed by Spike Lee of course) to 'bring it on home to me! (I'm reading both Marvin Gaye's bio and my 2nd Temptations book as well)
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: No serious rock or pop fan should be without this excellent biography. Written by Peter Guralnick and featuring spectacular interviews with many Cooke intimates like Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, brother LC, and Lou Rawls this documentary, that originally appeared on VH1 in a truncated form, gets to the heart of who Cooke was. Many fans are familiar with Cooke's spectacular singing but few know of the important role he played in the Civil Rights Movement. We find out here that he was one of the first, if not THE first, artists to refuse to play to segregated audiences. We find out how he was one of the first prominent African-Americans to let his hair grow natural instead of slicking it down to appear white. We find out about the record company he started to help young African-Americans, who might be passed over by the majors, get a chance. We find out that Cooke was one of the first performers in all of pop music to acquire ownership of his own recordings (still unheard of today). But the real meat here focuses on Cooke's mastery as a musician. The amazingly perceptive interviews manage to explain not only Cooke's importance in both gospel and pop but actually contain insight into how he did it. Plus there's a slew of great performance footage of Cooke singing classics like "Twistin' the Night Away", "The Riddle Song", "You Send Me" and a funny, lip synched duet with Jackie Wilson on "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha". Plus, there's some great film of Cooke hanging out with Muhammed Ali including the two harmonizing on "The Gang's All Here". Cooke was a crucial influence on Ali's life and thinking. The DVD also contains some worthy extras. There are more than two hours of worth of expanded interviews. Plus there's a discography and a bio. Sadly, however there is no extra performance footage not even of his classic performance of "A Change is Gonna Come" from the Tonight Show (which is not in the documentary either). The lack of music is the DVD's chief flaw. However, the documentary has some flaws as well. The most glaring is the way it glosses over Cooke's relationship with the controversial manager Allen Klein. This isn't surprising when you consider that Klein's company ABKCO is the producer of the DVD. More damaging is the fact that it's too short. Though this version, at an hour and ten minutes, is longer than the VH1 documentary by almost a half hour, it's still too short to cover all of the events in a monumental life like Cooke's in the detail they deserve. For instance, Cooke's initial record contract and his later signing with RCA go by in a blur with little explanation. His appointment to the leadership of the Soul Stirrers gets similar short shrift. Fortunately, you can find this information in Daniel Wolff's wonderful Cooke bio "You Send Me". Oustide of a book store though this is the best bio you'll find. Given the limitations the producers were under this is is a wonderful introduction and explanation of the man and his music.
Rating:
Summary: "Too Long overdue"
Review: The reviews that I read were excellent;however the DVD..was even better;I must confess though I am probably Sam Cooke's biggest fan;My father introduced me to his music when I was four years old.In 1961 I won first place at the school talent show with my
version of "Twisting the Night Away" I was eight years old.Since then I have collected nearly every song..cassette,album you name it..In addition I have a copy of one of his interviews with Dick Clark. The artists of this era should demand that more homage should be given to this legendary entertainer;Every year we do a Black history program and my students fall in love with his music the same way I did;students of all ethnic backgrounds..The movie will be a blockbuster if they get the right people casted..I see Johnny Gill in the lead role and Grady Harrell as Jackie Wilson..Gerald Austin of the Manhattans as S.R.Crain..Spielberg should direct this and Quincy jones should do the music..with Elmer Bernstein doing the sound track..Awsome story..Awsome life that was too short.and awsome music that has stood the test of time !!!
Rating:
Summary: Complete and Detailed
Review: This biography gave me a very good insight into the true inventor of soul, Sam Cooke. He is my favorite performer of all time, and this DVD helped me take a true look into the person who has helped shape and mold the lives of so many with his timeless style and voice. It has cleared up many rumors and stirred up some suprises about him and also shares many thoughts and annecdotes about him (the ones with Aretha Franklin are the most humorous.) Here is one DVD that is to the point and, like Sam, dosen't skip a beat.
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