Seven local musicians are getting together at Old Ironsides this Friday to not only pay tribute to music legend Sam Cooke but also help with the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

"Havin' a Party: A Tribute to Sam Cooke" was originally going to be just a show about Sam Cooke until concert organizer Jerry Perry saw the destruction in Haiti from the Jan. 12 earthquake. Perry decided to put on a benefit show to help.

"When things like this happen, we like to try to put together relief shows," said Perry, who also organized relief benefit concerts for Hurricane Katrina and Sept. 11.

"Whatever money we can raise through the door, we're going to take and give it to the Red Cross," he said.

The Haiti show was originally going to be on the night before the Sam Cooke tribute, but Perry decided to combine the two.

"I started to put something together, but it was ridiculous," he said. "There was a really good show on the Friday with a lot of bands on it."

The seven artist line-up is a stylistic mix, including The Visceral, Gillian Underwood, David Houston, Nancy Zoppi, Richard March, Four Eyes, The Inversions and Brian Rogers, who were all supportive of using their music to help with the disaster in Haiti.

"Performing at this benefit is an obvious way to show our support for those that are suffering and to share the message to our Haitian brothers and sisters that they are not alone and that people care about what is happening to them and their country," said Rob Klein of The Visceral.

There will not be any shortage of great songs, either.

Sam Cooke was a star in the late 1950s, with 29 Top 40 hits in his career. He was shot to death in 1964, and was known as a pioneer for soul music. He was posthumously awarded with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. His hits include "Another Saturday Night," "You Send Me," and "Havin' a Party."

The show was originally pitched to Perry by The Inversions as a way to honor Cooke near his birth date of Jan. 22. Now it serves as a way for concert-goers to give to the Haiti earthquake relief effort.

Perry likes that idea, noting that Cooke was a civil rights activist.

"It just felt right attaching the Haiti relief show to this show, and using the music of Sam Cooke to raise money for the relief," Perry said.

Perry, who is a fan of Cooke and his songs, promises a good time.

"It's just going to be a night of great music," Perry said. "It started out to be a Sam Cooke tribute night, and ultimately at its core that's what it is."

"For those that choose to attend the show, be prepared to have a good time and leave a little bit of your heart in Haiti," Klein said.

"Havin' a Party: A Tribute to Sam Cooke" will be at Old Ironsides on Friday at 9 p.m., and there is a minimum donation of $8. Old Ironsides is located at 1901 10th St. in Sacramento. The show is for ages 21 and up.