Quaneshia Washington Edwards, Shalonda Dayonerounds Beasley Jaimie Allums and Jason Irvin Did you know that Sam Cooke wrote this song because he was not allowed in a motel on October 8, 1963 (I was 6yrs old)-(GET THIS) in SHREVEPORT LA....read on...: A Change Is Gonna Come was partially inspired by an incident in which Cooke and his band tried to register at a whites only motel in Shreveport, Louisiana. On October 8, 1963, Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North to make reservations for his wife, Barbara and himself, but when he and his group arrived, the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no vacancies.[1] While his brother Charles protested, Sam was fuming, yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he received an answer. His wife nudged him, attempting to calm him down, telling him, Theyll kill you, to which he responded, They aint gonna kill me, because Im Sam Cooke.[1] When they eventually persuaded Cooke to leave, the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns. When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown, the police were waiting for them, arresting them for disturbing the peace.[1] The New York Times ran an AP report the following day headlined Negro Band Leader Held in Shreveport, but African-Americans were outraged, leading to the creation of a myth surrounding the incident, exaggerating parts of the story and fabricating others.[2]
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 16:01:55 +0000