J’s Record Stories – Sam Cooke Passes on ‘Travelin’ Man’
Songwriter Jerry Fuller wrote the song "Travelin' Man" in about 20 minutes while sitting in a park. One of his favorite artists was Sam Cooke, who he had in mind as he wrote the song. He took it to Cooke's manager and left it there. The manager tossed it away after listening to it. Not good enough for Sam Cooke, he thought. That should probably be the end of the story until....