<Table> <Tr> <Td> "Cousin of Mine" (1964) </Td> <Td> "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) </Td> <Td> "It's Got The Whole World Shakin"' (1965) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "Cousin of Mine" (1964) </Td> <Td> "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) </Td> <Td> "It's Got The Whole World Shakin"' (1965) </Td> </Tr> <P> "A Change Is Gonna Come" is a song by American recording artist Sam Cooke . It initially appeared on Cooke's album Ain't That Good News, released March 1, 1964 by RCA Victor; a slightly edited version of the recording was released as a single on December 22, 1964 . Produced by Hugo & Luigi and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B - side to "Shake". </P> <P> The song was inspired by various personal events in Cooke's life, most prominently an event in which he and his entourage were turned away from a whites - only motel in Louisiana . Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans . The song contains the refrain, "It's been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come ." </P>

Who sang a change is gonna come first