I just bought a couple of new records that I thought you might be interested in, the first one being Sam Cooke's Night Beat.

Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1931, Sam Cooke was the son of a Baptist minister and grew up singing and playing gospel music in church.

Cooke was a talented vocalist and composer, who later transitioned to secular  music, for which he is primarily remembered today.

Sam Cooke was considered to be one of the founders of soul music, and is often referred to as the King of Soul.

Night Beat was recorded over 3 nights at the RCA studios in Hollywood, California, February 22-25, 1963, and features Sam Cooke on vocals, Rene Hall as conductor, Cliff White on guitar, Barney Kessell on guitar (OMG!), Raymond Johnson on piano, Billy Preston on organ, Edward Hall on bass & drums, Clifford Hills on bass, and Hal Blaine on drums and horn section.

It's easy to see Sam Cooke's gospel roots in Night Beat with a song like Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, and the presence of that great Gospel organ, the Hammond B3 (or C3 in a lot of churches), played by the then 16 year old Billy Preston. Sadly, at the age of 33, Sam Cooke was shot to death in California, on December 11, 1964.

Chad Kassem's Analogue Productions label has created a fitting memorial by remastering Cooke's Night Beat onto two 45RPM LPs, and they are exceptional, and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you've never listened to any soul music, you're in for a treat with this all-star lineup, and Night Beat is considered to be one of the all-time great soul albums.

More music to come - enjoy!