"That's Where It's At" is a song written by

Sam Cooke Samuel Cooke (; January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964) was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distin ...

and J.W. Alexander. Recorded by Cooke, it was released as a single in September

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

. The song was recorded in 32 takes on August 20, 1963 at the RCA studio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and released the following month. The backing band on the single consisted of trumpeter

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * John Anderson (jazz trumpeter) (1921–1974), American musician * Jon Anderson (John Roy Anderson, born 1944), lead singer of the British band Yes * John Anderson (producer) (1948–2024 ...

, bassist Harper Cosby, trombonist John "Streamline" Ewing, drummer June Gardner, saxophonist Jewell Grant, violinist Darel Terwilliger, and guitarists

René Hall René Joseph Hall (September 26, 1912 – February 11, 1988) was an American guitarist and arranger. He was among the most important behind-the-scenes figures in early rock and roll, but his career spanned the period from the late 1920s to the ...

and

Bobby Womack Robert Dwayne Womack ( ; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's ...

. It was not initially much of a commercial success, charting no higher than 93 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. By Cooke's personal standards it was similarly low, especially when compared to his previous and following singles ("

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans (actor), Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was televis ...

" and " Shake", respectively), both of which were comfortably in the Top 20. However, the song has also garnered critical acclaim in the decades since. It is ranked 876th in American music critic

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born ) is an American music critic and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has published num ...

's 1989 list, ''The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made''.

References

{{Authority control 1964 singles Sam Cooke songs Songs written by Sam Cooke Songs written by J. W. Alexander (musician) RCA Records singles 1964 songs