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Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke
Burke singing
Burke in 2008
Background information
Birth nameJames Solomon McDonald
Also known asSolomon Vincent McDonald Burke
Born(1940-03-21)March 21, 1940[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died(2010-10-10)October 10, 2010 (aged 70)
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
Genres
Occupations
  • Preacher
  • singer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1955–2010
Labels

Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s.[2] He has been called "a key transitional figure bridging R&B and soul",[3] and was known for his "prodigious output".[4][5][6]

He had a string of hits including "Cry to Me", "If You Need Me", "Got to Get You Off My Mind", "Down in the Valley", and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". Burke was referred to honorifically as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", "Bishop of Soul", and the "Muhammad Ali of Soul".[7][8][1] Due to his minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding, Burke has been described as the genre's "most unfairly overlooked singer" of its golden age.[9] Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler referred to Burke as "the greatest male soul singer of all time".[1][8][10]

Burke's most famous recordings, which spanned five years in the early 1960s, bridged the gap between mainstream R&B and grittier R&B.[11] Burke was "a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s."[12] He drew from his roots—gospel, jazz, country, and blues—as well as developing his own style at a time when R&B, and rock were both still in their infancy.[13] Described as both "Rabelaisian"[14] and also as a "spiritual enigma",[15] "perhaps more than any other artist, the ample figure of Solomon Burke symbolized the ways that spirituality and commerce, ecstasy and entertainment, sex and salvation, individualism and brotherhood, could blend in the world of 1960s soul music."[16]

During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the Billboard R&B charts. In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. His album Don't Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards in 2003. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums.[13][17][18] Rolling Stone ranked Burke as No. 89 on its 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".[19]

  1. ^ a b c Jonathan Valania (July 17, 2002). "Solomon Burke brings it home". Philadelphia Weekly. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  2. ^ Hoffmann 2006, p. 29.
  3. ^ "Soul Story |TimeLife.com | Soul Music | R&B Music". www.timelife.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  4. ^ Leigh, Spencer (October 11, 2010). "Solomon Burke: The 1960s 'King of Rock and Soul' who enjoyed a modern". The Independent. Retrieved February 20, 2018. Everything about the soul singer Solomon Burke was larger than life: his gargantuan frame, his dynamic vocals, his prodigious recording output and his huge family.
  5. ^ Stambler 1974, p. 83.
  6. ^ Hoffmann 1981, p. 116.
  7. ^ Chalmers, Robert (June 29, 2008). "Solomon Burke: last of the great soul men". The Independent. London.
  8. ^ a b Jet (9 April 2001):35.
  9. ^ David Cantwell, "Editorial Review"
  10. ^ Wexler 1993, p. 49.
  11. ^ Greg Kot, "Solomon Burke Dead at 70; 'The King of Rock and Soul'", Chicago Tribune (October 10, 2010).
  12. ^ Ben Sisario, "Solomon Burke, Influential Soul Singer, Dies at 70", The New York Times (October 11, 2010).
  13. ^ a b Pete Lewis, "Solomon Burke: The Last Soul Man", B&S 1038 (2010).
  14. ^ Carlo Wolff, "Guralnick Studies Soul Music Roots," Schenectady Gazette (June 20, 1986):24.
  15. ^ Tony Cummings, "Solomon Burke: The '60s Soul Music Legend and a Spiritual Enigma", Crossrhythms (November 5, 2010).
  16. ^ Brian Ward, Just my Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):199.
  17. ^ Charles Young, "King Solomon's Sweet Thunder", Rolling Stone (October 10, 2010).
  18. ^ Jonny Whiteside, "Black in the Saddle", LA Weekly (April 7, 2005).
  19. ^ Jonathan Lethem, "89: Solomon Burke", Rolling Stone (November 27, 2008).

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