Sam Cooke will live again as Soul King returns to the Cowichan Valley on Saturday, Sept. 29 for a one-time only matinee performance at 2 p.m.
Michael Clarke wrote, directed and stars in the musical journey into the life of the man who was called the King of Soul for his string of 30 Top 40 hits from 1957-64.
When he first mounted the Soul King concert at the Osborne Bay Hotel in Crofton earlier this year, packed houses at all eight performances were enraptured by the heartfelt, tuneful show.
“That’s why we decided to bring it to a much larger venue like the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre,” Clarke said this week. “The bigger stage and better acoustics of the theatre will really allow the music to shine.”
And, if you’re a Cooke or a soul fan, you know it’s all about the music, from gospel to pop to soul.
Clarke fully inhabits Sam Cooke with his silky-smooth crooning, an eloquent reminder of the man who had such varied hits as ‘You Send Me’, ‘Wonderful World’, ‘Twistin’ the Night Away’, and ‘A Change is Gonna Come’.
Clarke plays a mean guitar and sax in the show and is backed by a tight and sterling band that does double duty as integral cast members. Also featured is Glaucia Desrochers, the young singer who recently dazzled Cowichan audiences as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.
“This isn’t your ordinary tribute show,” Clarke said. “It’s really a biographic concert. We want the audience to become immersed in the social and political backdrop from the time. It was a time when popular music moved beyond mushy ballads and began to be a powerful agent for social and political change. Through Sam Cooke, music also discovered its soul.”
Clarke has become quite a figure in the Cowichan scene recently. The singer and actor arrived from Toronto to perform in Rock Legends and Kim’s Convenience at the Chemainus Theatre Festival and decided to stay put on Vancouver Island.
Tickets are available from at www.cowichanpac.ca, visiting the Cowichan Ticket Centre or calling them at 250-748-7529.
