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7/19/2025, 6:46:04 PM
>Cooke, a Chicago native, began his music career in his teens when he and his brother were part of a gospel quartet called the Highway Q.C.s. In the mid-'50s, he was part of a gospel ensemble called the Soul Stirrers with six other members; Cooke sang lead vocal and the group recorded for Specialty Records. He decided to cross over to pop music sometime later but Speciality rejected that idea so Cooke and producer Bumps Blackwell left to join a newly started R&B label called Keen Records. He cut "You Send Me" and it was released in October 1957--although Cooke wrote the song himself, he credited it to his brother as he was concerned that Keen might try to abscond with his songwriting royalties otherwise.
>What happened next was one of the most remarkable turns of events in pop music history. "You Send Me" rocketed to the top of the charts and ultimately made #1 on the Billboard as the disc went on to sell 3 million copies and placed in the top 20 biggest selling records of 1957. This was all in spite of the singer being an unknown recording on an indie R&B label at a time when R&B was usually avoided by white pop radio. Within a few weeks, Teresa Brewer knocked out a quickie cover on Coral Records but despite having all the advantages of an established white pop singer and major label backing/radio play, her version of "You Send Me" only reached #15 on the Billboard (it was also the last time Brewer placed a top 20 hit).
>Cooke became an almost overnight star and continued recording on Keen until getting a major label contract with RCA in 1960.
>What happened next was one of the most remarkable turns of events in pop music history. "You Send Me" rocketed to the top of the charts and ultimately made #1 on the Billboard as the disc went on to sell 3 million copies and placed in the top 20 biggest selling records of 1957. This was all in spite of the singer being an unknown recording on an indie R&B label at a time when R&B was usually avoided by white pop radio. Within a few weeks, Teresa Brewer knocked out a quickie cover on Coral Records but despite having all the advantages of an established white pop singer and major label backing/radio play, her version of "You Send Me" only reached #15 on the Billboard (it was also the last time Brewer placed a top 20 hit).
>Cooke became an almost overnight star and continued recording on Keen until getting a major label contract with RCA in 1960.
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