Sam Cooke was the biggest star in gospel music before hecrossed 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 recordcompanies treated black artists like hired help, Sam Cooke demanded respectequal to that of top white artists. And he connected, in songs like"Wonderful World," "Chain Gang," and "Another Saturday Night"--seeminglyeffortless compositions that still sound fresh today. This resoundingly praised book captures a human essence so vital, soappealing, that it is impossible not to fall under its spell. At the sametime, DREAM BOOGIE re-creates in rich detail the African American worldfrom which Sam Cooke emerged, allowing us to feel both his trials and histriumphs.