10/15/2025
One Sunday night in the Fall of 1957 singer Sam Cooke appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Sam's new song "You Send Me" was cut short due to the show running over time. Here is the "411" on that event and what Ed Sullivan did to make it right:
On November 3, 1957, The Ed Sullivan Show ran long — and a young singer named Sam Cooke was cut off mid-song.
He had just begun to sing, “Darling, you… send me,” when the show abruptly ended.
The backlash was immediate. Viewers flooded CBS with complaints, demanding that Cooke return.
So, on December 1, 1957, Ed Sullivan made it right.
“Sam,” he said, “here’s the time.”
Wearing a dark suit and quiet confidence, Cooke stepped up to the microphone.
With nothing but soft backup vocals behind him, he sang “You Send Me.”
Every note glowed — smooth, pure, effortless.
By the end of the week, “You Send Me” hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and America had a new voice — one that blended the grace of Nat King Cole with the soul of the church pew.
Ed Sullivan brought Sam back again that night to apologize on air, saying,
“I did wrong one night here on our stage.”
Cooke smiled, forgave, and sang “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons.”
In that moment, he became not just a performer — but a pioneer.
In his short life, Sam Cooke would shape the sound of modern soul, inspire the birth of Motown, and give the Civil Rights Movement its anthem with “A Change Is Gonna Come.”
He was only 33 when he died. But his voice — that mix of warmth, hope, and defiance — never faded.
It still sends us here at Epic Oldies!
Sam Cooke "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" on The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSul...
