April 4, 1964 ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, CA

American Bandstand

Saturday, April 4, 1964

Dick Clark begins his introduction, “It’s Saturday, it’s Good News, it’s Sam Cooke!” Sam then performs a lip synch to “Ain’t That Good News,” then is interviewed by Clark for a few minutes. Sam talks about getting his start in the music business by singing “spirituals” and then explains it was his “economic situation” that caused him to pursue a pop career. The two talk about Sam’s recording of “Hey, Hey, The Gang’s All Here” with Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) and how Sam has chosen not to tour so much but rather to stay home and work with other artists. This is when Sam tells Clark that the best thing that could ever happen to him is “if all the artists associated with me had hits.” This segment is officially released on the 1986 videotape entitled Dick Clark’s Best of Bandstand: The Superstars, which is now out of print, but occasionally copies can be seen for sale on eBay. The Sam Cooke: Legend DVD includes a short segment from the Clark interview, but does not include the “Good News” performance.