If you don’t remember or even know who Sam Cooke was, you certainly will after this mesmerising show and, in fact, might become an expert on his life and music.

Thanks to Movin’ Melvin Brown, with his infectious smile and laugh and dressed to the nines in a white tuxedo and tails, the audience was regaled with the anthology and matching playlist of Sam Cooke, who reigned as The King of Soul in the U.S. in the 1950s and 60s.

Accompanied by a live three-piece band and two backup singers, Melvin sang and tap-danced his way through classics such as Chain Gang, You Send Me, Saturday Night, I Ain’t Got Nobody, Don’t Know Much About History, Tennessee Waltz, Stand By Me, and Sweet Soul Music.

Each stage of Sam Cooke’s fascinating career—starting out in the choir of his father’s church, moving to Chicago and then Los Angeles, the loneliness of being on the road, courting and getting married, forming his own record label, and hitting the big leagues—was paired with a memorable hit song that the audience sang along and danced to.

At one point, Melvin declared, “We’re going to church, stand up!” and we all stood, clapping and swaying to his music. Later on, we were invited to dance to Twistin’ the Night Away, and everyone obliged.

Melvin described the difficulties that a Black performer faced, especially during that era of extreme racial prejudice and segregation. White performers would often steal or cover Black songwriters’ creations, and music industry agents could be unscrupulous. So, Sam Cooke endeavoured to do things on his own terms and take control of his music, often turning the tables on the industry bosses.

This was 90 minutes of pure enjoyment, with Lyric’s Underground bursting at the seams. The vibe was unmistakable, plus there was an encore treat with one of Melvin’s own songs. Aside from winning accolades for putting on such a memorable show, he would also win the award for travelling the furthest to be at FRINGE WORLD, from Texas in the USA.

Don’t miss seeing this performance, playing next at The Duke of George in Freo on the 5th, 6th, and 9th of February.