It was the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement was in full force. They bonded instantly over their shared passion. The pair had an affinity for the arts and Roper says the two could be found in the corner at parties, discussing literature and music. It’s a massive, massive, massive effort on everyone’s part.”Īntonelli, 60, and associate producer Roper, 63, grew up together in Tewksbury. It started with just me and Rick talking about an idea and the team kept growing over the years. “It’s a remarkable accomplishment for everyone that is involved with it.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the premiere,” producer and director Antonelli said from his home in Mill Valley, Calif., just outside of San Francisco. 11, 1964, at the now-defunct Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, seven years after his first of 29 top-40 hits was heard on the radio. The documentary took longer to produce and finish than the R&B singer’s career lasted. His song, “A Change is Gonna Come,” has become an anthem of sorts for race relations President Barack Obama paraphrased the lyrics in his victory speech. Cooke’s lyrics mostly centered on the racial conflict of the time. The tune went gold, selling more than 1 million records.Ĭooke was very public in his stand against racism and refused to perform at segregated venues, which caught the attention of Dick Clark. In 1957, “You Send Me” became the first song by an African American artist to reach number one on both the R&B and pop-music charts. He is credited for spurring a chain of events that altered the course of popular music and race relations in America. And Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson, James Brown and Sam Moore all speak not only about Cooke’s importance to the music world, but the civil rights movement - then and now.Ĭooke was born in Mississippi in 1931 and his family relocated to Chicago two years later where he sang in Gospel groups as a child and teenager. The tribute/American history lesson includes interviews with some of music’s most influential icons. on PBS as part of the channel’s “American Masters” series. The hourlong documentary, narrated by actor Danny Glover, premieres at 9 p.m.
Tomorrow night will bring a decade’s worth of hard work by Tewksbury native John Antonelli and Westford resident Rick Roper to a close with the debut of Sam Cooke: Crossing Over. But a documentary film on soul-music pioneer Sam Cooke has arrived. The film includes illuminating interviews with Aretha Franklin, Lloyd Price, Bobby Womack, Lou Rawls, Lou Adler, legendary disc jockey Magnificent Montague, Luigi Creatore, and Sam’s brothers, sister and daughter, all of whom speak with rare candour and insight about a man whose contributions continue not only to be recognized but to grow long after his death.It’s been a long, long time coming - nearly 10 years. Sam’s good friend Muhammad Ali plays an integral role, with Malcolm X and the Beatles, to share the world stage with Sam in Miami at the time of the first Ali-Sonny Liston fight. This biography takes on a scope of greater dimensions than music alone. How his music developed from the pure charm and instant accessibility of (What A) Wonderful World and Having A Party to the social relevance of A Change Is Gonna Come, which became an anthem of the civil rights movement. Grammy® award winning film documenting the rise of soul music legend Sam Cooke, from his beginnings as a gospel singer to his crossover to the pop and R&B charts.Įveryone knows the perfection of Sam Cooke’s voice and music what is less well-known is his story: how he went from being the #1 gospel singer of his day to having a #1 pop hit with You Send Me, his very first record under his own name.
0 kommentar(er)
