HE COOKE BOOK: The Music of Sam Cooke is a celebration of Sam Cooke’s innovative (but too brief) career that blazed a trail for Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Smokey Robinson, and many other giants of Soul Music. The show includes more than twenty songs from the legendary singer/songwriter that seamlessly highlight Cooke’s musical journey from Gospel golden boy, through his transition into an international Pop sensation, his remarkable Jazz and Blues interpretations from his triumphant Copacabana appearance, and his lasting legacy. A Chicago son, like Cooke himself, Darrian Ford performs these timeless and classic melodies with expanded and re-invigorated arrangements that hold stylistically true to the era, while his “… scorching vocals send you searching for your soul” (The Chicago Tribune). Urban Milwaukee said, “Ford delivered faithfully throughout the night, but with “Change is Gonna Come,” he transcended. The Triangle Theater Review said, “Ford not only turns in remarkable performances, recreating some of Cooke’s distinctive mannerisms, but captures the charisma and infectious energy of the celebrated Soul singer pioneer.”