Nicole Cooke-Johnson, granddaughter of soul legend Sam Cooke and CEO of the family’s estate, said she approves very few projects that involve her grandfather’s legacy. She explained her cautious approach during a recent appearance on Books That Changed My Life, a series produced by Syndicate X Books.
Cooke-Johnson took the reins of Royalty Firm LLC, the company that manages Cooke’s publishing rights and legacy, in 2008 alongside her grandmother, Barbara. The role has put her at the center of decisions about how Cooke’s music and image are presented to audiences decades after his death.
“I tell people, ‘We say ‘yes’ very rarely,’ because we’re so tied to the spirit and the history of the legacy he left,” Cooke-Johnson said. “We don’t have any room for error, because a posthumous estate is something that you can’t make a lot of mistakes on.”
Cooke, often called the King of Soul, was fatally shot in 1964 at age 33. In his brief but impactful career, he notched dozens of hits, including “You Send Me” and “A Change Is Gonna Come.” His civil rights anthem was recently named the greatest protest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
Choosing Projects With Purpose
The CEO said she and her team make decisions based on whether an opportunity aligns with the essence of Cooke’s artistic and cultural contributions. “Something that I nurtured through these times is the ethos that if something is inorganic for us… it might not be for us,” she said. “We can be OK with that.”
Cooke-Johnson pointed to a recent project, a children’s picture book inspired by “A Change Is Gonna Come,” as an example of work that felt meaningful and appropriate. She said the adaptation was meant to introduce younger audiences to her grandfather’s storytelling and songwriting through accessible narrative.
“Right now, the young generation, they know a lot more than I did at 6, 7, 8 years old: they’re asking big questions,” she said. “There is no future without the past, the present.”
Cooke-Johnson acknowledged the heavy responsibility of stewarding such a significant cultural legacy. “We’re held to a certain level of accountability,” she said. “That impacts every yes and every no.”
The CEO added that, beyond preserving her grandfather’s music, her goal is to enhance understanding of his influence for both current fans and generations to come. “Everything we do is rooted in the whole idea that we’re here to do things that feel good,” she said.