CostelloNews.com: Elvis in Sam Cooke tributes , Nov. 5/6 '05

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports -

(extract)
Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Blind Boys of Alabama are among the artists set to sing the praises of Sam Cooke during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's American Music Masters salute to the quintessential soul man.

They'll celebrate Cooke's pop music in concert at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at Playhouse Square's State Theatre. Also on the bill are former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, Taj Mahal, Cissy Houston, Otis Clay and William Bell.

Most of those performers -- including Franklin -- will be joined by Lou Rawls for a second show at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the State Theatre, with the focus on the gospel side of Cooke's career.

Tickets On Sale on 09/16/05

MUSIC

Aretha on list for Rock Hall's Cooke salute
Sunday, September 11, 2005
John Soeder
Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Blind Boys of Alabama are among the artists set to sing the praises of Sam Cooke during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's American Music Masters salute to the quintessential soul man.

Most of those performers -- including Franklin -- will be joined by Lou Rawls for a second show at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, at the State Theatre, with the focus on the gospel side of Cooke's career.

"It's fairly courageous to do two concerts," says Warren Zanes, the Rock Hall's vice president of education.

"But with Sam Cooke, you can't not give his gospel music as much attention as his pop music gets. It's appropriate for him."

Cooke, the son of a Baptist minister, was among the first performers inducted into the Rock Hall in 1986. Three years later, the hall also enshrined the Soul Stirrers, the gospel group in which Cooke got his start before he became a solo superstar on the pop charts.

He scored his first No. 1 single in 1957 with "You Send Me." More than two dozen other Top 40 hits followed for the native of Clarksdale, Miss., including "Chain Gang," "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Another Saturday Night."

The Rock Hall expects to line up additional artists for both concerts in Cooke's honor.

The performances are part of "A Change Is Gonna Come: The Life and Music of Sam Cooke," the 10th annual installment of the Rock Hall's American Music Masters series, presented in conjunction with Case Western Reserve University.

The weeklong event commences Monday, Oct. 31.

Also on the agenda is an academic symposium Saturday, Nov. 5, at Case's Ford Auditorium, with appearances by Cooke's brother L.C. Cooke, Leroy Crume of the Soul Stirrers and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chairman Julian Bond, among others. Peter Guralnick, author of "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke" (to be published next month), will deliver the conference's keynote address.

Cooke was shot dead in 1964 at the age of 33. A motel manager in Los Angeles said she killed Cooke in self-defense after he tried to attack her. It was ruled a justifiable homicide.

Tickets for both Cooke tribute concerts go on sale Friday through Tickets.com outlets, or charge by phone, 1-800-766-6048 or 216-241-6000. Rock Hall members can buy tickets starting Monday by calling 216-515-8427.

Tickets for the Saturday show are $20, $30 and $40. Tickets for the Sunday show are $15, $25 and $35.

If you purchase a ticket for the Saturday concert, you can buy a ticket to the Sunday concert for half-price.

Group discounts for parties of 20 or more are available for the Sunday show. Call 216-515-1228.

Tickets for the symposium, $30, go on sale Friday at Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone, 216-241-5555 (Cleveland) or 330-945-9400 (Akron).

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

jsoeder@plaind.com, 216-999-4562