Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke March 21 1940 October 10 2010 was an American recording artist and vocalist who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s and a key transitional figure in the development of soul music from rhythm and blues Irwin Stambler 1974 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 as King Solomon the King of Rock n Soul Bishop of Soul and the Muhammad Ali of soul Due to Burkes minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding Burke is often described as the genres most unfairly overlooked singer of its golden age Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler once referred to Burke as the greatest male soul singer of all time Burkes most famous recordings which spanned five years in the early 1960s bridged the gap between mainstream RB and grittier RB Burke was a singer whose smooth powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s He drew from his roots gospel jazz country and blues as well as developing his own style at a time when RB and rock were both still in their infancy Described as both Rabelaisian and also as a spiritual enigma 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 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 RB charts In 2001 Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer His album Dont Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003 By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums Rolling Stone ranked Burke as 89 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time