“Before there was soul music – before there was rock & roll – there was the Legendary Soul Stirrers.” Most bands could never live up to such a towering introduction, but this one’s true. And on Sunday ...

The Complete Specialty Recordings (Specialty) The end felt so tragic because the beginning sounded so pure. When Sam Cooke was murdered in a Los Angeles motel in 1964 while allegedly attempting to ...

Here’s a welcome, renewed acquaintance with two old friends and a chance meet some new ones, as this double-CD reissues the original Soul Stirrers vinyl SAR albums and includes some stray unissued ...

A few years ago, I was at a party for a friend’s kid. In the midst of a brief lull, my friend April dramatically waved me back into the kitchen to whisper a secret. The huge secret? She finds ...

The Soul Stirrers have inspired gospel and R&B audiences for more than eight decades. The vocal quartet has moved through several incarnations. At different times, the group has included singing ...

From the late ’50s until his death in 1964, the great R&B singer Sam Cooke championed other important artists on his SAR Records label. Having launched his own career in the early ’50s as a member of ...

The following essay comes from Specialty Records’ 1991 collection, “Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers,” currently available through Concord Music Group. Sam Cooke has arguably been the most influential ...

It's a gospel group that's been around since 1926 and which is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There have been different variations of the group over the decades, and members have come and gone, ...

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A group that has been serving the Lowcountry through gospel music marks a very important accomplishment this year. The ladies of the Dynamic Soul Stirrers have been ...

Since 2005 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in ...

(From the liner notes of The Complete Recordings of Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers, a three box set by Specialty.) Five men in crisp white suits stand shoulder to shoulder, ready to go to work. In ...

The Soul Stirrers have inspired gospel and R&B audiences for more than eight decades. After a long hiatus, they are back together with a new album, A Soul Stirring Reunion, which combines classics ...