Jackie Wilson Vs Sam Cooke

[Guest WPaulVanDyk]

how about a debate on who people think is the best. i love them both but with a close call i do think Jackie Wilson does it for me he has that thing about him and the way he used to move. This will promt some good debate

[grant]

how about a debate on who people think is the best. i love them both but with a close call i do think Jackie Wilson does it for me he has that thing about him and the way he used to move. This will promt some good debate

Neither do much for me....

[Guest YKSoulMan]

I must admit both are good but Sam Cooke, is for me, the man. His voice, even from his Gospel roots, is the epitomy of soul. That man could sing.

[Guest soul_hull]

they both had fantastic voices, but in different ways. Jackie's voice was acrobatic....had a great range. Sam's voice was equally fantastic, but not for range, but for the sheer richness in then timbre of his voice. there's an old geezer in the pub i go in - he dresses up in all the 50s gear - tailored paisley long coats, trilby hats and all that, always telling me how great elvis and buddy were - and i always tell him none of them had a patch on sam cooke and that if sam had lived, the whole world, not just the world of music, would be a different place - that's how good a singer he was, in my opinion. Incidentally, the story of the night he was shot is a fascinating tale - seek it out.

Sam died a bit early to make, in my opinion, many 'soul' songs of the type we love, so from our standpoint, ie the northern soul scene, the crown has to go to Jackie - the guy has made my skin tingle so many times it's unbelievable. Since you showed me how to happy, i've lost you, higher and higher....these songs are BOMBS!

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

how about a debate on who people think is the best. i love them both but with a close call i do think Jackie Wilson does it for me he has that thing about him and the way he used to move. This will promt some good debate

I never saw the way people move as being something that makes them a better artist, I must admit. Bobby Bland is one of the greatest singers of all time, and all he's ever done for a stage act is come out, look straight at his audience, and sing.

Actually, this is a pretty daft 'argument' if you ask me - you might as well take any two soul singers at random. and debate their merits in opposition to each other.

Sam made some great records and some bad records, but overall he was fantastic. Jackie made some great records and some bad records, but overall he was fantastic, too.

That's pretty much settled that, then, IMO. Next!

TONE

[Guest Billy Freemantle]

Bobby Bland is one of the greatest singers of all time.

I agree. Bobby has to be counted not only as one of the greatest Soul singers of all time, but simply as one of the greatest singers of popular music on a par with Perry Como and Frank Sinatra.

[Guest Adam G]

There is a great chapter on Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson touring together and trying to out do each other in Sams life story

Dream Boogie The triumph of Sam Cooke.It also tells of his touring with Bobby Bland (who sang at his funeral) Johnny Guitar Watson etc....Brilliant read

I agree with Tony they were both possesors of great voices and my own personal favourite is Sam Cooke who as I have said in the past could have sung the Yellow Pages and I would buy it.

I have just organised my small collection and noticed though I have much more Bobby Bland than anyother singer!.

Now how about disscussing the merits of his "California Album"

[Guest Baz]

Both dont do alot for me

[Simsy]

how about a debate on who people think is the best. i love them both but with a close call i do think Jackie Wilson does it for me he has that thing about him and the way he used to move. This will promt some good debate

Do you work nights Paul?

Jackie or Sam that's a toughie, probably too close to call. You didn't want to add Otis to the mix then?

[Guest in town Mikey]

Both of equal brilliance. But like any artist it is about getting the right song. That is what made Motown so spectacularly sucsessful. They'd try out a song on a dozen acts and decide which one fitted best. (Which is great for us dicsovering tunes by other artists).

I cant imagine Sam doing Reet Petite, and neither can I imagine Jackie doing Otis' Shake. It doesnt mean one is better than the other, just that the song fits their voice.

If I had to chose I'd go for Sam Cooke, but if getting it wrong meant I had to listen to Jackie all day today, then I'd gladly be wrong.

Edited October 25, 2006 by in town Mikey

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Both of equal brilliance. But like any artist it is about getting the right song. That is what made Motown so spectacularly sucsessful. They'd try out a song on a dozen acts and decide which one fitted best. (Which is great for us dicsovering tunes by other artists).

I cant imagine Sam doing Reet Petite, and neither can I imagine Jackie doing Otis' Shake. It doesnt mean one is better than the other, just that the song fits their voice.

If I had to chose I'd go for Sam Cooke, but if getting it wrong meant I had to listen to Jackie all day today, then I'd gladly be wrong.

Actually, Mikey, if you cop a listen to Jackie's "Shake! Shake! Shake!" from his "Baby Workout" album, you will very much be able to do more than merely imagine JW singing "Shake" as it's almost exactly the same song...

As S!S!S! was recorded and came out first, you have to wonder if Sam mightn't have heard it before he wrote "Shake"

TONE

[Guest in town Mikey]

Cheers Tone. Will have to try to hear that one.

Cant get chain gang out of my head now. hurgh hah.

Edited October 25, 2006 by in town Mikey

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Cheers Tone. Will have to try to hear that one.

Cant get chain gang out of my head now. hurgh hah.

Of course, Sam and Jackie did both record "Chain Gang", too - i think it might be the only actual song that's common to both artists' catalogues ( the variations on a theme called 'shake' notwitstanding!)

TONE

[Guest Bogue]

Both of equal brilliance. But like any artist it is about getting the right song. That is what made Motown so spectacularly sucsessful. They'd try out a song on a dozen acts and decide which one fitted best. (Which is great for us dicsovering tunes by other artists).

I cant imagine Sam doing Reet Petite, and neither can I imagine Jackie doing Otis' Shake. It doesnt mean one is better than the other, just that the song fits their voice.

If I had to chose I'd go for Sam Cooke, but if getting it wrong meant I had to listen to Jackie all day today, then I'd gladly be wrong.

Otis did a good cover of 'Higher & Higher' though

[Guest WPaulVanDyk]

i usually work 3.45 - 8.45pm. The idea here is that you have taken 2 of the greatest soul singers. But Otis would be in top 10 of soul singers. i think it seemed Sam cooke and Jackie might well have been rivals despite Jackie did cover a sam cooke song