In 1963, boxer Cassius Clay, who soon would become known as Muhammad Ali, recorded the album titled, I Am the Greatest. The title may not really describe the great boxer as a singer. But Ali was aided on one of the songs by one of the world’s greatest singers, Sam Cooke.
In this short interview, Cooke explains to Dave Clark that he had been working with some young singers. And the subject of his song with Ali, “The Gang’s All Here” comes up.
The combination of the music star and the rising boxer garnered some attention, with The New York Times covering the recording session of the song, which was arranged by Horace Ott. During the session, according to Peter Guralnik’s biography of Sam Cooke, Cooke provided guidance while keeping everyone’s spirits up. And Ali played around on the drums and recited poetry.
While Ali and Cooke were working on the song for the album, Harry Carpenter interviewed Ali for the BBC sports TV show, Grandstand. During the interview, Cooke showed up and exchanged some quips with his friend Ali. Then, the two sang a segment of the song they recorded together, “The Gang’s All Here.”
Here is the recording of “The Gang’s All Here” from the album. The tune add some tweaks but is based on the old classic “Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here,” which was written in 1917.
The original song features lyrics by D. A. Esrom based on a tune written by Arthur Sullivan for the 1879 show The Pirates of Penzance. Check out Muhammad Ali’s take on the song.
Six months after releasing I Am the Greatest, Ali lived up to the title of the album. The twenty-two year-old boxer became champion of the world by beating Sonny Liston in the ring on February 25, 1964.
(Note: In Peter Guralnick’s excellent and well-researched biography of Cooke, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke, he describes that the above Grandstand interview with Cooke and Ali took place after the Liston fight in 1964. But in the video, Ali says that he and Cooke are working on the song, which was released in 1963. So it seems more likely that the Grandstand interview above took place after Ali fought Harry Cooper. That fight took place in 1963 at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Park.)
January 17, is the birthday of Muhammad Ali, who was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali’s life has had highlights inside and outside the boxing ring, and some of the highlights inside the ring were his fights with Sonny Liston. Ali and Liston have inspired other boxers and boxing fans, but they have also inspired songwriters, including Greg Trooper, Chuck Prophet, and Mark Knopfler. Below are some of the songs as well as video of one of the matches between the two boxers.
Greg Trooper: “Muhammad Ali (The Meaning of Christmas)”
I really love Greg Trooper’s song “Muhammad Ali (The Meaning of Christmas)” from his Floating (2003) album, as the song captures something special about Ali. It is a shame that the video performance of this beautiful song only has 349 views, because everyone should hear this song.
“I am the greatest,” he said with a grin; But he was talking about you, Not about him; And was teaching me The meaning of Christmas.
I remember they called him a clown; Then Sonny went down, In no more than six rounds; And he was teaching us all A new day was coming.
Johnny Wakelin: “Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)”
I remember Johnny Wakelin’s song when it was released in 1975, and I even had it on a 45 record when I was a kid. It is a catchy tune, using quotes from Ali in the lyrics (“He floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee”).
Wakelin, who was from the UK, had his biggest success in his songwriting career with “Black Superman,” which was a number one song in the UK. He recorded another tribute to Ali called “In Zaire.” Wakelin is still around and has his own website.
Freakwater’s song “Louisville Lip” focuses on one alleged incident from Muhammad Ali’s life. In 1960, Ali returned home to Louisville, Kentucky from winning the light heavyweight gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Rome. Yet, the 18-year-old faced discrimination in his hometown. Reportedly, after being refused service at a restaurant, Ali threw his gold medal into the Ohio River.
Ali later received a replacement medal, and according to some reports, he had merely lost the first one. But Freakwater knows a good story and builds a song around the incident in “Louisville Lip.”
The song appears on Freakwater’s 1998 album Springtime. (Thanks to @revRecluse for pointing me to “Louisville Lip.”)
Whip the world whip this town; Whip it into the river and watch ’em all drown; When the king threw off his golden crown, Floating down like butterfly wings, It sank without a sound.
While Ali has become an American icon, few remember much about Sonny Liston except for his connection to Ali. Chuck Prophet reminds us that we should not forget about Liston. Prophet reveals that Liston’s life also has meaning for us with his song “Sonny Liston’s Blues,” the lead-off track on his Let Freedom Ring (2009) album.
In an interview with the Press Democrat, Prophet explained why he chose Liston for a song choice: “To me, he’s the perfect analogy for the American dream. He’s part reality and part myth — always just out of reach. He had to open the record. There was a myth people had that they were going to be able to comfortably retire and they woke up one morning and realized that reality was not quite what was sold to them.”
Mark Knopfer also performs a song about Sonny Liston, portraying him as a tragic figure and again reminding us that we cannot forget those who fought and lost. “Song for Sonny Liston” is from Shangri-La (2004).
Joe Louis was his hero; He tried to be the same, But a criminal child Wears a ball and chain; So the civil rights people, Didn’t want him on the throne, And the hacks and the cops Wouldn’t leave him alone.
In Trooper’s “Muhammad Ali (The Meaning of Christmas)” his reference to “no more than six rounds” indicates he is referring to the first of two fights between Liston and Ali held on February 24, 1964. In that fight, Ali (then Cassius Clay) upset Liston to win the heavyweight title. After the sixth round, Liston did not come out of his corner for the seventh round, claiming his left shoulder was injured.
Most had expected Liston to beat the 22-year-old Clay. Some later claimed that Liston did not adequately train for the fight.
The next year there was a rematch that Ali again won and was captured in a famous photo of Ali standing over Liston. Because many did not see Ali hit Liston when Liston went down, some claimed the fight ended with a “Phantom Punch” and that Liston took a dive.
Below is video of the May 25, 1965 fight Between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali. Although this rematch, where Liston went down in the first round, is one of the most famous heavyweight fights in history, attendance was low due to the remote location of the fight in Maine.
After the fight, Ali was a star. Liston took a year off from boxing but then started working his way back with some important wins in the ring during the next few years.
Not long after winning a fight in June 1970, Liston was found dead in his home in January 1971. The cause of his death is still a mystery. Some believe that he died from a heroin overdose and others believe he was murdered by some of his underworld contacts.
On Liston’s headstone, the epitaph under his name says simply, “A Man.”
Yes, Liston and Ali are just men. But no matter what you think of boxing as a sport, we can learn a lot from their lives. Their legends will live a long time.
What do you think of these songs and the Ali-Liston fights? Leave your two cents in the comments.
