A Change Is Gonna Come performances - Sam Cooke

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A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke

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"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the sixties' Civil Rights Movement. The song has gained in popularity and critical acclaim in the decades since its release.

Tbis wonderful song has been covered many times. I'll only address a few performances in this overview.

In late summer 2008, Seth Rudetsky worked up a performance with Cheyenne Jackson for a benefit for the NY Civil Liberties Union (the NY chapter of the ACLU.) Seth gives a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal in the videos below; here's Cheyenne's performance at the benefit:

Long-time viewers of theBestArts know that we became huge fans of Adam Lambert as soon as we heard his American Idol audition in January 2009. In February 2009, we posted a list of song suggestions for him to perform on the show. Adam had little leeway in song choice until the very end of the season. Our top suggestion was "A Change is Gonna Come" which, probably coincidentally, Adam performed during the Idol finale:

Adam Lambert - A Change is Gonna Come

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Gay Marriage - A Change is Gonna Come - Adam Lambert, MLK, Obama

About This Video

I created and posted this video on January 11, 2010, the day U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker (appointed by Republican President George H. W. Bush) began hearing arguments in Perry vs. Brown, a challenge to California's Proposition 8.  On August 4, 2010, Walker ruled that Proposition 8, which abolished the rights of same sex couples to marry in CA, was unconstitutional "under both the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses" - and prohibited its enforcement.

I liked that Judge Walker published his 2010 ruling just 8 days before my 24th anniversary with my partner Stephen.  Walker's ruling was a significant step towards societal recognition of our relationship, which has lasted far longer than the average opposite-sex marriage.  

On February 7, 2012, a three-judge panel upheld Walker's ruling and again declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional.  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the case on March 26, 2013.  Perhaps a decision will be announced by the time of our 27th anniversary in summer of 2013.
 
While quite a few states in the U.S. now recognize gay marriages or civil unions, the federal government doesn't acknowledge them.  According to the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), there are 1,138 statutory provisions in which marital status is a factor in determining benefits, rights, and privileges. These rights and responsibilities apply only to male-female married couples.  The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as between a man and a woman and thus bars same-sex couples from receiving any federal recognition of same sex marriage or conveyance of marriage benefits to same sex couples through federal marriage law.  The Supreme Court will hear arguments against DOMA in Windsor vs. United States the following day, on Marc...