SamCooke:Legend

Written by Peter Guralnick (Lost Highway) and narrated by Jeffrey Wright, Sam Cooke - Legend is a stirring look at a singular talent. Produced for VH1 but expanded from the original broadcast, this tuneful documentary can't possibly examine every detail of the late singer-songwriter's life in a mere 70 minutes. Nonetheless, Guralnick, who has overseen the reissue of several Cooke CDs, has put together a surprisingly thorough biography. Destination points include Cooke's gospel roots, groundbreaking career decisions, and forays into the civil rights movement. The story is fleshed out by vintage performance and interview clips (the chats with Dick Clark are particularly insightful). Commentators include family members and fellow performers like Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, and Bobby Womack, while musical highlights include Cooke's version of Dylan's"Blowin' in the Wind" (a song he wished he had written) and a breezy duet with friend Cassius Clay (soon to become Muhammad Ali). --Kathleen C. Fennessy