Chain Gang
Sam Cooke | Artist Essentials
First released: 1960 (year verified)
Original RCA Victor 7783 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The repeated response and steady pulse frame a vocal that stays fluid over the insistent pattern.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1960 (year verified)
The new RCA Victor single is documented in the contemporary August 1960 review. This is the original studio performance, not a later live reprise.
Recording: Original RCA Victor 7783 studio recording
Credit: Sam Cooke
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original single: Chain Gang / I Fall in Love Every Day
Cash Box, 6 August 1960 - Chain Gang original single review
PDF page 8 reviews the new Sam Cooke RCA Victor 7783 pairing, Chain Gang / I Fall in Love Every Day. This contemporary new-record review supports original studio-single release in 1960; no chart or issue day is substituted as the exact release date. | 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.