Blowin in the Wind may bring back memories of a Dylanesque time for some. For me, it is the music of Sam Cooke. Spurred by Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”, Cooke set out to compose a song for the 60’s civil rights movement. He wrote “A Change is Gonna Come” and captured the fragile balance of hope and despair, determination and impatience that characterized the black freedom movement. Cooke’s entire professional and personal life had been framed by racism; he had ample, bruising experience of life on the road in the apartheid south, and was profoundly affected by the rise of a new militancy among young black people. He has been described as “The King of Soul”
“His last years were marked by sadness and self-imposed isolation. He was, as everyone noted, ravishing, and from the beginning he carried on multiple sexual affairs with women in every port of call (resulting in a series of paternity actions). His belated marriage to his teenage girlfriend, Barbara, proved disastrous and turned bitterly sour after their infant son drowned in their new Hollywood swimming pool. He began drinking more heavily and finding solace in prostitutes in out-of-the-way neighbourhoods where he could hide from his fame and responsibilities. One night in December 1964, a woman left him in a cheap hotel room after stealing his clothes and money. Half-naked, drunk and enraged, Cooke berated the woman who managed the hotel. A struggle followed and Cooke, then 33, was shot dead.” His life has been chronicled in Dream Boogie. (go here for the review)
Anyway, back to Blowin in the Wind, and a Change is Gonna come. If you are a guy, and you do remember these tunes, then you are probably age ready for this
Authentic British Pond Boat
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