Private Samuel Gooden

Early Life

Samuel Gooden was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on September 2, 1934, to Reverend George and Ruby Satterwhite Gooden. 

He came into the world in the midst of the Great Depression, raised in a household where the value of hard work was as deeply ingrained into the children as the fiery Old Testament God their father preached about at home and on every Sunday at his church. All eight of the children had to do chores, nearly constantly, and the family survived hard times as the Goodens grew much of their own food. They kept chickens and pigs, and grew a large vegetable garden. 

Gooden’s father also worked during the week as a mixer at a steel factory. He pushed his son hard with stern rules and a bit of an iron fist. His mother and his sisters were pianists, who surrounded Gooden with music at a young age. He gravitated toward that more relaxed and joyous time when singing. As the youngest child, still working when every other sibling had already left home, Sam Gooden learned the importance of perseverance and of pursuing a passion–values that would later shape his remarkable trajectory to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Homefront

When Gooden grew up in the Park City neighborhood during the 1930s and 1940s, Chattanooga was known for its industrial roots in steel and pipe production, Coca-Cola bottling, and other assorted manufacturing, such as fire hydrants. 

Nicknamed “The Dynamo of Dixie,” Chattanooga was what historians often refer to as a “New South” city, an industrial town with a large transportation hub that moved raw materials in and finished products out. These products included war materials. One of the city’s big employers was the VAAP (the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant), which played a crucial role in producing dynamite and other armaments for both World War II and the Korean conflict. 

Chattanooga, the site of major Civil War battles in 1863, was also part of the Old South version of Dixie that played out during Gooden’s childhood in the Jim Crow era. Gooden attended segregated schools, including Chattanooga’s legendary Howard High School, named for Oliver Otis Howard, founder of Howard University and at one time, the head of the Freedmen’s Bureau.

Gooden dropped out of Howard High School before graduation to enlist in the military. His older brothers had previously served in various branches, and he saw enlisting as a way into the wide world he had heard about whenever his brothers came home to visit. Gooden later explained that the military allowed him to leave home, “cut his mama’s apron strings,” and gain the confidence to find his path in life.

Military Experience

At just 17 years of age, on October 15, 1951, Gooden made a life-changing decision to serve his country when he enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he was stationed in Germany with the 84^th Transportation Battalion, a predominantly African American unit. 

During his nearly ten-month deployment to Germany, Gooden played a crucial role in military operations as a truck driver, transporting equipment, weapons, clothing, and other supplies to and from his base in Mannheim to other parts of Germany. 

Gooden served during the Cold War, when the American military presence, particularly in West Germany and the American sector in Berlin, depended on celebrating U.S. cultural and material abundance. Trucks moved instruments of war and instruments of American goodwill around Europe. Sometimes Gooden did not know what he was carrying. He later told his wife that he was glad not to have known he was carrying ammunition down bouncy roads until after his trip was completed. 

While his time in the Army took Gooden far from home, it also strengthened his discipline, commitment, and leadership skills—qualities that later defined his success in music and his contributions to society. His widow, Gloria Gooden, said that he later described his service as an experience of “going in as a child and coming out as a man.” 

Veteran Experience

When he left the service in 1953, Gooden came home with a license to drive 18-wheeler trucks back in the United States, but he found other employment, namely at the Patton Hotel in downtown Chattanooga. 

Gooden started to find his true calling in music. Over the next four years, he began to play music with his first band, Four Roosters and a Chick. They played local venues and nightclubs.

In 1957, Gooden decided to go north with band member Arthur Brooks and to try and make it in the music business in a big city. In Chicago, he and Brooks met Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield. They named their new band The Impressions and cut their first hit record, “For Your Precious Love,” in 1958. In Chicago, he met his future wife, Gloria. At first, they were not romantically involved, as Mrs. Gooden said, “I was his little sister, and he was my big brother.” They later revealed their feelings to each other and were married in 1963. 

