Regina King’s One Night in Miami has done more than receive critical acclaim, earn multiple award nominations and score Leslie Odom Jr. his first Academy Award nod for acting — it’s inspired a music video.
GRAMMY-winning R&B artist PJ Morton teamed up with longtime friend BJ The Chicago Kid, Kenyon Dixon and guitarist Charlie Bereal for a moving tribute to legendary musician Sam Cooke, inspired by Odom Jr.’s portrayal of the music legend in One Night in Miami. The foursome came together for a stripped-down rendition of Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me” and, of course, the music video takes place in a motel room much like the one featured throughout the film.
“It happened really quickly and organically, actually,” Morton told ET about the collaboration. “BJ asked me to come to the studio to record this duet of Sam Cooke’s ‘Bring It On Home to Me’ for a project he was working on. After listening, we both felt a third harmony could be nice. We both had the same idea that Kenyon Dixon would fit perfectly. Right after that, the news about Leslie Odom Jr.’s Oscar nomination for his performance as Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami came out. So I hit BJ and asked him what he thought about us just putting it out now, paying homage to Sam Cooke, of course, but also to show to Leslie and the movie some love because we all loved it.”
Odom Jr. scored both acting and songwriting nominations for his role as Cooke in the film, which depicts the time Malcolm X, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Muhammad Ali converged upon a hotel in Florida. In the movie’s 1964, the cultural titans and friends — Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), football great Brown (Aldis Hodge), soul singer Cooke (Odom Jr.) and the boxer then known as Cassius Clay (Eli Goree) — have gathered to celebrate the latter’s championship win, though conversation quickly turns to race and responsibility, the men tussling over the best way to move forward and debating who is using their platform to what end.
When speaking with ET about his double nominations in March, Odom Jr. said the experience “feels like the beginning of something.” He added, “It means a lot on this movie in particular. This movie meant so much to me and to all of us. I was just happy to be part of it. I was thrilled that I got to bring more of myself to the project. It’s deeply meaningful.”
