Not at everything, you’re not…

You may have read my recent post on Muhammad Ali’s starring role in Buck White, the black radical Broadway musical. An intrepid commenter turned me on to Ali’s earlier… material, his 1963 album, I Am the Greatest!. It even had a bit of backing vocals by friend and fan, Sam Cook! While it was largely a novelty album, primarily consisting of Ali’s brilliant spoken word braggadocio, it also contains his early attempts at a singing career. Not yet heavy weight champion, and still “Cassius Clay”, no one can say Ali lacked confidence.

How he got cast for Buck White after this, I do not know.
 

 

The Gang’s All Here
 

Stand By Me
 

Ali and his close friend Sam Cooke harmonize on a BBC sports program.