(Ain't That) Good News
Sam Cooke | Artist Essentials
First released: 1964 (year verified)
Original RCA Victor 8299 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: Finish with the springy rhythm and open, celebratory vocal, a bright companion to the opening selection.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1964 (year verified)
The original single was already reviewed in January 1964, before the Ain't That Good News album. The contemporary single uses Good News, the title retained by the annual catalog; it is the same selected solo recording.
Recording: Original RCA Victor 8299 studio recording
Credit: Sam Cooke
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original single: Good News / Basin Street Blues
Cash Box, 25 January 1964 - Good News original single review
PDF page 8 reviews Cooke's new RCA Victor 8299 pairing under the title Good News, with Basin Street Blues. Supports the original 1964 single and the shorter title retained by the annual catalog. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Ain't That Good News - ABKCO original-album track list
The original album contains A Change Is Gonna Come, (Ain't That) Good News and Another Saturday Night. Its accompanying review explicitly distinguishes Another Saturday Night's earlier single. Modern SACD and reissue dates are not first-release dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
Classic Sam Cooke Albums - ABKCO original-release and version history
Identifies Ain't That Good News as an original 1964 studio album introducing A Change Is Gonna Come; the Copa album is a separate 1964 live recording, and the Dolby Atmos editions are new 2024 mixes. The prose's session-month statement is not used. Only the supported original album year is asserted. | Reviewed 2026-10-17
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
About Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke grew up in Chicago after his family moved from Mississippi, and his early singing developed in gospel groups, including the Soul Stirrers. You Send Me brought him major solo success in 1957, followed by a pop and soul career that included Cupid and Chain Gang. He also worked as a songwriter and music-business entrepreneur, founding SAR Records with J.W. Alexander. His solo recordings and the Soul Stirrers' group performances remain different parts of that history.
Artist background sources
Sam Cooke - ABKCO artist biography
Mississippi/Chicago upbringing, gospel and Soul Stirrers career, 1957 You Send Me breakthrough, later repertoire, songwriting and SAR partnership with J.W. Alexander. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Continue listening
Recommended positions express one editorial listening sequence. They are not measured quality scores.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.