DREAM BOOGIE
THE TRIUMPH OF SAM COOKE
by Peter Guralnick
Sam Cooke was the biggest star in gospel music before he ever crossed over into pop. His first single under his own name, "You Send Me," went to #1 on the charts and sold two million copies. At a time when record companies treated black artists like hired help, Sam Cooke demanded respect. And he connected, with songs like "Wonderful World," "Chain Gang," "Another Saturday Night," -- his own seemingly effortless compositions -- as well as with "A Change Is Gonna Come," his acknowledged masterpiece, an anthem for the civil rights movement almost from the moment it was released.
This resoundingly praised book summons up an entire era with almost unbearable poignancy and drama. It is an epic account of American life during a turbulent but hopeful ageas well as a deeply moving portrait of a complex, inspired artist and human being.
- One of Salon's Top 10 Books of the Year
- One of the Chicago Tribune's Top 10 Books of the Year
- One of the San Francisco Chronicle's Best Books of the Year
- A New York Times Notable Book of the Year
"Sam Cooke and the culture which formed him come back to blazing, vivid life in this extraordinary biography. That the book is so good should come as no surprise who knows Peter Guralnick's writing. Dream Boogie is a wonderful book about a major figure in American music." -- MARTIN SCORCESE
"A great American biography in which the beautifully described musical triumphs remain untarnished by the tragedy of the final act." -- ELVIS COSTELLO
