Singer Sam Cook, the son of a minister and believed by many to be the first father of soul music, was born in Chicago, Illinois. Cook began his singing career with a gospel group known as the Singing Children. His fame came in 1965 with "You and Me," "Only 16," and his very famous "Stand By Me" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll." Cook was fatally shot in a Los Angeles motel in 1964.
