Sam Cooke: legend: biography documents the roots of soul through a star's life.Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke by Peter Guralnick Peter Guralnick (born December 15, 1943, in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter. Little, Brown and Company, October 2005 $27.95, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 0-316-37794-5 Sam Cooke is an important figure in American music, and Dream Boogie is everything you could possibly want to know about him--and then some. Peter Guralnick, who is also responsible for a two-volume biography on Elvis, offers a thorough recounting of Cooke's life. Dream Boogie follows the '50s music phenom phe·nom n. Slang A phenomenon, especially a remarkable or outstanding person. from his birth in Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma CountyGR6. It is located on the banks of the Sunflower River. , until his untimely and mysterious death in 1964. The building blocks of Cooke's life are fairly similar to those of other church-raised black musicians. He was one of many children (eight). His family moved from the South to the South Side (of Chicago). His father was a preacher who pushed his children to sing. The real significance of this biography is that it documents the Midwestern beginnings of soul music, as well as the story of the first black musician to successfully crossover from gospel to R&B to pop. In this respect, Dream Boogie is as important an historical text as Cooke is a key figure in American music. It's fascinating to read about the singing battles between the Highway QCs and the Teenage Valley Wonders or to scrutinize the bevy bevy a flock of birds. of photographs of Cooke and his associates. Cooke also had a stream of personal triumphs worthy of celebration--like the deal he brokered with RCA See RCA connector and video/TV history. to retain his copyrights--as well as dark moments deserving of sympathy--like the drowning of his infant son. Where information is concerned Guralnick succeeds. However, his writing style does not serve quite so well. The author seems unaware that the art of storytelling is just as important as the story itself. This is especially crucial when the story is nonfiction. In this regard, Dream Boogie is not an upper echelon biography. Guralnick shines a much-needed spotlight on soul music and Sam Cooke, but the read isn't nearly as entertaining as the history itself. --Reviewed by Orlando Lima Orlando Lima is a writer in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . |
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