A Change Is Gonna Come – The Music of Sam Cooke -Interview with Bradd Marquis -By: Niki Kaos

The list of songs Sam Cooke has written is astounding. Some of the best loved music for generations has been composed by this legend. A performer whose emotional delivery can make you swoon or comfort your heartache, and a voice like none other. In addition to his talent on stage, Cooke’s creativity, spirit, passion and intellect drove him to be a pioneer in the music industry, as well as a champion for The Civil Rights Movement.

I interview Bradd Marquis, who shares with us how he brings this legacy to life performing as Sam Cooke with his production “A Change Is Gonna Come”, set to be performed at Universal Preservation Hall on Friday, February 17th at 7:30 pm.

RRX: Sam Cooke is truly an iconic songwriter. What got you involved with this project? And what are you
bringing to the show?

BM: I’m bringing myself, and my band The Magnificents. I’m bringing the story of Sam Cooke. I’m
bringing a history lesson. I’m bringing inspiration, love, hope. I’m bringing my connection to it all. The
history of music’s connection to him and everything he pioneered for us. Hopefully you’re going to walk
out of there with some thoughts on your mind, and some inspiration, and some love in your heart.

RRX: When I started to think about Sam Cooke’s songwriting, immediately the song that came to mind
was “A Change Is Gonna Come”. Tell us about some of the classic songs, but also some of the deeper
cuts, and the B side songs.

BM: “You Send Me” was a B side record.

RRX: “You Send Me”??

BM: That was a B side record.

RRX: That’s an amazing thing. When I looked at the list of songs he composed, I couldn’t believe how
many I knew in my heart from growing up listening to music. It brought me back. How is your show built around that?

BM: Without giving the whole show away… that’s the premise. That’s the backdrop of the show. When I
learned about Sam Cooke, he was instinctively instilled into my being. Into my spirit. So that’s what it is.

RRX: What from your background connected you to that? Because I can tell that there’s something
that’s going to be magical about your connection to Cooke’s music and what you’re going to bring to the
audience.

BM: My grandparents are what connected me to him. And it’s a way of me honoring them, and honoring him at the same time, and continuing to keep their name alive and their legacy alive, with this show.  So that’s my connection with Sam Cooke, this show, all of that. He was one of my grandmother’s favorite artists. My grandfather’s favorite artist. And every time I perform, I get up to remember them and talk about them.

RRX: That helps me understand the “extra” that’s going to be present at Universal Preservation Hall that
night. It is…

BM: A personal investment.

RRX: Right! Not only the history, but the intergenerational connection through music. Right?

BM: Right.

RRX: So it may sound cliché, but since it’s February, will there be a little romance in the show?

BM: There’s a lot of romance in the show. There’s storytelling. There’s love in the show.

RRX: Sam Cooke wrote so many amazing songs, and while I was researching this interview I thought he
had written “Try A Little Tenderness”, but actually that was not the case. I was mixed up! And you were
very kind to help me not feel bad about my confusion. My telling you about that sparked an interesting
memory you had from an audition. What was that about?

BM: I remember going for an audition for a part in a Sam Cooke show, and that was when Aretha
Franklin was alive. And I drove all the way up to Detroit to audition for a play she was doing for Sam
Cooke. The play never happened, but I auditioned for the part, and everybody was singing a Sam Cooke
song. And I thought I was being special by singing a song Sam Cooke wrote, but he didn’t actually sing it.
And he didn’t even write it. (laughs)

RRX: (laughs) Oh! I so appreciate you telling me that. Now did you audition FOR Aretha Franklin? Or was
it just a thing she was producing?

BM: Here’s the crazy part about that! She had been there all morning, all day, and I was the next in line
to audition for her. And she walks out as I’m walking in.

RRX: It was like… NOOOOO!! Don’t GO Aretha!

BM: Exactly. And the look on my face. And she stopped and she just stared at me. And I know why she
stared at me. Because I’m sure I looked just like Sam Cooke at that point. You know, that was the
intension. And she just stopped and stared at me, and then her people whisked her away.

RRX: But you caught that moment.

BM: I caught that moment. I will never forget that moment. We locked eyes. She stared at me. I’m
looking at her. And she just froze. And she’s Aretha Franklin, and everyone’s trying to get at her. And her
people just whisked her away. You gotta go. You gotta go. We can’t stand here. But we did catch eyes.
And we did have that moment.

RRX: That’s an energizing experience. I think there’s something about musicians feeling that synergy.

BM: Absolutely.

RRX: And then you had to go on. And do your audition regardless.

BM: I definitely did. I will forever remember that moment. And she’s a tall woman. So when she came
out, she could see over the crowd. We were able to lock on that.

RRX: That’s really cool! Tell us more about the storytelling and the history of the Sam Cooke show.

BM: If you know Sam Cooke, then you’re going to go down memory lane. If you don’t know him, you’re
going to get a history lesson, but I send you on a journey of his whole life. From his childhood to a gospel singer, to his rise in pop music, to his contributions to soul music and R&B. His contributions to the music industry in general as an entrepreneur and ownership of his catalogs and things of that nature, all the way to his transition to a social activist during the Civil Rights Movement, to his untimely death. We’re going to walk through his whole life.

RRX: I love that! Tell me more about your band The Magnificents.

BM: My band The Magnificents is led by Jerry Compare. He’s the music director. And I’ll put him up
against anybody, anywhere, anytime, as far as composing music. And creating an atmosphere for the
music, for Sam Cooke. He has truly honored and found the right musicians to make sure that Sam
Cooke’s music is honored, is identifiable, but also refreshed. In a way that allows it to resonate with
anybody today, as well as complements my singing ability. My band could be playing with anybody,
anywhere in the world. Every musician on my team plays with any mainstream artist anywhere, and
they sacrifice their time for me. And I’m honored to have them on board.

RRX: That’s awesome because your team is what makes it all come together.

BM: Absolutely.

RRX: Do you do anything besides Sam Cooke? What are your other music passions?

BM: I have three albums and an EP. I’ve been rocking since my first album was released in 2007. I’ve
been around the world. I’ve been every stage you can think of. Except for Radio City and Carnegie Hall –
those are the two stages I want to get on. That’s TBD – to be determined.
But anywhere there’s music, you’ll find me, Bradd Marquis. I’m on all the socials. I would say check it
out. It is soul. It’s R&B. We’re going to take a lot of the lessons we learned from doing the Sam Cooke show and we’re going to funnel it back into my own personal stuff moving forward. So I’m looking forward to making that happen as well.

RRX: I love that! Keep creating! Thank you so much for the interview. People in The Capital Region can
catch “A Change Is Gonna Come – The Music of Sam Cooke” at the Universal Preservation Hall in
Saratoga Springs on Friday, February 17th at 7:30 pm.