The Legendary Sam Cooke is about music, religion, romance, and history. Carla Cooke is his youngest daughter and her future mirrors the image of her father. Carla crafted her sound in the church similar to her dad. The younger Cooke knows her father’s roots are so deep that Carla has become her own person and connects with her roots through her father’s music. Having her Father, her God Father, Sir Mac Rice, writer of “Cheaper to Keep Her” and “Mustang Sally” and her Uncle Recording Artist LC Cooke as inspirations, motivates the journey she is on as an Artist.

Carla Cooke’s style is diverse in Gospel, Christian, R&B, Soul, Pop and the contemporary sound that embraces today’s culture. With a strong vocal range and warm personality, Carla’s stage presence commands the environment wherever she performs. 

For several years Carla has traveled the country keeping her father’s legacy alive with her tribute show entitled “The Sam Cooke Experience” which covers renditions of her father’s hit songs including “A Change is Gonna Come”, “You Send Me” , “Cupid ” and many more. Her show makes you feel as if Sam Cooke was still in the room stirring your soul. You will be touched as soon as her angelic voice radiates over the microphone and fills the room with memories of music that has stood the test of time.

Carla recorded two duets on the late Legendary Blues Artist Joe Louis Walker’s compilation “Blues Comin On”. He had this to say about Carla as an artist during his interview with Union Leader Newspaper: “I think if there was a star of this record that really makes this whole thing work, it’s Carla Cooke as well as Waddy. I very rarely say this but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Carla Cooke is not a household name in the way that Natalie Cole is. She is extremely talented, and she has a voice that, once you hear it, you never forget it,”

Carla has performed on Broadway bringing the music of her Father to “ The Town Hall”. Carla has had the pleasure of performing her show on “The Soul Train Cruise with headliner “Baby Face” and the distinguished honor of performing on a show at Bergen PAC with her father’s friend “ Little Anthony”.

Previous Mayor Perkins of Shreveport, LA presentedCarla with the “Key to the City” in honor of her father who encountered racism in the city. The same weekend Carla was given”The R&B Legacy Award” from the Montford Pointe Marines at their Annual Ceremony.

It was an honor for Carla to be chosen to sing “Walk on By” as a tribute to Dionne Warwick at the 2016 Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  The following year at the 2017 R&B Hall of Fame Ceremony,  Carla sang a duet with Gerald Alston of “The Manhattans”. Billboard stated, “The ceremony’s show-stopping moment was a duet on Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” by Austin and Cooke’s daughter Carla Cooke”. 

David Friscic of the D. C. Metro Arts Theater Magazine had this to say about Carla’s musical talent after her performance of “I will Always Love You” at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Super Club in Bethesda Maryland; “Ms. Cooke very daringly sang the entire song a capella, with a purity of tone and a nuanced vocal power that (as actress Lily Tomlin would say) gave me “the goose bump experience”. Chills went up and down my spine and the whole audience stood up cheering and applauding. This was one of the moments when the performer transcended some very adequate lyrics to take the song to a much deeper and higher level by virtue of her sheer vocal artistry”.

Carla Cooke proves that the apple does not fall far from the tree as she gives the listener the raw talent, emotion, beauty and charisma that has her carrying the Cooke family torch musically into the new millennium.

Don’t miss the journey Carla Cooke will take you on with her performances as she creates an atmosphere of pure joy and a time to remember.

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