Interview 'between' Sam Cooke and Magnificient Montague.

This transcription doesn't do justice to the pure beauty of this interview on the radio. Montague speaks more than Sam and is the bigger star. They combine their own words to form new poems. The best part is when Sam is asked to hum 8 bars of soul. This of course cannot be written down, but believe me, it's beautiful

MM – Good afternoon darlings, this is Magnificient Montague and here in the studio we have a man who calls himself “Mr. Soul”. He claims he is a singer and he claims he has the background that makes him eligible to be a part of your show darling. His name is Sam Cooke, Mr. Soul

 SC – Well that’s very simple to do, choose that’s just soul for one Montague, believe me, very easy to do. I wanna say that knowing you as long as I have, I’ve had a chance even to sit back and observe you.

 MM- Otherwise you have been trying to gather some material for your soul through mine.

 (they laugh)

 SC – I have no retort no retort for that

 MM – I’ve been knowing you for some while and you’ve always had a tinkling of soul. And I think that this afternoon, we’re going to see if you have soul by playing most of the albums you’ve recorded, and singles you’ve recorded since you have been singing. I think this goes back to the spiritual days.

 SC – That’s right you know I was with the Soul Stirrers

MM – That’s right And you know where it is

SC – I, I hope so

MM – uhhuh. Sam tell have you changed any during the years. You look a little older. A little thinner.

SC – Well I, know I haven’t changed that much Montague. I say, as a singer grows older, his conception grows a little deeper, because he lives life and he understands what he is trying to say a little more. And I think this gives. If a singer tries to find out what’s happening in life, it gives him a better insight on telling the story of the song he is trying to sing.

MM – Right, Sam, I tell you what I’m going to do. I want for you to pick one of the tunes, your favorite tunes out and you recite the first line.

SC – That’s fine.

MM – What is your favorite record that you have?

SC – One of my favorite records is called ‘You Were Made For Me’

MM – And what is the first line Sam?

SC – A Fish was made to swim in to ocean, a boat was made to sail on the sea. As sure as there are stars above, you were made for me.

MM – And I can recap that by saying: of all the fish in the ocean, for all the waves on the sea, there’s nothing darling that I can bake more better, than you and me. And if perchance I dream, and I’d be the captain of my ship. I know that wherever I sail darling, you were made for me.                               How’d you like that Sam?

SC – I like that

MM – you like that Sam

SC – you know what, I think, you know what I’m gonna do? We must get together and collaborate at least once on a song.

MM – That would be terrific. Sam, what’s your second best record.

SC – My second best record, my current record, I love this very very much. It’s called ‘Nothing Can Change This Love’

MM- all right, now let’s pretend. You do it like we did before and I’ll see if I can come up with something.

SC – All Right, uuh, this says: If I go a million miles away, I’d write a letter each and every day. Cause nothing can change the love I have for you

MM – If I should go beyond the clouds, beyond the world renowned, if I should in my sleep stumble out loud. Darling I am not afraid to write your name a thousand times. For nothing in this crazy world can change my love. I know thank God that nothing can change my love I have for you.              Well Sam, how did you like that Sam?

SC - Ah, that was nice Montague. Very nice, but you know, I can’t cap that Montague

MM – Nono, I wasn’t trying to get you to cap that, I was merely trying to looking at you, trying to observe. And I think that to close the show up very nicely Sam, I would like for you to, to hum something, just slightly, you hum something for my darlings. On other words everyday I try to describe soul, if you can hum 8 bars of what soul represents.

 Sam hums

 MM – And when the humming is over, and time finds its soul. All I can say to you darling is, Sam Cooke’s yours, he’ll never grow old. Sam it’s been nice

 SC – it’s been wonderful

MM – thank you Sam