Sam Cooke (born Samuel Cook on January 22, 1931 – died December 11, 1964) was an American gospel (gospel music), R&B, soul (soul music), and pop (popular music) singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as The King of Soul for his unmatched vocal abilities and impact and influence on the modern world of music. His contribution in pioneering Soul music led to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and popularizing the likes of Otis Redding and James Brown.

Cooke had 29 top-40 hits in the U.S. between 1957 and 1964. Major hits like "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come (A Change Is Gonna Come (song))", "Chain Gang (Chain Gang (song))", "Wonderful World (Wonderful World (Sam Cooke song))", and "Bring It on Home to Me" are some of his most popular songs. Cooke was also among the first modern black (Black people) performers and composers to attend to the business side of his musical career. He founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. He also took an active part in the American Civil Rights Movement (African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)).

On December 11, 1964, Cooke was allegedly shot to death by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California at the age of 33. At the time, the courts ruled that Cooke was drunk and distressed, and the manager killed Cooke in what was later ruled a justifiable homicide. Since that time, the circumstances of his death have been widely questioned.