The Impressions went on to shape the sound of soul and R&B music. Alongside Mayfield and Chattanoogan Fred Cash, who joined the band in 1959, Gooden helped craft a signature style that blended gospel-inspired vocals with socially conscious lyrics. By the early 1960s, The Impressions were at the forefront of a musical revolution. When they first performed at the Apollo Theater, a legendary Harlem venue known for showcasing Black American talent, they received four standing ovations. At that moment, Gooden leaned over to Fred Cash and said, “We made it.” 

In addition to being a talented musician, Gooden also tried out for the Chicago Cubs in the late 1950s and was invited to spring training just as his band’s first hit took off on the radio. He decided to stick with music, but he never lost his passion for baseball; he had many friends in the major leagues. When he and Gloria lived in Chicago, they often invited Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, and others for dinner at their home. In later years, during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, Mrs. Gooden occasionally saw her husband with a suitcase in hand about to walk out the door: “I’m going to see the Dodgers,” he said before catching a flight to Los Angeles to cheer on his favorite team, the franchise that originally broke the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson in 1947. When Gooden passed away, the owner of the Dodgers wrote a letter of condolence to his family.

Most importantly, The Impressions’ music became an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement. Songs like “People Get Ready,” “Keep on Pushing,” and “We’re a Winner” provided hope and motivation during a time of great struggle and change in America. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “People Get Ready” the “unofficial anthem” of the movement. In April 1968, Dr. King was slated to give the band a special award for the efforts they had made to the cause, but on April 4, he was assassinated in Memphis. Mrs. Gooden said this was the first time she saw her husband cry. While many musicians hesitated to address political and social issues, Gooden and his bandmates boldly embraced the fight for justice, proving that music could be both a form of entertainment and a force for change.

Even with his success, Gooden never lost sight of what mattered most for him—his family and his community. Despite the demands of touring, recording, and performing, he remained a devoted husband and a loving father to his four children and later to his grandchildren. Grandson D.J. Griffin described his grandfather as a “quiet guy” who spent a lot of time “talking to God.” No matter how far his music took him, from sold-out concerts in the U.S. to international tours across Europe with Eric Clapton, Gooden always made his way back home to Chattanooga. His last tour with The Impressions was in Japan when he was 85 years old. 

Samuel Gooden’s contributions to music and society did not go unnoticed. Over the years, The Impressions received numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Their songs have been covered by countless artists, including Rod Stewart, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, and continue to inspire new generations. Gooden lived to see Jon Batiste’s cover of “It’s All Right,” in the 2020 Pixar film Soul. 

One of Sam’s favorite moments came in 2016 when he received a phone call one day from the White House inviting him to Washington. At the end of his eight years in office, President Barack Obama wanted Gooden and Cash to visit him in the Oval Office. He thanked them for paving the way, through the joyously resonant music they made and that President Obama loved, toward an America where he had the opportunity to become president.

Commemoration

In his last days, Gooden enjoyed watching old YouTube videos of performances by The Impressions. He told Gloria, “we put smiles on people’s faces, took their minds off things.” Gooden believed in using his platform to uplift others, and his impact extended far beyond the stage. Revisiting those performances, Gloria said, was “his way of saying goodbye.” 

Sam Gooden passed away on August 4, 2022, leaving behind a rich legacy of service, music, and community impact. He is buried at Chattanooga National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

His voice may be gone, but his messages of faith, perseverance, and hope remain timeless. The train he once sang about in “People Get Ready” is still rolling, carrying forward the ideals he helped set in motion—reminding the world that change, justice, and unity are always within reach.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bird’s-eye view of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the “Dynamo of Dixie”, looking from Cameron Hill. Postcard. c.1930-1945. Boston Public Library, Digital Commonwealth, . https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/vx021k205.

Griffin, D.J. Personal interview with the authors. February 26, 2025.

Gooden, Gloria. Personal interview with the authors. February 26, 2025.

McEwen, Joe. “Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions.” The Sixth Annual Induction Dinner Guide. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1991. https://rockhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Curtis_Mayfield_and_The_Impressions_1991.pdf. 

