Sam Cook, considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the “King of Soul” for his distinctive vocals, notable contributions to the genre and significance in popular music.
Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on this date January 22, 1931, and began his singing career with a gospel group known as the Soul Stirrers.
Going solo in 1957, Sam Cooke released a string of hit songs, including “You Send Me”, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, “Cupid”, “Wonderful World”, “Chain Gang”, “Twistin’ the Night Away”, “Bring It On Home to Me”, and “Good Times”.
Cooke’s pioneering contributions to soul music contributed to the rise of Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Billy Preston, and popularized the work of Otis Redding and James Brown.
David Byrne (1952-) Talking Heads - lead vocals and guitar
Songs: "The Book I Read," "Heaven"
Defeated Opponents: Roger Taylor
Propaganda: "David Byrne has been the patron saint of autistic people around the world for decades. His unapologetic strangeness and unorthodoxy is unparalleled, undefeated. Not only is he an angel in every sense of the word, he's also hot as fuck. While many celebrities fear they've lost their spark as they age, he made aging his bitch. He owns it so hard he's reached levels of cuntlery that most could only dream of reaching. Not only did he make me feel more confident in myself and indirectly encourage me to stop faking through life to make others comfortable, he also made me excited to grow old and become the best, most wacky version of myself. He's also hot as fuck, and the only man who has truly made me question my sexuality."
“Deeply complex, shy, introverted when not on stage, and the extraordinarily good-looking David Byrne […] was actually born in Scotland and here he is on tour there, in an hotel, smoking a cigarette, and looking like a 1940's movie star." (quote from Jill Furmanovsky)
Sam Cooke (1931-1964) solo
Songs: "What a Wonderful World," "A Change is Gonna Come"
Defeated Opponents: Tom Petty
Propaganda: "The smile, the eyes, and my god THE VOICE"