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MPR News Staff

When Sam Cooke went from gospel to secular music

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"You Send Me" by Sam Cooke was No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart 60 years ago.

Cooke grew up in Chicago where his father was a minister for the Church of Christ (Holiness).

He began singing with his siblings when he was 6 years old in a group called the Singing Children.

In the 1950s he was part of the Soul Stirrers gospel group.

Cooke's family name did not have an "e" on the end, but he added the extra letter in 1957 to signify a new start to his life. That's when he made the switch from gospel to secular music.