I would highly recommend this one!
Loved it! It had all of the great songs on there, and is well worth the money. Actually, it's probably not enough money that I paid for the large, inclusive collection of hits by Sam Cooke! This CD is wonderful. I highly recommend it for anyone who is a huge Sam Cooke fan. All original songs. Great sound quality. Includes all of the hits - and not just a few hits and a lot of other stuff that was never a hit. Very good collection. Whoever put this together did a great job.

Classic R&B
All I have to say is that if you are of the R&B persuasion if you ain't got this one, you ain't got nothing.

Sam Cooke - Portrait of a legend
Sam Cooke sounds just as great today as he did 44 years ago. Sure some tracks sound dated but the magic voice still carries through. Great CD.

Loving the Legend
SINCE PURCHASEING PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND, I HAVE LISTENED TO IT OVER AND OVER. SAM COOKE TRULY HAD A BRILLIANT MIND. THE SONGS ON THIS CD TOOK ME BACK TO THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH IN CHARLOTTE,NC. EACH SONG WILL HOLD SOME CHERISHED MEMORY FOR THE LISTENER AND YOU WILL LISTEN TO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. THIS WAS THE BEST PURCHASE I HAVE EVER MADE AND I AM VERY HAPPY I MADE IT. PORTRAIT OF A LEGEND IS A WONDERFUL CD AND ONE I WILL HOLD DEAR TO MY HEART FOREVER.

Excellent Compilation
This CD compilation gives a fine overview of the career of Sam Cooke, from his early recordings as a Gospel singer through his breakthrough as a pop-artist whose style and song-writing gradually changed from pure-pop till what we now recognize as the beginning of soul-music.

The CD clearly documents that Cooke was a unique singer and a very gifted song-writer. Most of his big hits from the late 1950's are included; all of which are fine in their own rights, but for me it's the second half of the collection that shows the real artist Sam Cooke. Without being strictly chronological many of his greatest late recordings are to be found in the second half. Here the man "who invented soul" and the inspirator of later artists like Otis Redding can be heard.

The last album to be released in Cooke's own lifetime "Ain't That Good News" ( probably his finest ) is very well-represented and tracks like "Shake", released posthume, give a hint of what great things Cooke might have lived to create, had things not turned out so meaninglessly tragic a December night 1964.

Fine informative booklet.