Founded in 1959 by Sam Cooke as a venue for him to write and produce material for other artists, SAR Records wasn't a huge success during its relatively brief existence. It only scored a handful of hits, notably the Simms Twins '"Soothe Me" and the Valentinos '"It's All Over Now," and the label folded after Cooke's death in 1964. But this two-disc set is a riveting examination of the historical moment when gospel turned into R&B, and it's got some spectacular music on it. The first half is all gospel — mostly Cooke's old group the Soul Stirrers, and their former leader R.H. Harris's then-current ensemble the Gospel Paraders. But there are hints of the pop future on it: the Soul Stirrer who breaks off from the group midway through the collection to seek secular fame is future R&B star Johnnie Taylor. And the Stirrers '"Stand By Me Father," recorded in 1959, bears a strong similarity to Ben E. King's 1961 hit "Stand By Me."

There are also a handful of tracks by a young gospel group, the Womack Brothers; the same day they recorded "Somewhere There's a God," Cooke had them back him up on a secular rewrite… read more »