Ain’t That Good News

Ain't That Good News is a studio album by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released March 1, 1964, on RCA Victor Records, in both mono and stereo, LPM 2899 and LSP 2899. Recording sessions for the album took place at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World Studio in February and December 1963 and January 1964. The cover photo was taken by American photographer Wallace Seawell. Ain't That Good News was the final album to be issued during Cooke's lifetime, before his death at the age of 33. With the exception of "Another Saturday Night", which had been released as a single early in the previous year, Ain't That Good News comprised the first material that Cooke had recorded in the six months following the drowning death of his 18-month old son Vincent.
As the first album that Cooke recorded and released under his new contract with RCA, Ain't That Good News reached #34 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The album is most memorable for Cooke's most well-known and signature song "A Change Is Gonna Come". Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. The song has gained in popularity and critical acclaim in the decades since its release. By the time of its release, five of the tracks on Ain't That Good News had already or would later be released as singles. Ain't That Good News was reissued in hybrid CD/Super-Audio CD format by ABKCO Records in June 2003 with full music and session credits.