The Great Shrine Concert 1955
Six thousand African Americans gathered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, for a gospel concert in 1955. It was gospel music’s golden age, a showcase of the country's most popular gospel acts that would send ripples through the music industry for years to come.
Gospel music historians call the 1955 Shrine Concert the greatest gospel concert of all time because it featured soon-to-be superstars 24-year-old Sam Cooke and 23-year-old James Cleveland. On the bill were also the Pilgrim Travelers, Brother Joe May, Annette May, Ethel Davenport, Dorothy Love Coates, and the Gospel Harmonettes.
The wildly popular Sam Cooke and his group, The Soul Stirrers, were the main attraction, and it's very clear who the women came out to see that evening.
James Cleveland was the pianist for the Caravans, was a surprise hit that night. His gruff, commanding baritone would be a force in gospel music for the next 35 years.
No one knew it, but the concert would be a life-changing event for James Cleveland and Sam Cooke. For James Cleveland, LA's warm embrace convinced him to move from Chicago to Los Angeles, where he founded the Southern California Community Choir. James Cleveland is single-handedly responsible for establishing the large choir as the favorite vehicle in gospel music.
The 1955 Shrine Concert would prompt Sam Cooke to relocate from Chicago to Los Angeles as well. In the audience was Robert Blackwell, a producer for Specialty Records. Specialty had recorded mostly gospel acts until then. Blackwell was floored by Sam Cooke's charisma, talent, and good looks. Blackwell chased Cooke around the country until he convinced Cooke to break from gospel and go pop.