Night Beat (Sam Cooke album)

Cooke and his musicians—pianist Ray Johnson, organist Billy Preston (who was only 16 at the time of recording), lead guitarist Barney Kessell, alternating drummers Hal Blaine and Ed Hall, bassist Cliff Hils and Clif White, and René Hall on rhythm guitar—cut Night Beat in three days during late-night recording sessions at RCA Victor Studios in Hollywood in February 1963.[4] "I Lost Everything", "Get Yourself Another Fool" and "Trouble Blues" were laid down on February 22, with the group returning, sans Kessell, the following day to record "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen", "Mean Old World", "Little Red Rooster" and "Laughin' and Clownin'".[4] The last recording session for Night Beat took place on February 25, when the same group, sans Hall and Kessell, reunited to commit "Lost and Lookin'", "Please Don't Drive Me Away", "You Gotta Move", "Fool's Paradise" and "Shake Rattle and Roll" to tape.[4]

According to John Bush of Allmusic, "Saddled with soaring strings and vocal choruses for maximum crossover potential, Sam Cooke's solo material often masked the most important part of his genius—his glorious voice—so the odd small-group date earns a special recommendation in his discography".[2] He speculated that had Cooke not died prematurely, "there would've been several more sessions like this, but Night Beat is an even richer treasure for its rarity."[2] Al Kooper of Goldmine wrote: "This is intimate Sam Cooke and his favorite musicians having some genuine fun in the studio, with obviously no eye toward ramming up the pop charts ... Each song is like another moody painting always in the appropriate, tasteful frame."[5]

The Guardian included it on their 2007 list of "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die", writing: "[Cooke] brought a spiritual intensity to every cute mainstream confection he recorded, but his beautiful voice was never more mesmerizing than on this hushed and gracious final album."[6]

All songs conducted by René Hall

All credits adapted from The RCA Albums Collection (2011) liner notes.[4]

• Sam Cooke – vocals
• René Hall – conducting, guitar
• Clifton White, Barney Kessel – guitar
• Cliff Hils – bass guitar
• Sharky Hall – drums, tambourine
• Hal Blaine – drums
• Ray Johnson – piano
• Billy Preston – organ
• Dave Hassinger – recording engineer

• Songs of Sam Cooke: Main Page