Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Last week marked the 95th birth anniversary of Sam Cooke. Born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi and raised in Chicago, Illinois where he grew up singing in his father’s Baptist church. Below is from my post from January 24, 2022:

When he was 15 Cooke began singing with a gospel group, The Soul Stirrers. In 1958 he released his first album of secular music, a mix of standards, Broadway tunes and one original track, the magnificent “You Send Me”.

Over the next six years Cooke would write & record many other songs, including “Cupid”, “Chain Gang”, “Another Saturday Night”, Wonderful World” and the civil rights inspired “A Change Is Gonna Come”. He also became an important member in the early days of that movement along side Muhammad Ali & Martin Luther King Jr. Cooke took an even bigger role in his career by starting his own record label (SAR Records) and publishing company (KAGS Music) to preserve his artistic legacy. Losing him in 1964 at age 33 was an unmitigated tragedy & one of music’s saddest moments. But more than six decades after his first hit record, Cooke remains one of the most important & enduring figures in music history. And rightfully so.

Samuel Cooke: January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964.

Sam Cooke circa 1958. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Cooke circa 1960. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Cooke circa 1960. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Muhammad Ali (L) with Cooke circa 1962. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Nat King Cole (L) with Cooke circa 1962. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Aretha Franklin (L) with Cooke circa 1962. (Image found on Sam Cooke’s Facebook page. Original source unknown.)

Over the weekend, Neil Diamond celebrated birthday #85. Born January 24, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York, the singer-songwriter released his debut album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, 60 years ago in August 1966. It includes seven songs written by Diamond and five covers including Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” and The Mamas & The Papas “Monday, Monday”.

In a post I uploaded in April 2020, I wondered who did not grow up listening to Diamond’s music. From the Monkees to “Shrek” to a variety of artists covering his songs (Chris Isaak with “Solitary Man”, UB40 with “Red Red Wine” & Urge Overkill with “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon”) to his movie debut (in 1980’s “The Jazz Singer”) to his E.T. inspired song (“Heartlight”) to the Boston Red Sox adopting “Sweet Caroline” as their unofficial official anthem, to Diamond’s reworking of that song in an Instagram post by changing the words from “touching hands” to “washing hands” during the pandemic, Diamond is omnipresent. So basically if you have been alive in the last 60 years there is no way you cannot know who this unbelievably talented artist is.

As a performing artist he has 13 Top Ten songs including three #1 hits (“Cracklin’ Rosie” in 1970, “Song Sung Blue” in 1972 and his 1978 duet with Barbara Streisand, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”) and 18 Top Ten albums including 2008’s “Home Before Dark” which reached #1 in May of that year. His 2010 album, “Dreams”, is one of my personal favorites. It includes 14 covers of songs by other artists and one of his own compositions which was a #1 hit for The Monkees for seven consecutive weeks nearly 60 years ago beginning on December 31, 1966. He has won every award and accolade out there and is undoubtedly one of America’s greatest songwriters of all time. I am proud to bow at the altar of the Diamond.

Happy 85th birthday, Neil Diamond. Thank you for every note.

Neil Diamond circa 1970. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Diamond in the 1978 concert film, “The Last Waltz”. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Diamond in his 1980 film debut, “The Jazz Singer”. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Diamond in the 2001 movie, “Saving Silverman”. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Diamond circa 2010. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Diamond circa 2015. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

The Soul Stirrers: “The Last Mile Of The Way” (Recorded between 1950-1957. Written by Johnson Oatman, Jr.).

Sam Cooke: “You Send Me” (1958, written by Sam Cooke).

Sam Cooke: “Twistin’ the Night Away” (1962, written by Sam Cooke).

Sam Cooke: “A Change Is Gonna Come” (1964, written by Sam Cooke).

Neil Diamond: “Solitary Man” (1966, written by Neil Diamond).

Neil Diamond: “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970, written by Neil Diamond).

Neil Diamond: “Love On The Rocks” (1980, written by Gilbert Bécaud and Neil Diamond).

Neil Diamond: “I’m A Believer” (2010, written by Neil Diamond).

Stay safe & well.