The Soul Stirrers never fully received the recognition they deserve from the pop music world, even though they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Probably best known for giving a 19-year-old Sam Cooke his start, the Soul Stirrers pioneered the modern vocal-quartet sound, characterized by a lead singer and three backing harmony voices. This approach to gospel was quite a departure from the so-called "jubilee sound" that dominated the pre-World War II American South.