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Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964

Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964 is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released posthumously on June 17, 2003, by ABKCO Records. The disc covers Cooke's entire career, from his early 1950s beginnings with the Soul Stirrers to the posthumous 1964 single "Shake". The collection includes most of the singer's hit singles, including "You Send Me", "Wonderful World", "Chain Gang", "Cupid", "Twistin' the Night Away", "Bring It On Home to Me", "Another Saturday Night", "Little Red Rooster", "Ain't That Good News", "Good Times", and what is often regarded as Cooke’s magnum opus, "A Change Is Gonna Come".

Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964
Compilation album by
Sam Cooke
ReleasedJune 17, 2003
RecordedMarch 1, 1951 – November 16, 1964
Various recording locations
Genre
Length79:08
LabelABKCO
Producer
Sam Cooke chronology
Keep Movin' On
(2002) 		Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964
(2003) 		The RCA Albums Collection
(2011)

The compilation is generally considered the most complete and comprehensive collection of Cooke's work. It has been included on various "best-of" lists by music publications, including Rolling Stone and Time.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
BBC MusicFavorable[2]

Biographer Peter Guralnick, author of Cooke's biography Dream Boogie and the liner notes for the disc, writes: "For an overview of Sam's career, from his gospel beginnings through 'A Change Is Gonna Come,' nothing can compare to Portrait of a Legend which serves as a guide to Sam at his very best."[3] The BBC's Alwyn Turner writes, "With perfect sound quality, and with sleeve-notes by Peter Guralnick, this is the best single-volume introduction to his work available."[2] Bruce Eder of AllMusic considered it an improvement on the 1986 compilation The Man and His Music in terms of running time and audio quality; he did, however, lament the lack of inclusion of "'That's Heaven to Me' and 'Soothe Me', arguably one of Cooke's most important songs."[1]

It is Cooke's highest placing position on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, at number 107,[4] maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list,[5] dropping to number 307 in a 2020 revised list.[6] In 2010, Time included the compilation on their list of the All-TIME 100 Albums, covering "the 100 greatest and most influential musical compilations since 1954." In the article, Alan Light writes, "The 31 tracks on Portrait of a Legend impressively capture Cooke’s range on a single disc […] Many artists are called "legends," but Sam Cooke truly earned this title."[7]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sam Cooke, except where noted

No.TitleWriterLength
1."Touch the Hem of His Garment" 2:01
2."Lovable"
  • Cooke
  • Tony Harris
2:24
3."You Send Me" 2:43
4."Only Sixteen" 2:02
5."(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons"
2:38
6."Just for You" 2:19
7."Win Your Love for Me"L.C. Cook2:46
8."Everybody Loves to Cha Cha Cha" 2:45
9."I'll Come Running Back to You"William "Bill" Cook2:13
10."You Were Made for Me" 2:53
11."Sad Mood" 2:39
12."Cupid" 2:36
13."(What a) Wonderful World"
2:05
14."Chain Gang"
  • Cooke
  • Charles Cook Jr.
2:34
15."Summertime"
2:20
16."Little Red Rooster"Willie Dixon2:52
17."Bring It On Home to Me" 2:42
18."Nothing Can Change This Love" 2:37
19."Sugar Dumpling" 2:43
20."(Ain't That) Good News" 2:28
21."Meet Me at Mary's Place" 2:41
22."Twistin' the Night Away" 2:41
23."Shake" 2:50
24."Tennessee Waltz"
3:09
25."Another Saturday Night" 2:40
26."Good Times" 2:27
27."Having a Party" 2:35
28."That's Where It's At"
2:35
29."A Change Is Gonna Come" 3:11
30."Jesus Gave Me Water"Lucie Campbell2:29
Total length:79:08

There is an additional track containing a segment of an interview by Magnificent Montague from 1963 in which Sam Cooke hums a few bars.

Personnel

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All credits adapted from the disc's liner notes.[8]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Bruce Eder. "Review: Portrait of a Legend 1951–1964". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Alwyn Turner (2006). "BBC -Music – Review of Sam Cooke: Portrait of a Legend 1951–1964". BBC. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  3. ^ Guralnick, Peter (2005). Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. New York: Back Bay Books, p. 715. First edition, 2005.
  4. ^ Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. ISBN 978-7098934196
  5. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  6. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  7. ^ "All-TIME 100 Albums". Time. New York City: Time Inc. January 22, 2010. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964 (liner notes). Sam Cooke. US: ABKCO Records. 2003. 92642.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Sam Cooke | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  10. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sam Cooke – Portrait of a Legend – 1951–1964". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "Charts.nz – Sam Cooke – Portrait of a Legend – 1951–1964". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  12. ^ "Sam Cooke Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  13. ^ "Sam Cooke Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  14. ^ "ChartsPlusYE2005" (PDF). Chartsplus. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "British album certifications – Sam Cooke – Portrait of a Legend". British Phonographic Industry.
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