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".
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
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."Guralnick, Peter (2005). Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke. New York: Back Bay Books, p. 715. First edition, 2005. 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." 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."
It is Cooke's highest placing position on Rolling Stone 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time, at number 107,Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list, dropping to number 307 in a 2020 revised list. 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."
Track listing
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 All credits adapted from the disc's liner notes.
Sam Cooke – vocals, producer Michael Gochanour – analog to digital transfers Rick Essig – analog to digital transfers Teri Landi – analog to digital transfers Ben Bailes – assistant engineer Matt Boynton – assistant engineer Tom Camuso – assistant engineer Jimmie Haskell – arrangement, conducting René Hall – arrangement, conducting, guitar, producer Alisa Coleman-Ritz – art direction Iris W. Keitel – art direction April Hobbs – art production coordinator Seth Adkins – art production coordinator Laura Walton – audio production coordinator Alicia Adams – backing vocals Betty Baker – backing vocals Betty Jane Barker – backing vocals Carol Lee Lombard – backing vocals Charles Parlato – backing vocals Doreen Tryden – backing vocals Jack Halloran – backing vocals Jackie Ward – backing vocals James Bryant – backing vocals J.J. Farley – backing vocals Jimmie Outler – backing vocals Lee Gotch – backing vocals Loulie Jean Norman – backing vocals Lou Rawls – backing vocals Paul Foster – backing vocals R.B. Robinson – backing vocals Ralph Brewster – backing vocals Richard Gibbs – backing vocals Robert Tebold – backing vocals Sally Stevens Castle – backing vocals S.R. Crain – backing vocals Sue Allen – backing vocals Thomas D. Kenny – backing vocals Thomas L. Bruster – backing vocals Adolphus Alsbrook – bass guitar Chuck Badie – bass guitar Clifford Hils – bass guitar Eddie Tilman – bass guitar Frank Fields – bass guitar Harper Cosby – bass guitar James Bond – bass guitar Milton Hinton – bass guitar Ray Pohlman – bass guitar Red Callender – bass guitar Ted Brinson – bass guitar Jack Costanza – bongos Armand Kaproff – cello Cecil Figelski – cello Emmet Sargeant – cello Frederick Seykora – cello Jesse Ehrlich – cello
Joseph Coppin – cello Leanne Allik – conception Glen Osser – conductor Sammy Lowe – conductor Angelo Tillery – cover illustration Hiroyuki Komuro – DSD assistant Gus Skinas – DSD Charles Blackwell – drums David Francis – drums Earl Palmer – drums John Boudreaux – drums June Gardner – drums Ronald Selico – drums Edward Hall – drums, percussion Frank Capp – drums, percussion Hal Blaine – drums, percussion Julius Wechter – drums, percussion Al Schmitt – engineer Dave Hassinger – engineer Dick Bogart – engineer Dino Lapis – engineer Barney Kessel – guitar Bob King – guitar Bobby Womack – guitar Clifton White – guitar Edgar Blanchard – guitar George Barnes (musician) – guitar Everett Barksdale – guitar Glen Campbell – guitar Howard Roberts – guitar John Pisano – guitar LeRoy Crume – guitar Norman Bartold – guitar Tommy Tedesco – guitar Ulysses Livingston – guitar William Pitman – guitar Joseph Gibbons – guitar, banjo William Hinshaw – French horn Peter J. Howard – legal Peter Guralnick – liner notes Hillary Putnam – manufacturing Kenneth Silinsky – manufacturing Emil Radocchia – marimba, timpani, percussion Bob Ludwig – mastering Billy Preston – organ Jess Rand – photography Edward Beal – piano Ernest Freeman – piano Ernie Hayes – piano Harold Battiste – piano Raymond Johnson – piano Russell Bridges – piano Warren Myles – piano Al Schmitt – producer Art Rupe – producer Hugo & Luigi – producer
Lou Adler – producer Bumps Blackwell – producer Jody H. Klein – reissue producer Teri Landi – reissue producer Joe Parker – sales Red Tyler – saxophone Edgar Redmond – saxophone Jewell Grant – saxophone John Kelsom – saxophone Plas Johnson – saxophone William Green – saxophone Maria Papazahariou – session research Steve Rosenthal – sound restoration David Wells – trombone John Ewing – trombone Louis Blackburn – trombone Anthony Terran – trumpet John Anderson – trumpet Melvin Lastie – trumpet Stuart Williamson – trumpet Lawrence Bunker – vibraphone Allan Harshman – viola Alexander Neiman – viola Harry Hyams – viola Irving Weinper – viola Samuel Boghossian – viola Wilbert Nuttycombe – viola Ambrose Russo – violin Alfred Brown – violin Archie Levin – violin Arnold Belnick – violin Ben Miller – violin Charles Libove – violin Darrel Terwilliger – violin David Nadien – violin Elliot Fisher – violin Fred Fradkin – violin Gareth Nuttycombe – violin Harold Dickterow – violin Harry Lookofsky – violin Hinda Barnet – violin Irving Lipschultz – violin Isadore Roman – violin Israel Baker – violin John DeVoogdt – violin Joseph Saxon – violin Leonard Malarsky – violin Marshall Sosson – violin Marvin Limonick – violin Max Cahn – violin Myron Sandler – violin Ralph Schaeffer – violin Robert Barene – violin Sidney Sharp – violin Tibor Zelig – violin William Kurasch – violin
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2003) Peakposition Chart (2006–07) Peakposition Chart (2012) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position UK Albums (OCC) 124
Certifications
References
External links
Portrait of a Legend: 1951–1964 at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)