Cooke's family name did not have an "e" on the end, but he added the extra letter in 1957 to signify a new start to his life. That's when he made the switch from gospel to secular music.
In a letter to faculty, college President Harry Chalmiers said "our employment has ended and the college is being closed at the end of the semester" on Dec. 20.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year with the Award for Early Influence. Elvis Presley was a big fan of the way she played the guitar.
Sixty years ago, Jerry Lee Lewis married Myra Gayle Brown in a private ceremony in rural Mississippi. He was 22 and it was his third marriage. She was 13 and it was her first.
Otis Redding began writing "(Sittin' on the) Dock of the Bay" while he was living in a rented houseboat near the Golden Gate Bridge. While relaxing after a grueling tour, he was inspired by seeing the ships going in and out of San Francisco Bay.