Night Beat is the tenth studio album by American singer Sam Cooke, released in August 1963 by RCA Victor.

Cooke and his musicians—pianist Ray Johnson, organist Billy Preston (who was 16 at the time of recording), lead guitarist Barney Kessel, alternating drummers Hal Blaine and Ed Hall, bassist Cliff Hils and Clif White, and René Hall on rhythm guitar—cut Night Beat in three days during late-night recording sessions at RCA Victor Studios in Hollywood in February 1963.

[6] The last recording session for Night Beat took place on February 25, when the same group, sans Hall and Kessel, reunited to commit "Lost and Lookin'", "Please Don't Drive Me Away", "You Gotta Move", "Fool's Paradise" and "Shake Rattle and Roll" to tape.

[6] According to a retrospective review by John Bush of AllMusic, "Saddled with soaring strings and vocal choruses for maximum crossover potential, Sam Cooke's solo material often masked the most important part of his genius—his glorious voice—so the odd small-group date earns a special recommendation in his discography".

"[3] Al Kooper of Goldmine wrote: "This is intimate Sam Cooke and his favorite musicians having some genuine fun in the studio, with obviously no eye toward ramming up the pop charts ... Each song is like another moody painting always in the appropriate, tasteful frame.