SAR Records

SAR Records was a record company founded by soul music legend Sam Cooke in 1959. The meaning of "SAR" has been disputed; it has been listed as "Sam & Alex Records" (J.W. Alexander was Cooke's business, song-writing associate, and friend) and also as "Sam, Alex, & Roy Records" (Roy being S.R. Crain, Cooke's mentor from his Soul Stirrers days, as well as his pop road manager).

The label did not feature Cooke, but rather featured all of Cooke's artists such as the latter-day Soul Stirrers with Jimmie Outler and Johnnie Taylor singing lead, The Valentinos (Cecil & Bobby Womack), Billy Preston, Mel Carter, The Simms Twins, Johnnie Morisette, L.C. Cooke (Cooke's younger brother), as well as Johnnie Taylor as a pop soloist.

The label was intended to be a place where Sam Cooke could expand his artistic abilities as a writer/producer and to give other struggling African-American artists a venue to record during the racially charged 1960's. Cooke did record two songs on the label, however, that have only been released since 2001: the solo side of his gospel song "That's Heaven to Me", and "Somewhere There's a Girl" (a secular version of The Valentino's "Somewhere There's a God").

The label folded after Sam Cooke's death on December 11th, 1964.

See also

* List of record labels