Samuel Gooden (September 2, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

singer. He was best known for being an original member of the successful 1991

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

-inducted R&B group

The Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur B ...

, from its beginnings as The Roosters in the 1950s. Though often uncredited, his smooth voice can often be heard trading lines with lead singer

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

(most notably on "It's All Right") or his replacement,

Leroy Hutson Leroy Hutson (born June 4, 1945) is an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, arranger, producer and instrumentalist, best known as former lead singer of R&B vocal group The Impressions. His music concerns '70s soul, as noted in the June 2 ...

, on quite a number of songs. Gooden also sang lead vocals on a handful of Impressions tunes, such as "Aware Of Love" and the group's cover of " I Wanna Be Around". Gooden and the group recorded and performed until his death in 2022. He was inducted with the group in 1991 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gooden can be seen with original Impressions members

Fred Cash Fred Cash (born October 8, 1940) is an American soul singer. He was a member of The Impressions, a group in which he replaced Jerry Butler in 1960. As one of the group's longest-serving members, he is also a 1991 inductee into the Rock and Ro ...

and

(via archive footage) in the group's first-ever extended interview in the 2008 DVD ''Movin On Up – The Message and The Music of Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions'', which also features a special poem dedicated to the group written and performed by actor Clifton Davis. Gooden died of heart attack in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, it also extends into Marion County, Tennessee, Marion County on its west ...

, on August 4, 2022, at the age of 87. his wife revealed that he had heart attack

References

External links

* * 1934 births 2022 deaths Singers from Tennessee People from Chattanooga, Tennessee African-American musicians American soul musicians The Impressions members American basses 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people {{US-singer-stub