Spinner

Sam Cooke Documentary to Debut on PBS After 12 Years in the Making

The great Sam Cooke recorded his first pop single in 1956, after getting his start in gospel. His masterpiece, 'A Change Is Gonna Come,' was released in 1964, shortly after the singer's appalling death.

On Monday, the PBS series 'American Masters' premieres 'Sam Cooke: Crossing Over,' a classy tribute to the singer's legacy with testimonials from Smokey Robinson, Sam Moore, the late James Brown and many others. Filmmaker John Antonelli has been working on his documentary a lot longer than the singer's pop career lasted.

"I knew from the outset I really wanted this to be on 'American Masters,'" Antonelli tells Spinner. The filmmaker did his first interviews with producer Lou Adler and performer and record executive Herb Alpert all the way back in 1998. He showed a sample tape to Allen Klein, Cooke's -- and later the Rolling Stones' -- manager, who approved the film, then abruptly withdrew his support. (Klein, who died last year, eventually endorsed a Grammy-winning 2003 documentary that aired on VH1 and on some PBS stations.)

"I got a call from Klein's office saying he didn't want me to do the film," says Antonelli. "They said, 'He'll buy that footage from you.' But by that time it had gotten under my skin ... Ultimately, it's all for the best."

The project's affiliation with PBS was critical: Under the network's blanket music-rights agreement, granted by an act of Congress, the filmmakers could feature Cooke's music without Klein's blessing.

Antonelli first decided to make the film at the urging of a childhood friend, Associate Producer Rick Roper, who introduced him to the early soul music of Cooke and his counterparts at Motown. As a teenager, Antonelli was deeply affected by Cooke's death, shot by a motel manager in a tawdry incident in Los Angeles. "When the civil rights movement was in full swing, I very easily gravitated to that," Antonelli says. "It wasn't until many years later that I realized Sam had a lot to do with that for me. It was a fantasy to be sitting and talking to these people from Cooke's life."

Antonelli was working on the final cut of the film at the time of Barack Obama's inauguration, when Bettye LaVette and Jon Bon Jovi sang 'A Change Is Gonna Come' on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. "I was very gratified to be in the editing room, finishing the film," he says.

Over the course of the long process, several of his interview subjects died, including Lou Rawls, Billy Preston, James Brown, drummer Earl Palmer and producer Jerry Wexler. "The hardest one for me was when Sam's sister, Agnes, died," says the filmmaker. "Fortunately, a lot of the Cooke family is still around and very excited about the premiere."

'Sam Cooke: Crossing Over' premieres Monday, Jan. 11 at 9PM ET on PBS.

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AEP

The world is filled with people voicing their opinions on subjects they know nothing about. You just showed us you are one of those people. Next time Alice do all of us a favor, please research and experience a thing before you talk about something like you have a PhD in it.

Thank you for reminding me not to do this!

January 10 2010 at 10:28 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Reid

Sam Cooke's music has inspired me for much of my life. What is a Sunday with out a little Cooke gospel such as "Last Mile of the Way", "Any Day Now" or "Touch the Hem of his Gown". My Favorite soul album is called "Night Beat". Recorded with a tight bluesy band, and not over produced like some other his other tracks. His vocal style is often imitated by other singers, but yet to be improved upon. A genius of pop vocalizing whose voice reaches right for the heart.

January 09 2010 at 1:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
LUCI

Everybody,ignore Alice. He/She/Whatever, is attempting, and failing, miserabley, to insight negativity. Sam Cooke was a nice person, a gifted performer, and died (murdered) too soon. We are so lucky to FINALLY get a glimpse into his life. I was fourteen years old when he died (murdered), but I remember my mother playing his records. If you want to hear a true genius perform, get the CD "Sam Cooke, Live At The Copa".

January 08 2010 at 11:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joanne Christie

Sam Cooke was great! I barely remember him, but remember the feeling I had then when I heard about how he died. What a talent & loss. RIP Sam....

January 08 2010 at 5:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Floyd

PS. Sam Cooke was not shot he was stabbed to death. A hotel guest heard him banging on her room door and thinking it was someone there to do her harm got a knife and stabbed him. He had returned to his hotel after a night on the town and banged on the wrong hotel room door. At least that was the story back in '64.

January 08 2010 at 9:34 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Rocco220

Alice who are you kidding Sam Cooke was oneof the best singers around in the early days (50's and 60's) and made the way for others to sing music music that our parents did not like. The beatles, Eric Clapton and many others grew up listening to his music and singing his music. I still have some of his records, and a photo signed by him that my sister got and hide from my parents, because good white girls were not allowed to hsve pictures of black man back then. I thik she got it from American Bandstand when he was on there. You know I will be watching this show. As, I remember some of the stuff, but I was only 8 yrs old when he died. Thank you PBS and John Antonelli .

January 08 2010 at 9:32 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Rocco220's comment
lara083



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January 11 2010 at 9:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gwendolyn

Alice, when you know better you do better. It's apparent you didn't do your home work before making the comment.

January 08 2010 at 9:07 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Eric

12 years in the making. This should be really good and give people a lot of insight into what a pioneer Sam Cooke truly was.

January 08 2010 at 8:59 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
vince

sam cooke was one of the greatest singer of his era.his music is timeless. you have to get sam cooke's live at harlem square it's beautiful. thanks pbs i will be watching

January 08 2010 at 8:49 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Hogun

"Rap", Sam Cooke was a Rythm & Blues pioneer. You just made yourself sound really ignorant Alice.

January 08 2010 at 8:48 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply