“I was born by the river, in a little tent. Oh, and just like the river I’ve been runnin’ ever since. It’s been a long, a long time comin’, but I know a change gon’ come. Oh yes it will.”

Sam Cooke (1931-1964)

From his 1964 song “A Change Is Gonna Come”

American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, often called “The King of Soul,” was born on this day, Jan. 22, 1931, in Clarksdale, Miss. His song “A Change Is Gonna Come” was inspired by the hardships he faced as a Black man in the Jim Crow South. Two weeks before the song was released in December 1964, Cooke was shot and killed in a Los Angeles motel. The song quickly became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, and has appeared on many lists of the greatest songs ever written.