Some gospel devotees have never forgiven him for leaving the Soul Stirrers.
He also sang with the Soul Stirrers briefly after the departure of Johnnie Taylor.
The Soul Stirrers' a cappella harmonies are deeply satisfying.
Cooke was the lead singer of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers before he turned to secular music in 1956.
It is music with a venerable tradition, but one that was recast by the Soul Stirrers.
The Soul Stirrers are an American gospel music group, whose career spans over eighty years.
He joined the Soul Stirrers in the mid-1930's, after the group was recorded by the Library of Congress.
By the early 1940's the Soul Stirrers were nationally known and toured extensively.
He left the Soul Stirrers in 1950, to be replaced by Cooke.
Foster would stay with the Soul Stirrers until 1963.
