Sam Cooke may be best remembered for his Top 40 hits and pioneering soul sounds, not to mention his gospel gems with the Soul Stirrers, but he had a profound gift for singing the blues, too. A blues lover from his heart, he cited Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker when asked to name his favorite singers in one magazine interview. Charles Brown was another obvious inspiration, as borne out by the Brown covers that grace Night Beat, Cooke’s after-hours masterpiece. Forgoing the usual orchestrated productions of other RCA Victor sessions, Cooke recorded with a small combo featuring Billy Preston on organ. Several tracks reflect Cooke’s ability to adapt gospel themes to blues, and the session even produced a hit single that far outsold the original by Howlin’ Wolf – “Little Red Rooster” reached No. 2 on the Cash Box R&B charts and No.11 on the pop charts.
