Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke was an important early soul pioneer. On his '60s singles for Atlantic, he brought a country influence into R&B, with emotional phrasing and intricately constructed, melodic ballads and mid tempo songs. At the same time, he was surrounded with sophisticated "uptown" arrangements and was provided with much of his material by his producers.

The combination of gospel, pop, country, and production polish was basic to the recipe of early soul. While Burke wasn't the only one pursuing this path, not many others did so as successfully. And he was an important influence upon the Rolling Stones, who covered Burke's "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" on their early albums. 

Burke came by his gospel roots even more deeply than most soul stars. He was preaching at his family's Philadelphia church and hosting his own gospel radio show even before he'd reached his teens. He began recording gospel and R&B sides for Apollo in the mid- to late '50s. Like several former gospel singers, he was molded into a more secular direction when he signed with Atlantic in the '60s.

Burke had a wealth of high-charting R&B hits in the early half of the '60s, which crossed over to the pop listings in a mild fashion as well. "Just Out of Reach," "Cry to Me," "If You Need Me," "Got to Get You Off My Mind," "Tonight's the Night," and "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)" were the most successful of these, although, he wasn't able to expand his R&B base into a huge pop following as well. He left Atlantic in the late '60s and spent the next decade hopping between various labels, getting his biggest hit with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" in 1969, and recording an album in the late '70s with cult soulster Swamp Dogg as producer.

In the '80s and '90s, Burke became one of the most visible living exponents of classic soul music, continuing to tour and record albums. Although these were critically well-received, their stylistic purity also ensured that their market was primarily confined to roots music enthusiasts, rather than a pop audience. His live and later recorded work, however, is a favorite of those who want to experience a soul legend with his talents and stylistic purity relatively intact.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Burke's 2002 release “Don't Give Up on Me” was hailed as a major comeback for the legendary soul man. After this critical success reaffirmed Burke's status as one of the greatest living exponents of classic soul, the singer teamed up with producer Don Was for “Make Do with What You Got,” an updated variation on his classic style that was released in spring 2005.

A year later, Burke released an interesting country and soul hybrid, “Nashville,” on Shout! Factory. A second album from the label, “Like a Fire,” followed in 2008. Burke next reunited with producer Willie Mitchell for “Nothing’s Impossible,” which was released shortly after Mitchell’s death in 2010 by Koch Records’ E1 Music.

Soul Singer Solomon Burke passed on Oct. 10, 2010 ~

Source: Richie Unterberger