Netflix's ReMastered documentary series, which dedicates each feature-length episode to telling the story of a music icon, just got its latest instalment in the form of The Two Killings of Sam Cooke.
The film incorporates interview footage from those that worked with him and knew him best, charting his rise to fame along with his passion for fighting social injustice and involvement in the civil rights movement, as well as the shocking circ*mstances of his death.
Cooke started his musical career in gospel choir group The Soul Stirrers, but found himself drawn to the emergence of rock 'n' roll. After dipping his toe in the water, releasing a track under a pseudonym, he decided to take the plunge and pursue world chart domination.
He succeeded and became a household name, but the documentary also delved into some of the complexities surrounding Cooke's experience with fame in 1950s and 1960s America.
At one point he was invited onto Dick Clark's showcase but, as the only black singer on the bill, this triggered threats from the Ku Klux Klan. The National Guard were called for protection, although Clark later admitted that many of them were thought to be Klan members themselves. It was a brave but decisive moment for Cooke to take to the stage.
He also toured the South which, during this time, was still segregated. In a 1960 interview that's incorporated into the documentary, Sam recalled a time that he missed an engagement in Georgia because he had refused to "sit in a Jim Crow bus". He also explained that no white taxi drivers would drive him into the city, and that black cab drivers were not allowed to.
It was following these experiences that Sam decided to boycott gigs with segregated audiences. "I hope by refusing to play to a segregated audience, it will help to break down racial segregation here," Cooke explained in an archival interview.
The 70-minute episode also explored the notion that many people in positions of power seemed threatened by Cooke's popularity and growing political consciousness. For example, the second verse of Cooke’s protest song 'A Change Is Gonna Come' – which included lyrics that tackled segregation – was actually edited out by the record company for its first-time release.
Related: What could we expect from Making a Murderer season 3?
The Two Killings of Sam Cooke also discussed the 1964 meeting between Sam, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and footballer Jim Brown. According to documents cited in the documentary, the FBI were surveilling both Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, and it's alleged that Sam Cooke got caught up in this due to his friendship with Malcolm.
By offering this historical background, the film celebrated Cooke's wider legacy, as well as painting a picture that some conspirators believe could have played into his death.
(Spoilers for the series follow, but then, it is documenting historical events, so...)
At the age of 33, Sam Cooke was shot and killed by Bertha Franklin, the manager of the Hacienda Motel in LA, California.
She claimed that the singer had burst into her office on the night in question and that, following an altercation, she had shot him in self-defence. Franklin alleged that Cooke had been acting in anger while looking for a female guest who had taken his trousers.
The film features the emergency call from this woman, named as Elisa Boyer in the documentary, who alleged that she had been kidnapped by Cooke. Fearing she would be raped, she had run out of Cooke's motel room at the first opportunity.
The court ruled that Cooke's death was a justifiable homicide, although those that knew him insisted that the circ*mstances were suspicious from the get-go.
"Part of his legacy was hijacked by the way he died," says director Kelly Duane de la Vega. "He was an incredible musical artist, but just as important was the way he contributed to the civil-rights movement and embodied the idea of an African-American artist having power in the record industry. It was a seedy end, and for some people, that’s where the conversation ended."
The Two Killings of Sam Cooke is now available to stream on Netflix.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Laura Jane Turner
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
