February 7, 1964 NBC Studios, New York City, NY

The Tonight Show

Friday, February 7, 1964

Johnny Carson’s show was still originating from NBC Studios in New York City at this time. Sam performed “Basin Street Blues,” backed by the Tonight Show Band with band leader Skitch Henderson, and additional strings. After the performance, Carson turns to Ed McMahon and states “he sings well!” A short clip is also included on the Sam Cooke: Legend DVD. Sam had arrived in New York at the beginning of the week in order to promote his new RCA single, “Ain’t That Good News”/”Basin Street Blues.” There are several reports (Wolff p. 293; Guralnick p. 552) that Sam also performed “A Change Is Gonna Come” on this show. There was much debate on this point; however, the performance was confirmed by NBC Master Books.