Sam Cooke: Crossing Over: Tonight on American Masters on PBS

“What to Watch Monday: American Masters opens with a profile of the soul titan Sam Cooke. A highlight: Lou Rawls explaining how touring gospel singers (like Mr. Cooke, early in his career) ‘got over good’ — even better than R&B and jazz musicians — because of their wholesome reputations.”
- The New York Times

In 1958, when Sam Cooke crossed over from gospel to “the devil’s music,” he set in motion a chain of events that altered the course of popular music and race relations in America. Sam Cooke: Crossing Over examines Cooke’s musical and political significance during the early civil rights movement and unravels some of the myths surrounding his life and death, revealing a complex portrait of a flawed but talented man.

Sam Cooke: Crossing Over premieres tonight, January 11 at 9:00 PM on American Masters on PBS (check local listings).

A co-production of ITVS in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC).

Tags: African American, gospel, Human Rights, music, racial