has anybody here read the guralnick sam cooke book?

I'm curious to see how PG's musical analysis stacks up against that of Daniel Wolff, who wrote "You Send Me," the 1995 biography. Wolff on music is revelatory.

for my money, a deep psychological portrait of Sam Cooke emerges from all the documentation. he was guarded, but also manipulative and transparent sometimes the way all manipulators can be. part of the genius of Guralnick's approach is his objectivity WRT Cooke's personality, PG lets the reader analyse and evaluate the data rather than repeatedly tapping you on the shoulder and saying "here's what you should think about Sam Cooke." the day-to-day life of a working player in the gospel and R&B world has never been so fully recorded and the concurrent rise of the civil rights movement is deftly integrated (haha) into the narrative. that said, I certainly came away with the impression of Cooke as a supremely arrogant dude who mistreated his women and fought against racism not so much out of altruism as a sense of personal entitlement. "Who do these white motherfuckers think they are I'M SAM COOKE godamnit."

vividly drawn co-stars: Sam's wily brother LC and irrascible protege Johnnie Taylor.

the paperback probably comes out soon I'd guess. grab it.

Wonder if this adds to the Guralnick and Wolfe books:

Ned's take on Mike McGonigal's presentation at the EMP Pop Conference yesterday http://nedraggett.wordpress.com/

Mike McGonigal, “Stained Panties and Hoarse Metaphors: Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers’ Performance of ‘Nearer My God to Thee’ at the Great Shrine Auditorium Concert in Los Angeles, CA in 1955″ — “Touch the Hem of His Garment” is played and Mike mentions the problem of finding the song sexy especially as a nonbeliever. He talks about listening to the song over and over when he first encountered it, the opening line ‘There was a woman,’ the pause, the smooth insistence in his voice. A music where spirituality exists with other desires, ’sensuality wrapped up in his delivery.’ Cooke bio in brief, religious upbringing, Chicago blues as influence, etc. The emergence of ‘hard gospel’ acts that the Soul Stirrers embodied, Cooke’s initial group efforts inspiring women to rush the stage (in churches!), the history of the quartet tradition discussed. Arch Harris popularized things but had too many kids in too many places and too much child support to pay! So Cooke comes in, leading a band in the shouting era but never shouted himself. Group’s image became part of the show, dressing nattily, full band backup. Bobby Womack talks about ‘the loads of pretty women all there to see Sam…constantly chasing him, and he chased them back!’ Far too much made of the seedy side of his life. Mike admits that his thesis disappeared in front of his eyes as he researched! So he plays “Nearer My God to Thee” and talks about its qualities and the circumstances of its recording, Art Rupe getting persuaded to put on the show, the massive gathering at the Shrine, produced by Robert Bumps Blackwell (good at staying singers to stay on mike). It’s the only time we get to hear Cooke shout, and when he does the audience reacts every time! It’s the opposite of smooth, the ‘realest’ we can hear him. Rupe thought it was uncommercial supposedly thus no release but who knows? It’s definitely stellar, as Mike says ‘an inducing of the ecstatic state’ made manifest. Cooke as songwriter is discussed, someone who stripped it down simply and perfectly, not seeming treacly. Songs were story songs, pastoral scenes. The original hymn discussed, its 19th century writers and its fame via the Titanic disaster. Not famous in African American life but his mom’s favorite hymn, and Cooke’s song is about her retreating away, him looking for her and finding her singing the hymn. A song as comment! First two verses set up this old time scene, then whole group kicks in, then a verse about the sheer power of song and faith that is the key. Concert created the sound of modern gospel, Blackwell sought to convince Cooke to go pop from there on, while also recording Little Richard along the way. Then a pause and an apology for dropping the sex ball! No worries

As much as I love Cooke's music, and as much as I generally love Guralnick, I just couldn't get into this book and eventually gave up. It felt really repetitive, lots of "and then this happened," "then this happened," etc. Exhaustive, yes, but I grew pretty exhausted. I kept waiting for it to hit its stride, find its rhythm, but it never did, at least not before I filed it away. What a bummer.