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SINGER

Sam Cooke

1931 - 1964

Photo of Sam Cooke

Icon of person Sam Cooke

Samuel Cooke (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music. During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's Black Singles chart. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Sam Cooke has received more than 12,976,832 page views. His biography is available in 50 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 46 in 2019). Sam Cooke is the 196th most popular singer (down from 194th in 2019), the 1,276th most popular biography from United States (down from 1,222nd in 2019) and the 63rd most popular American Singer.

Sam Cooke is most famous for being the first African American singer to sign a contract with a major record label, and for his song "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Memorability Metrics

  • 13M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 60.50

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 50

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.00

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.22

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Sam Cookes by language


Among SINGERS

Among singers, Sam Cooke ranks 196 out of 3,528. Before him are Franco Corelli, Marie-Louise O'Murphy, Astrud Gilberto, Petula Clark, Drake, and Udo Jürgens. After him are Mariska Veres, Lara Fabian, Mario Del Monaco, Chavela Vargas, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Cass Elliot.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1931, Sam Cooke ranks 70. Before him are Jean-Claude Carrière, Klaus Hasselmann, Don King, Clive Cussler, Charles Taylor, and Rita Moreno. After him are Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Hamilton O. Smith, Anthony de Mello, Carroll Baker, Stephen Boyd, and Margarita Lozano. Among people deceased in 1964, Sam Cooke ranks 32. Before him are Prince Pierre, Duke of Valentinois, Plaek Phibunsongkhram, Sigfrid Edström, Princess Auguste of Bavaria, Hans von Euler-Chelpin, and Cole Porter. After him are Douglas McGregor, Maurice Thorez, Paulino Alcántara, Peter Lorre, Heinrich Neuhaus, and Alan Ladd.

Others Born in 1931

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Others Deceased in 1964

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Sam Cooke ranks 1,276 out of 18,182. Before him are Anthony Mann (1906), Cormac McCarthy (1933), Joseph Kosuth (1945), John Brown (1800), John Foster Dulles (1888), and J. J. Cale (1938). After him are Raymond Davis Jr. (1914), Chevy Chase (1943), Walter Bradford Cannon (1871), John D. Rockefeller Jr. (1874), Mike Shinoda (1977), and Julius Axelrod (1912).

Others born in United States

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Among SINGERS In United States

Among singers born in United States, Sam Cooke ranks 63. Before him are John Denver (1943), Ben E. King (1938), Neil Diamond (1941), Tori Amos (1963), George Benson (1943), and Etta James (1938). After him are Cass Elliot (1941), Kenny Rogers (1938), Tom Morello (1964), Dionne Warwick (1940), Courtney Love (1964), and Connie Francis (1938).

American born Singers

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