The legacy of musical trailblazer Sam Cooke will take center stage with a panel discussion and concert this month.
Performing Arts Fort Worth will host a five-person panel at 2 p.m. Jan. 18 at New Fellowship Church of Fort Worth to discuss Cooke’s musical and cultural legacy. The hourlong session is followed by a concert, “The Music of Sam Cooke,” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20 inside Bass Performance Hall.
Both events are part of Performing Arts Fort Worth’s Irwin Steel Popular Entertainment Series. The group says discussion attendees “will hear from a panel of creatives, consumers and industry professionals as they discuss the shared experience of music and the different ways it connects us across cultural and social backgrounds.”
Singer Bradd Marquis’ tribute concert features a live big band playing some of Cooke’s most famous songs, including “A Change is Gonna Come,” “Chain Gang” and “Wonderful World,” according to Bass Performance Hall.
Often called the King of Soul, Cooke was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1999 Grammy Awards.
Cooke’s music inspired artists like Al Green and Aretha Franklin. Biographer and ghostwriter David Ritz described Cooke as “one of the most influential Black vocalists of the post-World War II period.”
Sheran Goodspeed Keyton, a former Fort Worth Opera administrator now serving as director of civic engagement for the Lyric Opera of Chicago, said Cooke had one of the finest voices of his time. His musical message seemed to give an entire generation hope, she said.
“I would describe the work of Sam Cooke as masterful and impactful,” Keyton said in a statement.
Cooke’s legacy is not just about music, but also civil rights advocacy. In a 2018 essay for the Library of Congress website, Cooke biographer B.G. Rhule described one of the singer’s most influential songs, “A Change is Gonna Come,” as also the most challenging of his career. The vulnerability of the lyrics –– which discuss mortality and his uncertain future –– were a stark contrast to the love songs and gospel hymns of his past.
The circumstances around the song’s release were also striking and poignant. In 1964, he was shot by a hotel manager in Los Angeles. Shortly after his death, the song was released and swiftly adopted as an unofficial anthem of the Civil Rights Movement. The murder became the subject of a 2019 Netflix documentary “ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke.”
Keyton said Cooke’s music is refreshing for modern listeners and holds meaning just as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.
“My personal hope is that this discussion will raise awareness of the importance of art that (inspires) thought on a deeper level, particularly surrounding civil rights. In 2025, it is as important as it ever was,” she said.
Jason Wise, senior vice president of operations at Performing Arts Fort Worth, said he hopes the panel and performance inspire people to learn from the musician’s legacy.
“We as a society all play a part in creating change,” Wise said in a statement, “and I hope that these events will inspire us all as we pioneer our own path forward.”
Erin Ratigan is a freelance journalist and writer specializing in narrative news features. You can find her on Twitter: @erinratigan.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.