Vocal range
Sam Cooke
Tenor · Soul · Gospel · R&B · USA · prominent since 1957
Cited range
A2 — E5
Octaves
2.6
Semitones
31
Voice type
Tenor
What is Sam Cooke’s vocal range?
Sam Cooke's vocal range is commonly cited as A2 to E5 — about 2.6 octaves, or 31 semitones, and is usually classified as tenor.
Clean gospel-trained tenor; yodel-like turns and easy legato instead of grit. That cited span is wider than 39% of the 357 voices in this library.
- Signature song
- A Change Is Gonna Come
Reading the numbers
- 6 other voices here carry the identical cited range — at the resolution these figures are quoted in, those voices are indistinguishable on the chart.
- No separate full-voice ceiling is cited, so the figures describe a range worked largely in full voice across its 31 semitones.
- Ranked by bottom note, it is the 159th lowest of the 357 voices here; by top note, the 214th highest.
Commonly cited figures, not lab measurements — extreme notes are one-off recorded moments, not the singer’s everyday range.
You vs Sam Cooke
Take the free 2-minute range test — your mic finds your lowest and highest notes, then this page shows exactly how your voice lines up with Sam Cooke’s.
Same notes, other voices
Also bottoming out on A2
46 other voices here are cited to the same floor.
Also topping out on E5
29 other voices here reach the same ceiling.