who sings the song born by the river
A Change Is Gonna Come
On October 8 , 1963 , en route to Shreveport , Louisiana , Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North to make reservations for his wife , Barbara , and himself , but when he and his group arrived , the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no vacancies . While his brother Charles protested , Sam was fuming , yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he received an answer . His wife nudged him , attempting to calm him down , telling him , `` They 'll kill you , '' to which he responded , `` They ai n't gon na kill me , because I 'm Sam Cooke . '' When they eventually persuaded Cooke to leave , the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns . When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown , the police were waiting for them , arresting them for disturbing the peace . The New York Times ran an AP report the following day headlined `` Negro Band Leader Held in Shreveport , '' but African - Americans were outraged , leading to the creation of a myth surrounding the incident , exaggerating parts of the story and fabricating others .
On October 8 , 1963 , en route to Shreveport , Louisiana , Cooke called ahead to the Holiday Inn North to make reservations for his wife , Barbara , and himself , but when he and his group arrived , the desk clerk glanced nervously and explained there were no vacancies . While his brother Charles protested , Sam was fuming , yelling to see the manager and refusing to leave until he received an answer . His wife nudged him , attempting to calm him down , telling him , `` They 'll kill you , '' to which he responded , `` They ai n't gon na kill me , because I 'm Sam Cooke . '' When they eventually persuaded Cooke to leave , the group drove away calling out insults and blaring their horns . When they arrived at the Castle Motel on Sprague Street downtown , the police were waiting for them , arresting them for disturbing the peace . The New York Times ran an AP report the following day headlined `` Negro Band Leader Held in Shreveport , '' but African - Americans were outraged , leading to the creation of a myth surrounding the incident , exaggerating parts of the story and fabricating others .