“People With Barry Courter: The Impressions: Fred Cash and Sam Gooden talk about 60 years together.” Podcast. August 22, 2019. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-impressions-fred-cash-and-sam-gooden-talk-about/id1440372418?i=1000447521291.

Samuel Gooden. DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Samuel Gooden. Official Military Personnel File (partial), Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Tennessee. Hamilton County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Tennessee. Hamilton County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Secondary Sources

Abrams, Michael. “Former US Army facility is home to Germany’s national garden show.” Stars and Stripes, July 7, 2023. https://www.stripes.com/living/europe_travel/quick_trips/2023-07-07/quick-trip-buga-mannheim-10584569.html.

“A Grandson Remembers Chattanooga’s Own: Sam Gooden of The Impressions.” WUTC, August 29, 2022. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.wutc.org/show/scenic-roots/2022-08-29/a-grandson-remembers-chattanoogas-sam-gooden-of-the-impressions.

Carroll, David. “Remembering Sam Gooden, 1934-2022.” David Carroll’s Chattanooga Radio and TV, August 4, 2022. https://chattanoogaradiotv.com/general/remembering-sam-gooden-1934-2022/.

“Chattanooga Howard School.”  The Historical Marker Database. Updated November 28, 2008. Accessed April 1, 1025. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=13934.

Courter, Barry. “Impressions Members Fred Cash and Sam Gooden invited to White House to meet Obama.” Chattanooga Times Free Press [Chattanooga, TN], November 4, 2016. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2016/nov/04/he-just-cool-impressions-members-cash-and-goo.

Courter, Barry. “Sam Gooden left a legacy of great music, professionalism in Chattanooga and around the world.” Chattanooga Times Free Press [Chattanooga, TN], September 1, 2022. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2022/sep/01/sam-gooden-left-a-legacy-of-great-music/.

Gailani, Matthew. “Tennesseans and the Korean War.” Tennessee State Museum. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://tnmuseum.org/Stories/posts/tennesseans-and-the-korean-war.

“George Albert Gooden.” Find A Grave. Updated September 13, 2022. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/243527828/george_albert-gooden.

“The Impressions: Tennessee Music Pathways.” The Historical Marker Database. Updated February 28, 2021. Accessed December 10, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=167721.

McArdle, Terrence. “Sam Gooden, founding member of the Impressions soul group, dies at 87.” The Washington Post [Washington, D.C.], August 11, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/08/11/impressions-singer-sam-gooden-dead/. 

“Ruby Adell Gooden.” Find A Grave. Updated March 3, 2000. Accessed March 6, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2981355/ruby_adell-gooden.

Runyon, Carolyn. “History of Protest and Activism in Chattanooga.” Blog. June 8, 2020. https://blog.utc.edu/library/2020/06/08/history-of-protest-and-activism-in-chattanooga/. 

“Sam Gooden.” Find a Grave. Updated August 5, 2022. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/242359416/sam-gooden.

“Sam Gooden of the Impressions Dies at 87.” Local 3 News [Chattanooga, TN], August 4, 2022. https://www.local3news.com/local-news/sam-gooden-of-the-impressions-dies-at-87/article_e00c2ce2-1451-11ed-af09-ef630c2f6c4c.html?fbclid=IwAR2rGkuTXZK-PelFbqYQufbwyXaZOW6fRZwnkxJdp_ZIaEWfUHx5XVdx9aI&fs=e&s=cl. 

“Samuel Gooden.” Chattanooga Times Free Press [Chattanooga, TN], August 12, 2022. https://www.timesfreepress.com/obituaries/2022/aug/12/samuel-gooden/. 

“Samuel Gooden.” The History Makers: The Digital Repository for the Black Experience. Carnegie Mellon University. Accessed October 16, 2024. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/samuel-gooden-41.

“Samuel Gooden.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/SAMUELGOODEN/a1274c.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.