Gospel's loss was everybody's gain

Author Peter Guralnick ("Sweet Soul Music") uses this analogy to describe Sam Cooke's 1957 decision to sing secular songs:
"Imagine Elvis Presley abdicating his throne or the Beatles finding Jesus at the height of their popularity."
In short, Cooke's decision to leave gospel stardom with the Soul Stirrers was nothing short of cataclysmic.
I thought about Cooke's defection tonight, listening to songs such as "Win Your Love for Me" and "Chain Gang" as I drove to pick up Kerstin from her dance class.
Cooke's decision -- which effectively created soul music as we know it by melding gospel and R&B -- had to be so difficult to make.
Gospel singers were considered to be sharing a gift from God, and were expected to experience the highest of honors in singing the praises of the Lord.
To sing about the flesh or dancing or parties, that was almost unthinkable.
Cooke's influential action paved the way for other church-trained singers to produce "popular" music, and more importantly, created some of the most beautiful music the world has ever known -- a sound that defies differences in generations.
I realized Cooke's power to transcend all ages en route home from the dance studio: Kerstin and I sang along -- word for word -- to "Wonderful World." It was one of those rare moments when father and daughter could rejoice in loving the same, classic music.
Surely, that's the sort of thing God really intended for Sam Cooke.