Sam Cooke (January 22, 1931–December 11, 1964) was an American soul singer and songwriter. He was born Sam Cook but later changed the spelling of his name. He was very important in the beginning of soul music. He had many hit songs in America. Some of his most famous songs were "You Send Me", "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Chain Gang", "Wonderful World", and "Bring It on Home to Me".