Sam Cooke and The Staples for Easter Weekend
As Trump hawks his new Bible...Plus: Beyonce's new "Jolene" and Adam Driver as the Q Anon Shaman...
Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books (see link) and now writer/director of three award-winning films aired via PBS, including “Atomic Cover-up” and “Memorial Day Massacre” which are still up at PBS.org. Before all that, he was a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy. You can still subscribe to this newsletter for free.
Longtime readers may know that I am a huge Sam Cooke admirer (see my career tribute here) and his early work with the gospel group The Soul Stirrers is on my Mount Rushmore of the century’s recorded music. Not to mention so influential for all soul music and much of rock ‘n roll that followed. So below a selection of my favorite Sam and Stirrers offerings for Good Friday and Easter, plus a few from other legends: The Staple Singers, and Pops and Mavis separately, then the usual cartoons, this time with Trump/Good Friday theme, and reminder: If you have not, please subscribe, Lord help us, it’s still free!
But first, Beyonce’s loved and feared “country-ish” album dropped last night, with 27 tracks no less. Here’s her take on “Jolene” (with some new lyrics).
Of course we have to start with Good Friday and peak Sam, “Were You There (When They Crucified the Lord,” one of the greatest songs and performances by anyone.
Naturally followed by “Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone,” which includes a snatch of “Amazing Grace” (Sam’s only recorded version of that).
“He’s My Guide”
“The Last Mile of the Way”
“Any Day Now”
Some call this one of the greatest live vocals of our era, from the epic 1955 recording, Shrine Auditorium, L.A., “Nearer to Thee”
“Pilgrim of Sorrow”
Early Staples live…
Some say the first gospel hit single to sell a million copies, “Uncloudy Day”
Pops with my man Ry Cooder.
Mavis recorded that song on her Grammy-winning album produced by Ry, and also the amazing “99 and 1/2” below
Mavis with “Farther Along” with Levon Helm, in his final months…
Cartooning
Barry Blitt:
