| Solomon Burke |
Solomon Burke, April 19, 2008 |
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke |
| Also known as |
"The King of Rock 'N Soul"
"The Bishop of Soul"
"King Solomon"
"The Wonder Boy preacher"
"Lord Solomon" |
| Born |
(1940-03-21)March 21, 1940[1]
West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
October 10, 2010(2010-10-10) (aged 70)
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands |
| Genres |
Blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll |
| Occupations |
Preacher, singer |
| Instruments |
Vocals |
| Years active |
1955–2010 |
| Labels |
Apollo Records
Atlantic Records
Bell Records
MGM Records
ABC Dunhill Records
Chess Records
Savoy Records
Rounder Records
Fat Possum Records
ANTI-
Shout! Factory
E1 Music |
| Website |
www.thekingsolomonburke.com |
Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People.[2] Burke was known as "King Solomon," the "King of Rock 'n' Soul," and as the "Bishop of Soul,"[3] and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul,"[1] and as "the most unfairly overlooked singer of soul's golden age."[4] Burke was "the founding father of what was defined as soul music in America in the 1960s,"[5] and "a major architect of 1960s soul, infusing post-World War II R&B with [his] gospel roots."[6] and "a key transitional figure bridging R&B and soul,"[7][8][9] Burke's "sound was a bold merger of orchestrated sophistication and countryish, down-home grit, and his best singles built a Gothic sense of drama and heartbreak. These tracks bridged the gap between the more mannered mainstream rhythm and blues of the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller songwriting team of the 1950s, as exemplified by the Coasters and Drifters, and the gruffer Southern styles of the later '60s, as heard on the Stax Records sides of Otis Redding and Sam & Dave.[10] At one time considered by Jerry Wexler to be "the greatest male soul singer of all time,"[1][11][12][13] Burke was "a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s."[14] Burke drew from his roots: gospel, soul, and blues, as well as developing his own style at a time when R&B, and rock were both still in their infancy.[15] Artistically, Burke was influenced by the music of the church, as well as by Little Richard.[16] Described as both "Rabelaisian"[17] and also as a "spiritual enigma,"[18] "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."[19]
During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on more than 17 record labels and had 35 songs that charted, including 26 songs that made the Billboard R&B charts, including "Got to Get You Off My Mind" that was #1 in the summer of the 1965, and an additional 9 songs that were only listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 1964's seminal “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”.[20] Burke had over 30 songs make the Cash Box R&B charts, with "Got to Get You Off My Mind" reaching #1, and 23 that charted on their pop chart hits, with seven making Cash Box's Top 40.[21] 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 Grammy Awards in 2003. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums.[15][22][23] Rolling Stone ranked Burke as #89 on its 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."[24]
On February 13, 2011, in his first live appearance at the Grammy Awards, Mick Jagger, who had been influenced by Burke, paid tribute to Burke in the Grammy Awards "In Memoriam' segment[25] by singing "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," backed by Raphael Saadiq and his band.[26]
James Solomon McDonald[27] (later Solomon McDonald Vincent Burke)[28] was born on the upper floor of the home of his maternal grandmother, Eleanor Alma "Mother" Moore (born about 1900 in Florence, South Carolina; died 19 December 1954 in Philadelphia)[18][29] in a row house at 3036 Mt Vernon Street, West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[30] on Thursday, March 21, 1940.[1][31] Burke was the oldest child of Josephine Moore (born 1 April 1920 in Panama City, Florida; died 27 August 1990 in Germantown, Pennsylvania)[32][33] who had been a nurse, taught kindergarten for five years on the School District of Philadelphia,[34] and been a concert singer,[28] and an unknown father. At birth he was consecrated a bishop by his grandmother in the Solomon's Temple, a congregation of the United House of Prayer For All People, founded by her in her home about 1928 in the Black Bottom section of West Philadelphia,[35][36] after she had a vision indicating: "A child shall lead you." He was the godson of Daddy Grace.[37] In 2006 Burke describes his birth: "I was born upstairs while church was going on downstairs. And nobody heard me, so I guess I was in tune. The band was playing. People shouting and having a good time. I have the trombones and tubas and tambourines and guitars and pianos in my soul. It’s just a normal reaction to me, to hear that rhythm, to hear that beat."[38]
Burke credits his grandmother as his primary spiritual and musical influence: "She was my mentor, a spiritual medium directly associated with Daddy Grace and Father Divine. She used to have a sign in her home. It read 'Jesus Never Fails.' That's when and what I began to preach."[39] In 2005 Burke recalled: "My grandmother was born a prophetess and born a great seer, and she was and still is my influence. Her words have never faded—they become stronger. Everything that she predicted in my lifetime has come true and is still coming true to this day."[23] Burke revealed: "My grandmother told me of the things I would do in life. That I would travel the world and see things I had never seen before; that I would be able to perform for millions of people and not see them; that I would be able to go places that I had never been and may never go again; that I would have a large family."[40] Burke also indicated: "She was my greatest encouragement. She would make me listen to the radio: classical, country, jazz, Paul Robeson, Count Basie. And she told me to copy them and learn to phrase and project a song. She was my teacher. I never had no music training. She gave me the promise of a new life, not just as a singer, but as a person alone in the world with nothing but Jesus. All the great singers came out of the church. Jackie Wilson. Sam Cooke. Brook Benton. Your first duty is to give it to God."[36] Burke recalled in 2005: “Ever since I was a kid, I was at home, ‘lookin’ at the radio. “My grandmother made sure we listened to two hours of music a week—the Top 40, Perry Como, Dean Martin and Gene Autry, who I just loved as a kid. He’d come on the radio singing, ‘I’m back in the saddle again,’ and my grandmother would always say, ‘Listen to the pronunciation, listen to the diction — you hear every word clearly."[23] According to Burke, his mother introduced him to Jimmy Reed and Ray Charles as well as that era's king of smooth, Billy Eckstein. "She played all these records on our Admiral combination radio-record-player-TV. For that reason alone, I looked forward to doing chores – so that I could hear their music."[39] Other musical influences included bluesmen Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker, gospel queen Clara Ward, and Big Joe Turner.[12]
At the age of 7 Solomon preached "He is My Life,"[28] the first of many sermonettes, in Solomon's Temple,[36][38] In his youth, "he was so charismatic in the pulpit that he was known as the Boy Wonder Preacher,"[41] and by all accounts, "young Burke was a frantic sermonizer, spellbinding in his delivery."[42] Influenced by Superman,[43] "the first sign of a royal persona was evident in the cape that he wore only on Sundays, made from his "blankie"[41] by his grandmother.[44] From age 12 Burke became a pastor of the congregation,[45] and also appeared for 15 minutes each week (later expanded to 30 minutes) on WDAS (then 1400 AM) with Randy Dixon, the African-American host of "Ebony Hall of Fame."[46][47] At age 12 Burke hosted a gospel show on WHAT-AM, an R&B and gospel radio station,[1] mixing both song and sermon in broadcasts from Solomon's Temple.[48] On weekends Burke traveled with a truck and tent, to Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas to carry on the spiritual crusade of his church.[18]
From an early age Burke struggled with a "fondness for food" and with obesity, indicating in 2005: "I was 160 [pounds] when I was 9,"[49] and recalled that "at nine I passed for 16."[2]
In 1949 Vincent Burke (born 1 December 1917 in Philadelphia; died March 1978 in Philadelphia),[32][50] a 130 pound Hebrew-speaking black Jew, the son of an immigrant father from Kingston, Jamaica,[18] who worked as a chicken plucker at Jake's Chicken Market, a kosher butcher shop at 40th and Girard,[1] as well as a carpenter, who was a guitar player,[28] became his stepfather.[22] After this Sol changed his name to Solomon McDonald Vincent Burke, but was often called "Sol" by family and friends.[28] Burke later described his stepfather: "My father was very special to me. He was a very spiritual man. He was a black rabbi, who would go to upper Pennsylvania and purchase chicken, turkeys and ducks.”[51] Solomon Burke had six younger siblings – a sister, Laurena Burke-Corbin (born 23 June 1946),[28] and five brothers: Elec Edward "Alec" (born 16 February 1948),[52] Vladimir H. "Laddie" (born 31 July 1949),[53] Mario "Chuck" (born 13 September 1953),[52] Daniel S. "Danny" (born 10 March 1955),[52] and Jolester R. M. Burke (born 24 September 1958).[28][30][52][54]
From an early age Burke worked to supplement his family's income. Burke recalled: "I used to deliver grocery orders in a little wagon I made out of fish boxes. When I was seven, I sold newspapers out of my own newsstand on the corner of 40th and Lancaster. I had the first 99-cent car wash, which was located at 40th and Wallace outside Al's Barber Shop. We had it there because he was the only one who would let us use his water. We could wash your car in 20 minutes. I had four or five guys, gave 'em each a nickel for each car.[1] Another briefly held early job was as a hot dog seller at Eddie's Meat Market, where his friend Chubby Checker also worked.[1]
As a child Burke attended the Morton McMichael Elementary School at 3543 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia.[55] From 1952 Burke attended the Mayer Sulzberger Junior High School at 701–741 North 48th Street in the Mill Creek neighborhood of West Philadelphia, where he was a member of a choir organized by Miss Joy Goings, that included McCoy Tyner; three future members of The Castelles: George Grant, Billy Taylor and Octavius Anthony;[56] Lee Andrews; William "Sonny" Gordon, later of the Angels and The Turbans,[57] who lived a couple of houses from Burke;[58] George Tindley of the Dreams;[59] and George Pounds, Karl English, and Melvin Story of the Cherokees.[58] A film, Rock From the Bottom, featuring the 1954 graduation class of Sulzberger Middle School, which included Burke, should be finished by the end of 2011.[60]
Burke attended a succession of high schools: William Shoemaker Middle School, West Philadelphia High School, Overbrook High School, and the Roman Catholic High School for Boys, where he played American football, and finally John Bartram High School in Philadelphia, where he graduated.[28][61]
At the age of 14 Burke fathered his first child.[62]
Burke formed and fronted a quartet called the Gospel Cavaliers,[63] who were inspired by the music of the R.H. Harris-led Soul Stirrers, and by the Mighty Clouds of Joy and the Dixie Hummingbirds. Burke recalled: "I did "Ship of Zion" and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."[38] On Thanksgiving Day 1954 his grandmother gave him his first guitar, a Stella acoustic guitar with "King Solomon" embroidered on it, as an early Christmas gift.[1] In response Burke wrote his first song, "Christmas Presents From Heaven,"[64] which he recorded in the local penny arcade[28] and played for her on 18 December 1954, the day before her death at the age of 54.[18] On the day his grandmother died she prophesied that "he would have cars, women and money but also descend to the pits of hell."[2]
After Burke sang at her funeral on 24 December 1954, some local church people asked him to perform at their Christmas program.[65]
In December 1955 Burke and the Gospel Cavaliers[66] performed at the Liberty Baptist Church,[67] at 5944 Larchwood Avenue, West Philadelphia, and so impressed Viola Williams,[68] wife of Kae "Loudmouth" Williams,[69] a prominent African American Philadelphia deejay.[70] that she insisted they return in a few days to hear the Dixie Hummingbirds,[71] and enter a gospel talent contest, which offered a recording contract as a prize.[28] Despite agreeing to enter the competition, the other members of the Gospel Cavaliers, who were "disheartened by their belief they were getting nowhere fast," refused to enter.[28] Burke decided to go to competition, which was held at the Cornerstone Baptist Church[72] at 2117 North 33rd Street, Philadelphia,[28] but was forced to borrow a jacket from his uncle, shoes from his stepfather, and pants from his other uncle.[71] As he had left his guitar at his bass player's house, Burke borrowed a guitar borrowed from a member of the Welcome Travelers, a competing group.[28][73] Burke sang "The Old Ship of Zion," defeating the other 11 competitors.[28] Burke recalls that Bess Berman, the owner of Apollo Records,[74] an independent label with national distribution;[75] Jimmy Bracken of Vee-Jay Records; and Don Robey of Peacock Records of Texas, all wanted to sign him to their label.[76] Viola Williams convinced Burke to sign a personal management contract with her husband, Kae Williams,[28] who was also managing Lee Andrews & the Hearts at that time.[77] Kae Williams added four years to Burke's age to avoid having to get the approval of Burke's parents (thus creating confusion about his age for decades), and introduced him to Bess Berman, who signed him to her label.[18] In addition to Burke, Williams also managed the Sensations, the Soul Satisfiers (Apollo Records), Jimmy Young (Ember Records), Rollie McGill (Mercury), and Nicky Lee (K&M Records), which was owned by Williams and his cousin, Mitch Thomas.[78]
In December 1955 Burke was signed to Apollo, soon after gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Apollo's primary star,[79] had left for Columbia Records,[80] accusing Apollo of cheating her out of her royalties,[81][82] and the owner, Bessie "Bess" Berman (born June 3, 1902 in New York; died October 29, 1997),[83][84] of "having a plantation attitude toward Negroes."[85] Berman, known as "Queen Bee,"[86] was a formidable Jewish woman of Austrian and German ancestry,[87][88] who had been president of Apollo Records since May 1948,[89] attempted to transform Burke into a pop crooner, and is reported to have said, "Let's take this church boy and make him the next Harry Belafonte."[18]
From 2.30pm on December 22, 1955 Burke made his first recordings for Apollo Records,[55] six songs,[63] in their studios at 457 West 45th Street, Manhattan,[90] debuting with his own song "Christmas Presents" b/w "When I'm All Alone" (Apollo 485), which debuted on DEcember 24, 1955 and became a minor hit.[55][91] Burke released nine singles and sixteen different sides on Apollo,[51][63] and his style at that time was compared to that of Roy Hamilton, Billy Eckstine, Al Hibbler, Ivory Joe Hunter and even Harry Belafonte.[51] While Burke wrote or co-wrote many of those songs, he confessed: "I couldn’t write music or read music. I just created songs on the spot. I could just stand there and hum the music to the musicians."[51] At Apollo he recorded with saxophone legends King Curtis and Lester Young behind him. In 2002 Burke recalled: "Listen to 'Have a Dream'. It still haunts me. Not only did I make the song up on the spot, Lester made up his solo just by filling in my spaces."[92]
Burke's other Apollo recordings, which included "I'm in Love" b/w "Why Do Me That Way?" (Apollo 487),[93] "I'm All Alone" b/w "To Thee" (Apollo 491),[94] and "No Man Walks Alone" b/w "Walking in a Dream" (Apollo 500),[94] didn't sell well.
In 1955 Burke, on his first tour to the American South, was stopped by police in a borrowed yellow 1955 Cadillac convertible near Hallandale, Florida on suspicion that he and his pianist had stolen the vehicle.[95][96] In early 1956 Burke made his first stop on the Chittlin circuit, and his first nightclub appearance at Jim Toomer’s[97] The Tippin' Inn,[1] a black-owned establishment in Berlin, New Jersey, on Cushman Avenue, about 20 miles southeast of Philadelphia, "that sported a grand showroom and featured some of the country’s best known African-American entertainment."[98]
Burke's best-selling release at Apollo was a "mellow spiritual" called "You Can Run (But You Can't Hide)" b/w "A Picture of You" (Apollo 505), although it didn’t chart nationally.[51] Written by Burke and Charles Merenstein,[99] the vice-president of Apollo Records,[100] co-writing credit for this song was also assigned to ex-heavyweight champion Joe Louis, who had used the saying to refer to challenger Billy Conn in 1946.[101] According to Burke: "The song was not written by Joe Louis. Mr. Bernstein and other writers wrote the song for me, and they used the title without the permission of Joe Louis’ agency. We were sued by Mr. Louis. His wife was his attorney and manager, and we had to relinquish the copyright to him. The deal was that he would travel with me for one year and promote the record, and we would pay him to do that."[51][63] While Louis helped promote the song in exchange for the credit, even appearing on TV's The Steve Allen Show with Burke on 4 January 1957,[102] he forgot Burke's name, and introduced him as Argentinian Dick Haymes, who had covered the song on Decca Records.[100]
In April 1957,[78] Burke, who was at this time promoted as "Lord Solomon,"[28] appeared on an all-star show at Chicago's Regal Theater with Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Dells, The Spaniels, Big Maybelle, Little Esther Phillips, The Sensations, Junior Parker, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Nappy Brown, Annie Laurey, and bassist Al Smith's Orchestra.[103][104] Burke claimed that he appeared on American Bandstand, the first episode hosted by Dick Clark, which would be on 5 August 1957.[105] In 1957 Burke played the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York for the first time, but he was dropped from the show after two nights.[106]
After a performance on June 13, 1957 at the Wide Awake Ballroom in Newark, New Jersey, Burke became convinced that his manager Kae Williams was cheating him out of most of his performance fees.[55] After a confrontation, which resulted in Burke shooting Williams, Burke terminated his relationship with Williams.[2] Williams, who was by this time managing The Silhouettes,[70] ensured that Burke's Apollo contract was terminated and that he was "blackballed" from the industry.[107] Burke recalled in an interview in 2002: "I knew I wasn't being paid what I was owed. I'm 17 years old making $350 a night, three nights a week. I thought that was a lot of money. It turns out that I was actually being paid $3,500 a night, or more accurately, my manager was being paid $3,500 a night. It was comical. But when I left him he told me I would never work again, and he did get all my records pulled off the air. It was a drastic time in my life. There were a couple years there when I lost everything and everybody, and I learned to live on the streets of Philadelphia."[1] After his departure Apollo released "I Need You Tonight" b/w "This is it" (Apollo 511), and "For You and You Alone" b/w "You Are My One Love" (Apollo 512), in 1957 and "They Always Say" b/w "Don't Cry" (Apollo 522), and "My Heart is a Chapel" b/w "This is It" (Apollo 527) in 1958.[94] Apollo reissued an album "Solomon Burke" (ALP-498) in 1962.[108] Despite his departure from Apollo, in 1992 Burke recalled: "Bess and Ike Berman ... were two of the greatest people in the world. I mean, the most sweetest, original, the real deal people. You know, the kind of people who say I don't need a contract. Very up front with us. Very honest with us. Never had a problem with our royalties. Just beautiful people."[100]
After being dropped by Apollo Records, and blackballed by Williams, Burke found it difficult to get any of his songs played on the radio, or to get club dates.[109] Burke recalled in 2002: "My life was shattered. I was so disillusioned that I didn't want to sing anywhere except in church."[110] After an argument with his mother, with whom he had an often volatile relationship, Burke was evicted from his home and began living on the streets of North Philadelphia in 1957. Burke had "a lump the size of half a golf ball on his shaven head: the result, he says, of being 'whacked by a frying pan. Your mother tells you to do something, you do it.'"[2][111] Burke recalled: “My mother was so angry. She threw me out of the house. My dad stood by me, would meet me down the street and give me $10. But that’s where I lived for a year or two. In abandoned cars. There was no place I could turn. I was shamed. I was a bum.”[22] Burke recalled: "People laughed at me because I still had my gold tuxedo pants on, and my patent leather shoes, and my beautiful ruffled shirt."[2]
After being hit by a motor vehicle outside the Galaxy Bar on the corner of 16th and Ridge Streets, Philadelphia,[112] Burke was taken into the Germantown home of the driver, Lathella Thompson, a recently widowed doctor,[22][113] who feared losing her driver's licence.[112] Burke remained in her home for the next eighteen months, and often accompanied her to work.[112] During this period Burke met Brother Rashish, who became his mentor, taught him the Islamic faith,[2] as well as Arabic.[112] In August 1958 it was also reported that Burke converted to Islam,[114] and had married, however it only lasted two months before being annulled by 1958.[2][109][114] Soon after Burke married Delores Clark, Mrs Thompson's niece, and he soon had six children.[55][112]
Needing to work to support his growing family, Burke resumed training as a mortician at Eckels College of Mortuary Science,[112] which was located at 231 North Sixteenth Street, Philadelphia,[115][116] graduating with a doctorate of mortuary science, and joining the AV Barkley funeral home at 634 North 38th Street, Philadelphia, which was owned and operated by his widowed aunt, Anna Rebecca Barkley (born March 6, 1991; died November 19, 1991).[2][117][118] Burke later had his own mortuary business in Los Angeles.[119]
By December 1958 Herb Abramson, founder of the newly established Triumph Records, signed Burke to a recording contract,[120] with an eye on the pop market.[121] However, Burke was unable to record for Triumph as it was discovered that his contract with Apollo Records had not expired.[122] Abramson recommended Burke contact Miriam Bienstock, Abramson'e ex-wife, who was an owner of Atlantic Records, about his songs.
In 1959 Philadelphia businessman Marvin Leonard "Babe" Chivian (born 24 August 1925; died January 1972),[123][124] "a body-and-fender man,"[61] and real estate speculator,[125][126] offered Burke a red Lincoln Continental convertible if Burke would agree to a management contract with him.[127] Chivian arranged for Burke to be signed to Singular Records,[1][22][128] a Philadelphia-based label that was owned by WPEN disc jockey Edwin L. "Larry" Brown (born September 10, 1921 in New York City; died March 24, 2005),[129][130] and vocal coach Arthur "Artie" Singer (born February 1, 1919 in Toronto, Ontario; died May 2, 2008 in Pennsylvania),[131] who had a distribution deal with Chess Records.[132]
Burke released two singles on the Singular label:[51] "Doodle Dee Doo" b/w "It's All Right" (Singular 1314) in December 1959,[133] and "This Little Ring" b/w "I'm Not Afraid" (Singular 1812; and Mala 420) in May 1960,[134] but neither single charted.[135]
In 1960 Burke toured the American South with Dee Clark, the Drifters, the Crystals, Little Esther, Dionne Warwick, and the Upsetters Band.[136]
To fulfil his contractual obligations, Burke returned to Apollo briefly in 1960 for one more single (Apollo 747), which was released in 1961,[135] under the pseudonym of Little Vincent, in an act of homage to his stepfather. Those two Little Vincent sides are "Solomon’s blackest recordings on Apollo."[51] "You Don’t Send Me Anymore" is "a bluesy ballad in a Ray Charles style, whereas the slow "Always Together" is closer to budding soul music."[51] There was also another single by Little Vincent "Honk, Honk, Honk" b/w "Honk, Honk, Honk (part 2)" (Apollo 748), but that was an instrumental without any input from Burke.[51]
By November 1960 Atlantic Records was struggling as two of their major stars, Bobby Darin and Ray Charles, who were responsible collectively for one-third of Atlantic's revenues,[137] had left for other record lablels – Darin for Capitol Records, and Charles for a "mega-deal" with ABC Records.[38][113] According to Cliff White, "In 1960 the company was at its most vulnerable. Ray Charles and Clyde McPhatter had left them for other companies, Chuck Willis was dead, and Big Joe Turner’s brand of rocking city blues was just not selling anymore. Their major girl singers, Lavern Baker and Ruth Brown were waning, and two of their three big group acts, the Coasters and The Clovers, were also past their best."[138] Atlantic Vice-President and producer Jerry Wexler admits that by this time he was feeling creatively exhausted,[139] and feared the company might not survive.[140] According to Alex Halberstadt, "Salvation arrived in the person of Solomon Burke, a soul singer of overwhelming charisma and remarkable stylistic range. ... Wexler and Burke created a string of hits that carried the label financially and represented the first fully realized examples of the classic soul sound."[141] Burke helped keep Atlantic Records solvent from 1961 to 1964 with his steady run of hit records.[12] According to Wexler: "Solomon Burke was the infusion of fresh energy I needed. ... Solomon came along at a moment when the British Invasion was gearing up. We had nothing like the Dave Clark Five or Herman's Hermits, let alone the Beatles. Solomon Burke carried Atlantic by selling a load of records – and they were terrific."[96]
In November 1960 Burke and his manager, "Babe" Chivian,[128] visited the 56th Street offices of Atlantic Records,[142] hoping to interest Atlantic in songs that Burke had written.[18] Later that day Burke signed a "handshake deal" with Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun to record with Atlantic.[143][144] Meeting Burke "was not purely kismet," as Wexler and Ertegun were aware of Burke and his talent,[144] as "Wexler’s former mentor at Billboard, Paul Ackerman, had been urging him to sign Burke for several years,"[113][142] but were waiting for Burke's contract with Apollo Records to expire.[142] By this time Burke was considered one of the "greatest showmen and a classic gospel-inspired singer."[145] According to Burke, Atlantic "had just released Ray Charles from the label; he hadn’t been gone a week. I walked into Jerry’s office that day, and 30 minutes later he was hollering for them to bring me a contract."[113] In 2007 Burke recalled: "I met Ertegun and Jerry Wexler together. It was the day Ray Charles had left the label, and we walked in and 10 minutes later we were signed to the label. Jerry said, "I think we're gonna make a deal," and Ahmet just says "Hey, baby, sign it. Sign it, baby'."[146]
In his eight years with Atlantic Records from 1960, Burke released 32 memorable singles. These included six Top Ten R&B hits, four of which crossed over to the pop Top Forty: "Cry to Me" (#5 R&B), "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (#7 R&B, #24 pop), "Got to Get You Off of My Mind" (#1 R&B, #22 pop), "You’re Good for Me" (#8 R&B), "Tonight’s the Night" (#2 R&B, #28 pop) and "If You Need Me" (#2 R&B, #37 pop).[12] On his singles for Atlantic, Burke "brought a country influence into R&B, with emotional phrasing and intricately constructed, melodic ballads and midtempo songs.... While Burke wasn't the only one pursuing this path, not many others did so as successfully."[147] Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits while at Atlantic, Burke never broke through into the mainstream as did Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, who covered Burke's "Down in the Valley" for 1965's Otis Blue. However, unlike Aretha Franklin or Wilson Pickett, Burke was unable to expand his R&B base into a huge pop following as well, never having a top 20 pop hit in his career.[147]
Almost immediately Wexler and Burke clashed over his branding and the songs that he would record. According to Burke, "Their idea was, we have another young kid to sing gospel, and we’re going to put him in the blues bag."[113] As Burke had struggled from an early age with "his attraction to secular music on the one hand and his allegiance to the church on the other,"[148] when he was signed to Atlantic Records he "refused to be classified as a rhythm-and-blues singer" due to a perceived "stigma of profanity" by the church,[148] and R&B's reputation as "the devil's music." Burke indicated in 2005: "I told them about my spiritual background, and what I felt was necessary, and that I was concerned about being labeled rhythm & blues. What kind of songs would they be giving me to sing? Because of my age, and my position in the church, I was concerned about saying things that were not proper, or that sent the wrong message. That angered Jerry Wexler a little bit. He said, ‘We’re the greatest blues label in the world! You should be honored to be on this label, and we’ll do everything we can – but you have to work with us.’"[113] To mollify Burke, it was decided to market him as a singer of "soul music" after he had consulted his church brethren and won approval for the term.[36] When a Philadelphia DJ said to Burke, "You're singing from your soul and you don't want to be an R&B singer, so what kind of singer are you going to be?", Burke shot back: "I want to be a soul singer."[149] Burke's sound, which was especially popular in the South, was described there as "river deep country fried buttercream soul."[150] Burke is credited with coining the term "soul music,"[151] which Burke confirmed in a 1996 interview.[152]
Despite his initial reluctance, like several former gospel singers Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett, Burke was "molded into a more secular direction when he signed with Atlantic in the '60s,"[147] and became one of "the "backsliders," artists who "preferred a secular acclaim to the gospel obscurity",[153] after deciding eventually that "secular music was not the anithesis of the church but, rather, 'a new avenue, a new dimension to spread the gospel.'"[148] Despite this, "leaving gospel for secular music, as well as integrating secular music into gospel performances, was controversial."[154] Noted blues scholar Paul Oliver maintains that when Sam Cooke and Burke "turned from gospel singing to the blues",[155] unlike others who had sone so previously, "they took the gospel technique with them", with "even the words often secularized gospel songs" coupled with a "screaming delivery, the exploitation of emotional involvement, [and] the frenetic displays of dancing singers."[155] For Burke, "gospel influences were pervasive. Gospelly chord progressions, organ accompaniment and a style of singing which can only be described as "preaching" have now spread widely into much black popular music."[156] Music critic Mark Deming described Burke as having: "one of the finest voices in popular music, that possessed a churchly authority that was the ideal match for his material which balanced the pleasures of the flesh with the price of the transgression."[157]
"Burke sounded like a Baptist preacher in a country church, and for [Jerry] Wexler he was the first and possibly the greatest of all '60s soul men."[158] Wexler, who considered Burke to be "the greatest male soul singer of all time",[12] pronounced him a "vocalist of rare prowess and remarkable range. His voice is an instrument of exquisite sensitivity."[12] Wexler also describing the young Burke's vocal style as "churchy without being coarse."[2] In 2000 Wexler indicated: "Solomon was beautiful, baby. He sounded just like Dean Martin."[159] In 2003 Wexler assessed Burke: "I rate him at the very top. Since all singing is a trade-off between music and drama, he's the master at both. His theatricality. He's a great actor."[160] Despite his admiration for Burke, Wexler also described Burke as "a piece of work: wily, highly intelligent, a salesman of epic proportions, sly, sure-footed, a never-say-die entrepreneur",[2][161] while also branding him "a card-carrying fabulist. Solomon has told so many versions of the same happening that it's unreal."[2]
When Burke arrived for his first recording session at the Atlantic Records studio at 1841 Broadway, Manhattan, New York on 13 December 1960,[162] he was given four songs, including his first Atlantic release, "Keep the Magic Working", which was a flop,[18][163] and "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)",[113] a cover of a country song written and recorded by Virgil "Pappy" Stewart,[164][165] that had been a minor hit for Faron Young in 1953 (#10 C&W),[166] and later for Patsy Cline. Burke figured this did not portend a long future with Wexler and Atlantic: "Here’s the greatest R&B label in the world, and they give me country songs to sing. What are they trying to tell me?."[113] In 2005 Burke recalled: "I started out as a cowboy on Atlantic Records – without a horse! I was the only singing cowboy with a corned-beef-and-pastrami sandwich on white with mayonnaise."[167] Despite his reservations, Burke, "accompanied by smooth backing vocals and an arrangement equal parts Nashville and Nat King Cole, gave it his best."[113] Burke: "I like country music but I don't think it was deliberate. I think it was something we just accidentally happened onto. By my being versatile. By my being able to sing different songs – being able to change my tone quality, having the different octaves. You must remember, I was capable of singing anything."[18] Burke recalled: "They weren’t happy with my rendition, because I felt I had to talk. We did it several times and I kept talking on the record. Mr. Wexler said 'I don’t think that’s gonna work'. At that time Mr. Paul Ackerman and others said 'leave it in. We don’t know what we’re doing anyway. This is something new we’re trying. No black artist has ever done country music before, so let’s see what’s gonna happen'. That was the turning point of my career – after that, international artist worldwide."[63] When recalling Burke's first recording session at Atlantic, Wexler added in 2002: "There was a blizzard the morning we were to do the first recording session with Solomon and I didn't know if I would be able to get into New York. The trains weren't running, but I made it in that morning and there was Solomon, who had come up from Philadelphia. We did four songs in three hours, including 'Just Out of Reach'. After we finished recording, I went into the control room to listen to the playback. I looked around for Solomon, but he was heading out the door. He said he had to get back to Philadelphia while it was still light because he had a job shoveling snow. I think he was getting paid $3.50 an hour. He already had something like eight kids."[168] According to Tony Cummings, "Despite the use of a different arranger at each session Solomon conquered all. His rich, vibrant, baritone voice brought the full majesty of the gospel tradition to a series of intense, moody ballads and laid down the solid groundwork of the soon-to-follow soul music explosion.[18][169]
Released in August 1961,[170] after the earlier uncharted release of "Keep the Magic Working" b/w "How Many Times?" (Atlantic 2089),[162] "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (Atlantic 2114) was Burke's first hit,[143] selling over a million copies,[171] and subsequently spent 19 weeks on the R&B charts while climbing to #7, as well as crossing over into the pop top 40,[143] reaching #24 on November 20, 1961.[172][173] This song, which was "fundamental to the emergence of soul music",[174] was "especially well received down South",[175] "successfully appealed to white consumers by using tidy tone quality, minimal improvisation, and standard, middle-American dialect",[148] "instantly established Burke as a huge presence ... [and] "also introduced Burke's slightly country-tinged voice that melded R&B and country music and set the template that Ray Charles would follow years latter with his classic Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music."[176] Burke "summed up the underlying connection between the musics of the black and white South: 'Gospel is the truth. And country music is the truth.'"[177] In 2003 Burke's recording of "Just Out of Reach" was ranked #223 on a list of country music's 500 greatest singles.[178]
Concert promoters in Mississippi, South Carolina, and Alabama, who were unaware that Burke was an African-American, accidentally booked him to sing at Ku Klux Klan picnics and rallies, with up to 30,000 hooded Klansmen in attendance.[1][64][179][180] In a 2002 interview Burke recalled: "Way down in the South somewhere, I showed up and the promoter said to me, "Is Solomon Burke here yet?" I said, "Yeah, I'm right here." His eyes grow wide and he walks away. The guy comes back with the sheriff and he says, "Boy, don't play games. Show me some I.D." So he looks at it and pulls the promoter aside and says, "You got a problem. You can't let him go out there." So they called the doctor and had him cover my face in bandages and made it look like I had an accident. That's how I performed that night."[1][160]
By May 1961 Burke had reconciled with his former manager, Kae Williams, appearing at Williams' Northwest Athletic Club in Philadelphia for several nights.[181] Burke performed as part of a financially unsuccessful all-star bill organized by Sid Bernstein at the Medinah Temple in Chicago from 26–31 December 1961, with Dion, Frank Gari, Johnny Tillotson, Eddie Hodges, Freddie Cannon, Brenda Lee, Vicki Spencer,[182] The Marvelettes, Clay Cole, Ral Donner, and Clarence "Frogman" Henry.[183]
On December 6, 1961 Burke recorded one of his best known songs, "Cry to Me",[184] "an ode to loneliness and desire"[5] "one of the first songs to unify country, gospel and R&B in one package",[185] that is considered "the paradigm for Southern soul ballads." "Cry to Me" was written (as Bert Russell) and produced by Bert Berns,[186] "a roly-poly white New Yorker with a deep love and empathy for black music despite a formal music education at the Juilliard School Of Music and a music background far removed from the searing soul in which, by 1963, he specialised",[18] with whom Burke had a difficult relationship. Burke "distrusted the young producer",[187] and often spoke of him disparagingly,[188] but later acknowledged Berns as "a genius",[161] and "a great writer, a great man."[189] Cissy Houston, who provided backing vocals on several of Burke's songs that were produced by Berns, believed "Burke changed his mind about Bert as soon as Sol started working with him in the studio. Bert's emotion-charged songs and Sol's gospel delivery was a marriage made in heaven."[190] Although Burke recognized Berns's skill for crafting hit records, he rejected two Berns compositions, "Hang on Sloopy" (later recorded by (The McCoys), and "A Little Bit of Soap", a recent hit for The Jarmels. Burke explained in 2004: "I felt a little unsafe about it, because they were pushing me in an ethnic market, so why would I want to say that (about soap) to my people? It didn't have the meaning it needed to have."[161] In frustration after Burke had rejected his song choices, Berns offered him a final song, "Cry to Me", which Berns sang to him very slowly. According to Burke in a 2008 interview: "I said 'That's terrible. It's just too slow for me, I don't like slow songs.' And Mr Wexler says, 'Listen this guy writes for you, you're pissing him off. You're pissing me off, too.' (Laughs) I tried to sing it a couple of times that way, couldn't even feel it. Then I asked the young man in the studio, the engineer Tommy Dowd, 'Could we have them speed this up?'"[191]
Released in 1962, "Cry to Me" b/w "I Almost Lost My Mind" (Atlantic 2131) became Burke's second entry in the US charts, peaking at #5 on the R&B charts (and #44 Pop).[191] On 20 March 1962 Burke sang "Cry to Me" on American Bandstand,[192][193] and performed at Chicago's Regal Theater on May 23 on a bill with Lloyd Price, Eddie Holland, the Crystals, the Corsairs, Gene Chandler, Jimmy McCracklin, Aretha and Erma Franklin.[194][195]
"Cry to Me" was covered in 1963 by Betty Harris (Pop #23, R&B #10),[196] and by the Rolling Stones in July 1965,[197] before becoming a #28 UK hit for The Pretty Things in December 1965.[191] It was a hit again in 1987, when it was used in the film, and appeared on the soundtrack for, Dirty Dancing.
After "Cry to Me", Burke became one of the first performers to be called a soul artist.[198] In "Cry to Me", and in his "most popular recordings from 1962 onward, elements of the African-American folk-preaching style", which incorporated "the fusion of speech and song", "the use of repetition or elongation for emphasis", and the improvisation of "hollers and vocal melismas", the "flowers and curlicues of gospel singing",[199] are salient.[200] Burke always had his pulpit in the recording studio.[201] About March 1962 Burke performed again at the Apollo Theatre.[202]
During a recording session at Atlantic Record on April 4, 1962, Burke recorded five songs, including "I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You" (#15 R&B; #85 Pop) b/w "Down In The Valley" (#20 R&B; #71 Pop) (Atlantic 2147).[203] For "Down in the Valley", Burke borrowed from a traditional folk song Down in the Valley, that was written as ealy as 1800,[204] and sung by The Andrews Sisters in the 1944 film Moonlight and Cactus,[205][206] and by Patti Page in 1951.[207] In August 2008 Burke told Mojo magazine: "I wrote that on the train, 'cos I had no song and I started thinking on old songs that I could do uptempo and I thought, (sings Gospel song pacier, with horn arrangement) so I had to keep that in my head 'til I got to the studio. I said, 'Can I have a tuba like I have in my church?' In my church we got the tuba and the trombones. Got to get that New Orleans sound. They loved it."[208] Burke recalled: "I put my own feelings and words to it, and was lucky enough by the grace of God to capture the song, when it was in P.D., able to have a copyright on it."[63] "Down in the Valley" debuted in the US charts on May 26, 1965, and peaked at #20 in the R&B charts, #71 in the Pop charts, and at #19 in the Adult Contemporary charts.[209] The song was later covered by Otis Redding on his 1965 album Otis Blue, and was featured in the 1996 film 2 Days in the Valley,[210] and generated income for Cassandra Berns, who inherited the publishing rights from her father, Bert Berns,[211] who was credited as co-writer,[212] along with "Babe" Chivian, and Joseph C. Martin.[213]
Later in April Burke joined the Supersonic Attractions tour, which was organized by Henry Wynn, an African American who owned the Royal Peacock in Atlanta.[214] and featured Sam Cooke, Dion, B.B. King, Dee Clark, and the Drifters, which toured the American South in April 1962.[214] Burke returned to the studio on June 25, 1962, and recorded four songs, including "I Really Don't Want to Know" (#93 Pop) b/w "Tonight My Heart Is Crying" (Atlantic 2157) and "I Can Make It If I Try" (Atlantic 2185).[215] On August 13, 1962 Burke returned to New York to record four songs, but only two were released, and neither charted.[216] Burke recorded four more songs on October 17, 1962, but none would chart.[217]
On October 26, 1962 Burke appeared on the bill at the Apollo Theatre that headlined James Brown, and was recorded and released as The Apollo Theatre Presents In Person The James Brown Show (King 826) in May 1963.[218]
In March 1963 Burke appeared again at Chicago's Regal Theater with Roy Hamilton, Ben E. King, Rufus Thomas, Jimmy Witherspoon, The Orlons, The Five Du-Tones, and The Four Dancing Ebonites.[219] Later in the Spring of 1963 Burke toured on Henry Wynn's Supersonic Attractions Tour with Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, Dee Clark, The Crystals, The Drifters, Little Esther Phillips, Dionne Warwick,[220] Johnny Thunder, "Little Julius" High (later known as "Lotsa Poppa"),[221] with The Upsetters Band and Theophilous Odell George (known as "Gorgeous George"),[220] who was emcee,[222] to mostly mixed white and black audiences,[223] including a concert at Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Park,[224] two concerts on April 28, 1963 at the Montreal Forum in Shawinigan, Quebec,[225] and a concert on May 3 at Pittsburgh's Syria Mosque.[226]
Burke's next "massive hit" was his cover of "If You Need Me" (Atlantic 2185), which was recorded on March 15, 1963,[227] which was written and recorded originally by Wilson Pickett for Lloyd Price's Detroit-based Double L Records,[138] which had been rejected by Wexler, but who had purchased the publishing rights. According to Burke, Pickett gave the song to him on a tour bus: "Wilson sang the song for me in a bus on a tour. I loved it so much that I got Wilson to do it. Atlantic refused to sign him at that time, so we got Wilson to release the song on the Lloyd-Logan label. We were the best of friends. As a matter of fact, I promoted his record and he promoted mine."[63] However, Pickett claims Wexler lifted it from demo tapes he had sent Atlantic.[143][228] Burke recalled in 2003: "I was furious when Wexler rejected Pickett",[229] and "when radio personality the Magnificent Montague started spinning Pickett’s original version, Wexler rushed out Burke’s, with both in Billboard's "Singles Review" column on April 13.[230] and both featured on Billboard's "Artists' Biographies" on May 4, 1963.[231] Although Burke ultimately won the chart war, Burke broke rank and supported his rival: “I would go to the radio stations and say, ‘Hi, I’m Solomon Burke, and I’m here promoting the new record “If You Need Me”…by Wilson Pickett.’”[229] Despite his efforts, Burke's version jockeyed with Pickett's for position in the Hot 100, before "beating Pickett to the punch" because of "Solomon’s popularity and Atlantic’s distribution."[138] Both versions had Cissy Houston singing backup vocals.[232] Despite his anger, in 1964, Pickett signed with Atlantic because he needed the "bread."[233][234] While Burke's version spent 5 weeks at #2 in the R&B charts in the American summer of 1963, kept from the number one position by Jackie Wilson's "Baby Workout" and Sam Cooke's "Another Saturday Night",[143] Pickett's original stalled at #64 in the Pop charts and #30 on the R&B chart.[235] "If You Need Me" was "the first of several great preaching scorchers": "Can’t Nobody Love You", "You’re Good For Me", and "Goodbye Baby, Baby Goodbye", which were all arranged by Gary Sherman, the man behind many Garnet Mimms hits."[138]
On August 16, 1963 Burke recorded three songs in New York,[236] including "You're Good for Me", which was written by Don Covay and Horace Ott, who also arranged it.[237] Debuting in November 1963, "You're Good for Me" b/w "Beautiful Brown Eyes" (Atlantic 2205) peaked at #3 in the R&B charts, and at #49 in the Pop charts.[238]
On October 8, 1963, Burke and Sam Cooke were arrested by local white police in Shreveport, Louisiana for seeking service in a segregated restaurant next to the Castle Inn, their motel, but released them after taking them to the local fire station, stripping them naked, and forcing them to sing their greatest hits.[239]
After a string of a dozen hit records,[240] by November 1963 Burke had agreed to be crowned the "King of Rock 'n' Soul" in a ceremony at the Royal Theatre in Baltimore by local deejay Fred Robinson, known professionally as "Rockin' Robin",[241] who also gave him a cape and crown that he always wore on stage.[1] Burke accepted the appellation the "King of Rock 'N' Soul", indicating "without soul, there'd be no rock and without rock, there'd be no soul."[242] The ceremony was repeated each night during the week Burke performed in Baltimore.[243]
According to Gerri Hirshey: "Title agreed upon, Solomon added the trappings: a crown, a scepter, a cape, robe, dancing girls, and colored lights."[244] Burke's crown was an exact replica of "the crown jewels of London" and the cape was trimmed with real ermine.[245] Burke, whose shows were tours de force of riveting soul and unashamed hokum", "ticked every box from low comedy through country pleading to the kind of magisterial rock'n'roll that brought the house down",[246] and he "became known as much for his showmanship as he did his voice. He would often take the stage in a flowing, 15-foot-long cape and bejeweled crown, his stage theatrics predating those of such legendary showman as James Brown.[176] According to David Hepworth, Burke "once employed a midget who was secreted under his cape. When it was thrown off the cape would disappear stage left as of its own volition."[246][247] After the success of his "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" in late 1965, James Brown, believing he deserved to be crowned "King of Soul", hired Burke to perform for one night in Chicago, but ended up paying not to perform but rather to watch him perform instead, expecting Burke also to surrender his crown and title to him.[248] According to Burke, "He paid me $7,500 to stand onstage and hand him my robe and crown. It was a great gig: I got paid and I didn't have to sing a note."[10][249] Burke accepted Brown's money, but retained his title and regal paraphernalia.[248]
As he increased in weight, "Burke’s sheer bulk meant that he could never be a dancer like James Brown, but like Brown, his act was full of showmanship."[250] Consequently, over the years Burke "evolved a fervently demonstrative stage act",[18] that were often compared with religious revival meetings.[201] Burke and black performers like James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Wilson PIckett, "would adopt the 'house-wrecking' tactics of black preachers, and their shows functioned in much the same way as black religious events in that performer and audience became immersed in the music, arriving together at an ecstatic state that allowed them to feel a deep intensity of experience."[251] According to Weldon McDougal, Burke "turned theatres like the Apollo and the Uptown into churches, he had folk running down the aisles to be saved by his music."[18] Cliff White described a show in the UK where "with head thrown back and one hand cupped to his mouth like an Alpine yodeller he cried out with such overwhelming passion that he left the spellbound audience wrung out and exhausted like so many limp rags."[18]
On December 12, 1963 Burke recorded three songs at Atlantic's New York studios, including "He'll Have To Go" (#51 Pop) (Atlantic 2218), an early version of "Goodbye Baby Goodbye" (#33 Pop), and "Someone To Love Me" (Atlantic 2226), with the Sweet Inspirations: (Estelle Brown, Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, and Dee Dee Warwick) providing backing vocals.[252]
Burke performed again at The Regal Theater in Chicago with Dee Clark, Dionne Warwick, and Freddie King in February 1964.[253] In June 1964 Burke toured with James Brown, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, and Garnett Mimms on the Summer Shower of Stars Tour, and performed on June 20 at the Donnelly Theater in Boston, Massachusetts.[254]
On May 28, 1964 Burke recorded two unreleased songs, and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" (Atlantic 2241),[255] that was also written by Burke (but also credited to Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler), which was Burke's most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Burke claims he was the sole writer on the song but was talked into sharing credit by Wexler and Berns.[256] In an interview Burke recalled the song's origins: "I used to do it in church when I was a kid and it was a march for the offering. We would play it with tubas, trombones and the big bass drum and it sounded really joyful. I played it to Jerry Wexler and Bert Berns,who thought that it was too fast, and had the wrong tempo."[250] In 1997 Burke recalled: "When I did it for Jerry Wexler and Bert Burns (sic), they told me that song would never make it. I said, 'Well, I tell ya what—I'll give you a piece of it.' They said, 'That's the way we'll get the record played, so we'll take a piece of it.' In those days, they took a piece of your songs—a piece of the publishing—but in the end, you didn't have any pieces left. Even now, I'm still struggling to get the publishing, the royalties, and that'll never happen."[257] Wexler maintained in 2002: "I know Solomon is upset about that, and I wrote him a long letter explaining how we wrote the song together and that he has always gotten his share of the royalties. I know that because I get royalty checks for the song. The whole process of making a record is a collaborative affair and the issue of who does just what on a song sometimes gets confusing, but not on that song. We wrote it in Bert's apartment. Bert had a guitar and we wrote it together."[258]
In August 2008 Burke recalled that he'd hired musicians from Charlotte, North Carolina, to play at a gig in Long Island and he drafted them in to play the instrumental riff on "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love." The riff was the money march he did at church where the congregation marches down the aisle to the front to make offerings. Burke continued: "Got the band cooking, get a bit of echo, we went through it, came back out, said to Jerry [Wexler], 'Whaddya think?' He said, 'Too fast. Doesn't have any meaning.' (Engineer) Tommy (Dowd) says, 'What can we lose? His band's here, let's just cut it.'"[259] In this song, Burke employs the style of a black preacher, in "which he begins by delivering his message in a style of a sermon, and offering salvation."[260] Dave Marsh explains that in this song, "the porcine, gilt-fingered lay preacher testifies from the top but what you ought to hear is writ large between the lines, especially in the stentorian opening sermon. That is, when Burke sings "[There's a song I sing, and I believe] If everybody was to sing this song, it could save the whole world."[261] Burke's version, while later ranked #429 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and ranked #447 in Dave Marsh's book, In The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made,[261] which was released in July 1964, and was in the US Pop Charts for 8 weeks, but only reached #58.[262] "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" was covered by The Rolling Stones almost immediately in January 1965,[263] by Wilson Pickett in 1966, and again a decade and a half later, was a hit because of its appearance in the 1979 film The Blues Brothers.[254][259] In 1989 it was released as a single in the UK, backed by "Think" and it peaked at #12.[259]
On August 28, 1964, Burke recorded "Yes I Do" (Atlantic 2254), and "The Price" (Atlantic 2259),[264] "a catalog of the wages of a bad romance. ("You cost me my mother/The love of my father/Sister/My brother too."),[14] was arranged by Northern Soul great Teacho Wilshire and produced by Bert Berns.[150] "The Price" was inspired by the deterioration of his marriage with his wife, Delores.[64] According to Burke: “The song was written live at the Apollo Theater. It’s a dramatic, drastic story. It wasn’t something that was prepared. I had received some uncomfortable news from Philadelphia concerning my wife, my family. I had to go on stage at that moment. I could not respond to what was going on and I just told my band just to play the vamp and I would think of something.”[63] In 2008 Burke admitted to serial infidelity during his marriage: "I was young. Girls were coming from every angle. I couldn't love them all. But I tried."[2] In 2002 Burke explained: "God is in everything good. I love beautiful women, and I'm not going to tell anyone different. Sam Cooke was packing out churches at the same time as me, but when he was singing sacred songs, the young girls were thinking, 'Lord, Jesus, if I could just get with that Sam Cooke. Brother Sam, come over and pray for me one time!' All of that was in the room, it's what life is about. You can't separate it."[265] In 1997 Burke explained: "We all have God inside us, as well as a little bit of the devil. We activate the God because that's the good to fight the devil, because he's always workin' on us. He's constantly got something going, ya know? That's his job. He does a very good job too, but not good enough."[266]
From October 16 to November 9, 1964 Burke again toured the South on Henry Wynn's Supersonic Attractions Tour with Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, BB King, Chuck Jackson, and Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, with Jimi Hendrix a temporary member of his band.[267] Burke, Don Covay, and Wilson Pickett, performed at the Apollo Theater on October 21, 1964, which was recorded by Atlantic Records engineers, but neither of Burke's songs were released.[268] In November 1964 Burke released Rock 'n' Soul (Atlantic Records 5009), an album which contained seven top 100 Billboard hits.
On January 22, 1965 Burke recorded four songs at Atlantic's New York studio,[269] including his "signature single", and his biggest hit (#1 R&B, #22 pop),[143] "Got to Get You Off My Mind" (Atlantic 2276), which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would later call "one of the premier soul hits of the 1960s."[5] Written by Burke and his then wife, Delores Burke, and John "J.B." Moore, "a vengeful song about getting past someone who has found a new lover, and ... inspired by Burke's marital strife",[265] it "features his smooth, solid voice lamenting the death of a love affair",[5] "Got to Get You Off My Mind" was started on 11 December 1964, just hours after Burke heard that his friend Sam Cooke had been murdered, just after Burke ate with him in a Los Angeles restaurant, and on the same day his third wife, Delores, the mother then of 11 of his children, informed him by mail that she wanted a divorce.[2][270] Burke explained the origin of "Got to Get You Off My Mind": “It was written in California the night of Sam Cooke’s death. I learned of Sam Cooke’s death after leaving him two hours prior to that. At the same time I learned about my wife wanting a divorce. A special delivery letter was at the desk waiting for me in the hotel... so all of these things came about very quickly and very drastically.”[63][100] Burke completed the song on the train back to Chicago for Cooke's funeral,[143] On 2 April 1965,[271] it became his only #1 hit,[272] where it remained for three weeks.[273]
In early 1965 Burke again toured with Henry Wynn's Supersonic Attractions, performing in the newly-opened 50,000-seat Atlanta Stadium, headlining with Jackie Wilson, and backed by B.B. King's band.[274] In the Spring of 1965 Burke played 30 one-nighters with Sam Cooke, Dee Clark, Wilson Pickett, Dionne Warwick, The Drifters, and Lotsa Poppa at venues such as the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia, the Apollo Theatre in New York City, and the Howard Theatre in Washington DC.[221] On April 2, Burke performed in a Rhythm and Blues concert at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, that featured Jackie Ross, The Supremes, The Temptations, Alvin Cash and the Crawlers, Walter Jackson, The Chi Lites, The Artistics,[275] The Marvelettes and Bobby Freeman.[276]
Following the success of "Got to Get You Off My Mind", Burke collaborated with his friend Don Covay to write a followup, "Tonight's the Night" (Atlantic 2288).[143] In 2005, Burke told The Independent on Sunday: "I'd sit with Don Covay writing those songs and just cry. I'd say Don you have such a beautiful wife but mine is probably out somewhere slashing my tires because I was off with some chick. I was a young man, girls were coming from every angle. I couldn't love 'em all, but I certainly tried."[265] "Tonight's the Night" was recorded on April 28, 1965 in New York, and was released backed with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm",[277] that he been recorded on April 8, 1965,[278] making Burke "one of the first black singers to record a Bob Dylan song."[250] Burke's version was released just prior to Dylan's own single release,[279] and outperformed it on the charts. "Tonight's the Night" was another big hit (#2 R&B; #28 Pop) for Burke in the summer of 1965.[143]
Due to the popularity of Burke's two last major ‘pop’ hits, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" and "Got to Get You Off My Mind", Burke toured England, including performing at London's Marquee Club,[280] and Europe in 1965 and again in 1966.[138] While in England Burke appeared live on British television for the first time. Burke performed on BBC2's Gadzooks! It's All Happening hosted by Peter Cook on June 14, 1965.[281] On June 18, 1965, Burke performed on Ready Steady Go!, with Van Morrison and Them, and the Marvelettes.[282] Burke appeared on Thank Your Lucky Stars on June 26, 1965 with The Midnights, Dusty Springfield, The Marvelettes, The Searchers, Mike Hudson, Eden Kane, Them, and The Pretty Things, whose cover of Burke's "Cry to Me" would reach #28 on the UK charts in 1965.[283] On 29 June 1965 Burke appeared on Discs a Go-Go with the Fortunes and The Moody Blues.[284]
After his return from Britain, Burke re-entered the studio and recorded three more songs on June 25, 1965, including two minor hits, "Someone Is Watching" (Atlantic 2299) (R&B #24, Pop #89), and "Only Love Can Save Me Now" (Atlantic 2308) (#94 Pop).[285] On November 5, 1965, Burke recorded three more songs, including "Baby Come On Home" b/w "Can't Stop Lovin' You Now" (Atlantic 2314)[286] (R&B #31, Pop #96).
In 1965 Atlantic released Burke's fifth album, The Best of Solomon Burke, which peaked at #22 on the US charts.[265]
After 1965, "which was hands down the biggest year of his career", Burke "was at best a middle-of-the-pack chart performer."[270] According to Cliff White, "like many others, Solomon rode the crest of this new wave of popularity and then was left high and dry when the tide of fashion receded from his shores again. In his last three years with Atlantic he continued to turn out workmanlike performances, often as enjoyable as his early hits, at worst occasionally dull."[138] As critic Cliff White wrote, "In his nine years with Atlantic Records he never made a truly bad record, but towards the end, perhaps tired after so many years on the road and more than a little dispirited by the predictability of the arrangements, which had become increasingly stereotyped, he didn't always project the personality that had once dominated his best work. On the dullest of tracks he was just another competent soul singer."[18] Most of Burke's later recordings gained him R&B chart entries, and "given the right song he could still clock up a Hot 100 hit."[18] However, Burke’s chart decline coincided with the years when most other exemplars of soul music (including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, and Stevie Wonder) were "solidifying their respective stardoms."[270] According to David Cantwell, in this period, "Burke quickly became a King without a kingdom."[270]
From an early age Burke was "always an enterprising personality."[287] In addition to his recording career, Burke ran funeral homes, owned two drugstores and a popcorn business in Philadelphia,[1] and later had the first Mountain Dew franchise in Philadelphia.[240] Burke's entrepreneurial activities included cooking and selling barbecued chicken sandwiches backstage,[288] and even demanding and operating the concessions at the Apollo Theatre when he performed there in 1966,[289] which was very profitable for him but so enraged the owner Frank Schiffman that he was banned from performing at the Apollo Theater for life.[1][290][291] After playing at the reopening of The Cavern Club in Liverpool in July 1966, Burke said: “The Cavern was a great place to play. The groove was there, the people were there, and it was wonderful. I remember them selling hot Pepsis. What a mistake – you gotta put ice in those things. Think of how many more they could have sold with ice in them."[250] Burke sold fried chicken and sandwiches backstage at concerts,[292] and well as sandwiches, soft drinks, and fried chickens at increasingly inflated prices to other performers who were refused service at restaurants on the Chitlin' circuit in the "Jim Crow" South.[1][48][293] According to Sam Moore of the soul duo Sam & Dave, "He gave me one pork chop, one scoop of macaroni and cheese, and one spoonful of gravy. I said, ‘Is that it?’ And he’d say, "That’s it, brother. I’m doing you a favor, so take it or leave it."[287] Trombonist Fred Wesley was one who was critical of Burke's business practices.[294]
After failing to crack the top ten for a couple of years, by the beginning of 1968 Burke was no longer a major artist at Atlantic Records,[143] who were producing hit records for other performers on their label including Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin, and were also reaping the rewards of their distribution deal with Stax on artists like Otis Redding and Eddie Floyd.[143] In March 1968 Atlantic sent Burke with Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin to Memphis to record what would be his final Atlantic album,[295] I Wish I Knew, at Chips Moman's American Sound Studio."[143] This album included several songs that failed to chart, including "Save It", and Allen Toussaint's "Get Out Of My Life Woman",[295][296] as well as a cover of "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", his first recording that provided social commentary,[297] which was released as a single (Atlantic 2507) just before Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in April 1968. Burke, who had met fellow preacher King several times,[298] agreed to Atlantic Record assigning 5% royalty on this single to the family of King.[299] Despite this, the single peaked at #32 on the R&B chart, and only reached #68 on the Pop chart.
While in Memphis in June 1968, Burke worked at the Sun Studios with Tamiko Jones (born 1945 in Kyle, West Virginia,[300] who was later both his manager and fiancée, on her album I'll Be Anything for You (A&M SP3011), arranging several songs, including his own composition, "Suddenly"; singing duets with Jones on her cover of The Temptations' "Please Return Your Love To Me" and Marvin Gaye's "Try It Baby"; and providing a vocal on "There's Got To Be A Better Way."[301] Soon after Jones contracted polio, which forced her to suspend her career for 18 months.[302]
In 1966 Burke teamed with fellow Atlantic artists Wilson Pickett, Don Covay, Otis Redding, and Joe Tex to form a coalition called The Soul Clan.[149] In a 1992 interview Burke indicated that The Soul Clan asked Atlantic to advance $1 million to them. "I remember one time we walked in and asked for a million dollars. It was Otis Redding, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, Don Colay, Ben E. King and myself. We all went in together. We were all on the charts. We all asked for a million dollars for a real estate project, as an organization, as a soul clan. We intended to buy up a lot of property in the South, in the ghetto areas and re-modeled them and built homes. And, we needed a million dollars to put this project together. We walked into Atlantic asking for that and wound up being put on the back shelf. ... All of us together were asking for a million. You and I know of course that all of us together at that time made millions and millions for Atlantic.[100] Their idea was "to pool their talents and resources, and become a positive force within the black community. They envisioned things like buying ghetto real estate and refurbishing it, providing jobs, building schools, and creating black-owned restaurant franchises that would knock the McDonald's and KFCs out of the box... the possibillities were endless."[143] Burke explained the purpose of this alliance: "We wanted to interlock ourselves as a group, to express to the younger people how strong we should be and to help one another, work with one another and support one another."[12] While "Burke saw the collaboration as a stepping stone toward building an autonomous African-American business empire, ... Covay, more successful as a songwriter than a performer, hoped to promote his own career alongside those of his friends."[303] About this time Burke, Redding and James Brown had discussed forming an organization to provide health care benefits and pensions for older black musicians.[304]
Recording had been delayed initially while Redding underwent throat surgery and recuperated.[305] After Redding died in a plane crash in December 1967, Arthur Conley replaced him, and after Pickett dropped out "supposedly uncomfortable with Burke's grandiose financial plans",[303] he was replaced by Ben E. King.[306] For Burke, Soul Clan was "an expression of solidarity and mutual support by five pillars of soul music."[12] From February 6, 1968, The Soul Clan recorded a single "Soul Meeting" b/w "That's How It Feels" (Atlantic 2530),[307][308] and a 1969 album, The Soul Clan,[309] featuring both sides of the single and several solo tracks from the individual Clan members.[149] In Sweet Soul Music, Peter Guralnick said "the singers never did get to actually meet in the studio... but instead recorded their vocals separately to a backing track which Covay had put together with Bobby Womack at the Wildwood Studio in Hollywood."[310]
According to Burke, the project fizzled when the power structure realized these guys, requested an advance of $1 million to invest in the Black communities in the South, and wanted to do more than make a record.[311] Although the "Soul Meeting" single made it to #34 on Billboard's soul singles chart in July 1968, Burke alleges "the record was stopped and banned...we were going against the grain of what black entertainers are supposed to do. We were all just supposed to go out and buy red Cadillacs. We weren't supposed to go out and start talking about spending millions of dollars on building and developing... We were supposed to talk about having parties and good times and eatin' barbecue ribs. You know, pork chops."[143] Soon after Burke left Atlantic Records.[149]
The Soul Clan members were poorly served by Atlantic, which failed to invest in publicity and actively sabotaged their recording schedule. As Rob Whatman explains: "Times were changing, and none of the final line-up of the Soul Clan were experimenting with, nor being encouraged to try, the new sounds of funk that might have boosted and elongated their hit careers. Atlantic Records was happy to let them fade away, while sucking up the back-catalogues and talents of regional hit factories such as Stax. No Marvin Gayes or Stevie Wonders would be nurtured in New York City." Rob Whatman, "The Soul Clan: Where you going, Joe?...", (May 13, 2006)
In July 1981 The Soul Clan officially reunited for a sold out concert at the Savoy Theater in Manhattan, New York City (with Pickett stepping in for Conley, who was in Europe at the time),[312] but it was the last time they would work together"[303] after a chaotic concert punctuated with a "busted sound system, dead mikes, band miscues, and 'unauthorized backstage personnel' scuttled plans for a [national] tour."[313] The Soul Clan gathered in August 1982 at the funeral of Joe Tex.[314]
After 8 years, Burke and Atlantic Records parted company. In 2008 Burke discussed his reasons for leaving Atlantic Records forty years earlier: "We left Atlantic because we weren’t being treated properly and so many things had been done that, as I said before, have still not been overturned to this day. And so, after we were told by Atlantic that we’d never get another hit, that my career was over, and that I should go back to my preaching and selling pork chops."[15] According to Burke in a 2006 interview: "Atlantic just wasn’t home anymore, wasn’t family. It was a corporation. We’d come in and it used to be, ‘Hello Solomon, Jerry will be right with you.’ And five minutes later Jerry would say, ‘Come on in my office and have some lunch.’ But then it got to the point where it was, ‘Did you have an appointment with Mr. Wexler? We’ll see if we can get you in today.’ And finally one day you walk in — this is a true story — and they say ‘Solomon who?’ Oh! Wow! I got a problem here. Am I the guy that carried the company for three years? I’m not carrying it now. Better get out of here."[270]
In 1969 Burke moved to Bell Records where he released 5 singles in the next eighteen months.[315] In 1969 Burke had a small hit with his second release for Bell, a reworking of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" b/w "What Am I Living For" (Bell 783), which was co-produced by singer Tamiko Jones (born 1945 in Kyle, West Virginia),[316] who was being rehabilitated after a bout of polio,[317] and was at the time Burke's fiance and manager.[63] Burke recalls: “We went to Muscle Shoals and recorded Proud Mary, which they didn’t like at all. They thought it was stupid to record a song Proud Mary, which was already on the charts. I was explaining to them that it was a very big record, but it’s a very white record, a pop record. We will redo the record, open up the doors for it to get on the r&b charts and make the black stations to play the record... It was a Solomon Burke record made in Muscle Shoals. We proved that we can make a hit record without Jerry Wexler eating sandwiches with us. This record was a hit without anybody’s help. Proud Mary was only promoted by Tamiko Jones and myself.”[63] According to Mark Denning, "While that may have seemed like a bald-faced bid for pop radio play, in Burke's hands the song became a bracing tale of life in the Deep South as African-Americans searched for liberation aboard the ship that carried them as slaves and put them to undignified labor serving wealthy whites."[318] John Fogerty, the song's composer, was impressed by Burke's version of his song: "Two thousand miles away this man had crawled right up inside my head to learn what Proud Mary was all about. Sure it's great when someone sings your song, but when he understands it, you listen like it was the first time."[161] "Reworked as a celebration of black consciousness, his potent mix of gospel and country – the kind that defined his earlier sides for Atlantic – and driven by a Southern funk-like strut, .... it returned Burke to the US R&B Top 20",[319] with the single reaching #15 on the R&B charts and #45 on the pop charts.[143] According to Burke in a 2002 interview: "I was in Vegas for sixteen weeks at the Sands Hotel. I missed this record being a hit, because we weren’t there to promote the record, we had no backing. The greatest thing I ever did was tell Ike Turner, “Hey man, you should get on this record… I think you and Tina could tear this thing up.”[149] On 24 May 1969 Burke sang his version of "Proud Mary" on American Bandstand.[320][321][322]
All but four of the tracks Burke recorded during an 18-month stay with Bell Records were packaged on the Proud Mary LP, which was released later in 1969. According to Cliff White, "Recording again in the south, Memphis and Music Shoals, [sic.] he did a superb job on several well known perennials, including "That Lucky Old Sun", "What Am I Living For", and "Please Send Me Someone to Love."[138] After this album and the two following singles, his own "Generation of Revelations", and the Mac Davis song "In the Ghetto", which had already cleaned up for Elvis Presley, failed to chart, his contract was not renewed."[138]
At the end of the 1960s, Burke, who had established himself as "a consistent, if unspectacular, salesman of middle-of-the-road soul",[18] was content to give up the grind of nationwide tours. About 1970 Burke married Frances Sunday (born 1951),[323] Frances Sunday,[324][325] whose family owned a noodle company,[326] and had moved to Los Angeles, buying a house in Beverly Hills and seeking wider opportunities.[1]
From the early 1970s Burke concentrated on his episcopal duties, preaching from a crimson throne on the third Sunday of the month at the Prayer Assembly Church of God in Christ, his church at 226 North Market St., Inglewood, California.[36][327] Within three decades his church grew to have about 170 missions and 40,000 members).[328] By 2000, Burke's Solomon’s Temple: The House of God for All People had over 300 ordained ministers whose job is to “feed the hungry, educate the uneducated and be God’s workers in the vineyard”, and 40,000 parishioners in close to 200 churches across the USA, Canada, and Jamaica.[329] At the time of his death, there were about 180 churches that were established under the charter of his denomination, with Burke indicating: "We’re non-sectarian, non-denominational. Ours is an open door."[46] In 2008 Burke acknowledged his Christian methodology differed from that of his maternal uncle, Pastor Harry R. Moore (born 1933; died 1982), the founder and pastor of Our First Temple of Faith, at Front and Susquehanna Streets, Philadelphia:[330] "Mine was more: God, money and women, hey hey hey; truth, love, peace and get it on."[2]
While pursuing other interests, Burke was also deeply involved in community work, assisting The Crippled Children's Foundation for blind and underprivileged children, while personally being responsible for more than 120 adopted children.[18]
Burke owned funeral parlors in California, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, and two of his children have turned the mortuary business into a franchise.[64][329] Additionally, Burke owned and operated a limousine service[149] Burke continued to operate companies that supplied theaters and stadiums with his own brand of fast food—Soul Dogs and Soul Corn until at least 2004.[331][332]
Through the efforts of his manager, Buddy Glee, by November 1970 Burke signed with Mike Curb's MGM label,[143] and formed MBM Productions, his own production company.[333] According to Clif White, "The three years on MGM were by far the most erratic in Solomon’s career, from the sublime "Drown in My Own Tears" on the We’re Almost Home album, which is sung to just an acoustic guitar accompaniment, to the ridiculous "Icbyanti W.T." from the soundtrack of Cool Breeze – a full orchestra belting out the William Tell Overture with Solomon interjecting W.C. Fields impersonations over the top."[138] In 2008 Burke indicated: "MGM was a GREAT blessing for me. Because they took me in not just as a producer, but also as a full-on partner for their Rhythm & Blues department. ... [I] was able to work with their artists like The Osmonds and The Sylvers. Plus our first MOVIE cheques came from MGM, as they opened up the doors for us. ... You know, with them we were able to perform for The President of The United States, go on tour – and just do a lotta things we’d never done BEFORE."[15]
Burke's record debut for MGM, "Lookin' Out My Back Door", another Creedence Clearwater Revival song, had disappointing sales.[18]
[edit] Electronic Magnetism (1971)
Burke's first album for MGM 1971's Electronic Magnetism (also known as King Heavy) was an ambitious project with songs by Elton John, Sly Stone, a couple of gospel numbers and some new material by his family.[18] Despite having "unlimited space to record",[15] the album did not chart, although the title track (MGM 14221), with its Barry White overtones, made it to #26 in the R&B chart.[18]
In 1971 Burke toured with a 31-piece soul band on his "Peace Revival" tour to promote his King Heavy album.[334]
In 1972 Burke had a #13 R&B hit for MGM with "Love Street and Fool's Road" (MGM 14353).[18]
[edit] Cool Breeze (1972)
With the assistance of Gene Page,[335] who provided orchestration, in 1972 Burke wrote film soundtracks for blaxploitation films Hammer,[336] and Cool Breeze,[337] described as "a mostly black remake of The Asphalt Jungle.[338] Burke also scored the American versions of some Japanese and Chinese movies, and produced an unreleased variety show, Soul Search, which was centred around the United States Bicentennial.[138] On Monday, June 5, 1972, Burke and his chorus sang and danced on The Monty Hall Smokin'-Stokin' Fire Brigade special which aired on ABC Television.[339]
On January 20, 1973 Burke was among those who performed at the inauguration ball of US President Richard M. Nixon at the Kennedy Center.[340][341] In 1973 Burke was sued for $50,000 by Mrs. Irene Cole, who claimed she had been hit on the head by an album thrown into the audience by Burke on 1 April.[342]
Burke sang the theme song to Love Thy Neighbor, a short-lived comedy series about a Black couple who move in next to a bigoted white household in a white suburb in Los Angeles,[343] that ran for a few months in June 1973 as ABC's answer to All In The Family.[149][344]
By December 1970 Burke formed eight of his children,[345] including Kyrell "Connie" Burke Groves; Eleanor A. Burke, who was named after his grandmother who raised him; Melanie Burke (born March 1960);[346] Gemini Curtis Burke (born June 3, 1961),[52][347][348] Solomon Vincent Burke, Jr. (born 15 October 1961); Carolyn Burke; and John Fitzgerald Kennedy "JFK" Burke[324][349] into a "kiddie-soul" group,[333][350] the Sons and Daughters of Solomon, whose entire output consisted of "Think of the Children" (later known as "Save the Children")[351] (K14354), recorded on December 10, 1971;[352] "Don't Leave Me Now" (K14233) and "A Piece of Clay" (K14354), recorded on 21 December 1970;[353] MGM single, "Everybody's Got Fingers" (written by Solomon Burke, and Melanie Burke and JFK Burke), recorded on January 16, 1971;[354][355] b/w "Don't Leave Me Now" (MGM K14233), a single "Save the Children" (1972),[356] and a 1973 album "Kid Power" (PRD0010, MGS 2994),[357][358] the soundtrack to Kid Power, a cartoon adaptation of Morrie Turner's Wee Pals comic strip that was part of ABC Television's Saturday morning lineup during the 1972–73 season, on MGM's Lion subsidiary.[149] On April 9, 1973 Sons and Daughters of Solomon recorded four other songs in MGM's Los Angeles studio, but these were unreleased.[359] According to Burke: "When you look back at history, and you look back at the publicity and the way we had it going, the Sons & Daughters of Solomon were going to be right there with the Jackson Five. We started the publicity, we started moving in the same direction with them, and then the devil came in and just turned that right around."[149] As far as Kid Power, "It wasn't supposed to be a cartoon, it was originally supposed to be live. We had some problems – my children were kidnapped during that time and it just changed my whole way of thinking, from being in show business and everything else. I regret to this day, sometimes, that my children didn't get to be as famous and as popular...but God always knows best. He knows what He's doing, and sometimes we project what we can't see, but only God knows what's going to happen, and He knows the best. For all of us."[149]
As his star was continuing to wane,[18] following the example of bluesmen B.B. King and Bobby Bland, in 1974 Burke signed with ABC Dunhill Records, where his main project was the soul concept album I Have a Dream (Dunhill DSX 50161),[360] a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr, where "the songs were built on key phrases from his speeches – "Now Is the Time", "Mountain Top", or from the aims of his crusade "Social Change"'.[138] Despite the quality of individual songs, "lush orchestration and a Ray Conniff type choir, presumably aimed at Dr. King’s predominantly middle class following, finally destroyed a lot of the record’s potential."[138] However, the single "Midnight and You" (ABC 4388), a "moody love song", which was written and arranged by Gene Page, and inspired by Barry White, attracted contemporary audiences, and helped Burke recover "from several years of ignominy, scraping the bottom of the R&B charts", ... which gave him his biggest hit for half a decade",[138] reaching #14 in the R&B charts.[18]
By 1975 Burke was signed to Chess Records. Burke recorded two albums for Chess: Music to Make Love By (1975) and Back to My Roots (1976), and had a #19 R&B hit (#96 Pop) in 1975 with the "You And Your Baby Blues" (Chess 2159).[18] However, his follow-up single "Let Me Wrap My Arms Around You" (Chess 2172) only reached #72 on the R&B chart.
In 1978 Burke released an album Please Don't Say Goodbye To Me, which was produced by Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams, though Amherst Records.[143] On 23 September 1973 Burke charted with his 31st and last 45 when "Please Don't Say Goodbye to Me" b/w "See That Girl" (Amherst 736) charted at #91 on the R&B chart.[271][361]
Burke released Sidewalks, Fences and Walls) (INF-9024) on Infinity Records in 1979 (reissued as Let Your Love Flow in 1993 by Shanachie Records).[143] One side of the album was produced by Michael Stokes, with the other produced by Swamp Dogg. This album, which "contains the immortal "Sidewalk, Fences and Walls", has been issued and reissued dozens of times without Burke's knowledge or approval (most recently by the folk label Shanachie). He doesn't even own a copy of the album--"I don't even know what Shanachie is"--from which he's never seen dime one. As an extra slap in the face, Burke's name is misspelled on the cover of Let Your Love Flow as 'Soloman.'"[362]
"When the acclaimed disco-inflected Sidewalks, Fences and Walls (1979) is mentioned, Burke becomes stern. 'That was done under false pretences,' he says, lowering his tone. 'The producer (not Wexler) was a con man and we don't perform it. Music is about love, joy and mending broken hearts, and not about tearing people apart.'"[161]
After almost two decades of decline, when "gospel suffered as its array of vital talent fell for the lure of the devil's loot and moved from the pulpit to the snake pit of pop", by the end of the 1970s gospel music had resurrected in its popularity.[363] Burke was a notable example of this trend when in 1979 he returned to his gospel music roots by signing with gospel label Savoy Records.[18] Like the other "backsliders" and all the artists who preferred a secular acclaim to the gospel obscurity",[364] like Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, Dinah Washington, Napoleon "Nappy" Brown, Ike and Tina Turner, Brook Benton, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Louis Armstrong, Burke recorded an album of gospel songs, "not to be 'saved' or under any pressure but for their own pleasure and as a tribute to their roots, because, as kids, all of them, like all black children, had sung in church."[364] However, after his years of "flamboyant soul stardom the more conservative elements within the African American church were reluctant to entirely embrace the singer back to the fold."[18] Over the next five years Solomon recorded a string of straight gospel albums, beginning with Lord, I Need A Miracle Right Now (1979), his first ever gospel album.[365]
Later in 1979 "Burke got a surprise step up to his dwindling showbiz presence when he took some of his children to see The Blues Brothers movie starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. Viewing old friends from the '60s soul circuit up there on the screen, Solomon felt demoralised. Then he heard "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" burst from the cinema speakers. Solomon said he was stunned to see his hit attributed to Wilson Pickett. Burke called Atlantic the next day and threatened to get an injunction to shut down the movie. "They sent me an advance for $20,000 within 24 hours. ... Jerry Wexler got on the phone and said, 'I thought you were dead! This is wonderful!'"[18] Despite this payment, in 1997 Burke reflected on his career: "It has not been easy. I've had my ups and downs. It's been some rough times. I sit back and I watch my music being stolen from me, my royalties I'll never receive. I've had to eat that, bite the dust and bite the bullet. Watch my songs be played in movies and never receive the checks and never get the credit. But God gives you the credit."[366]
After renewed interest because of the success of the Blues Brothers and its soundtrack, Savoy released three more Burke gospel albums: Into My Life You Came (1982); Take Me, Shake Me (1983); and This Is His Song (1984). In January 1984 Burked was nominated for the Best Male Soul Gospel Vocal Grammy Award for his recording of Thomas A. Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand'.[18][367]
In 2000 Burke claimed: "We never received any royalties from any of those records that were ever done by Savoy. I'm not the only artist. There are many artists, who here in America have been raped and robbed by these record and publishing companies."[368]
[edit] Soul Alive! (1984)
In 1984 Rounder Records released Soul Alive!, a recording of Burke's 1981 live performances at the Phoenix 1 Club in Washington D.C.,[369] that was produced by King Solomon Haile Selassie Burke, Burke's youngest son, who "was just fourteen years old when he put the Souls Alive album out for me. ... It's still one of the big sellers for us. It was something that we had in the garage, a tape. When he became twelve, I said "listen, it's your publishing company now. You gotta deal with this business. It's your thing. All these tapes are yours." He sat there. I was playing some of the stuff. He said "Dad, what do you want to do with this tape?" I said "It's just an old tape of my show." He went into the studio, played around with it, put it on a sixteen track, pumped it up, we made a deal with Rounder with the tape. It became one of the biggest 'live' tapes I ever had. So that started him in the producing business and recording business."[100] According to a 2002 interview: "According to Burke, he played the unissued tape for noted author/historian Peter Guralnick in a Boston restaurant. Peter's reaction: "My God, man!" Burke picks up the story: "He called these guys (from Rounder Records) and they came over (to the restaurant). We played the tape in the Chinese restaurant! Made the deal in the Chinese restaurant! I walked out of the Chinese restaurant with a fat check, a record deal, and a box of shrimp egg foo yung!"[149]
[edit] A Change is Gonna Come (1986)
After the strong sales of Soul Alive! Solomon tried a Christmas single "The Silent Night Story" backed with "Let's Keep The Christ in Christmas" but that didn't sell and neither did his second Rounder album A Change Is Gonna Come (1986), hinged around Sam Cooke's "quasi-gospel ballad oldie."[18]
The album Love Trap (MCI/ISIS Voice) was released in 1987.
In 1987 Solomon's Atlantic classic "Cry to Me" was used in the Dirty Dancing hit movie.
In 1987 Burke appeared in his first film, The Big Easy, as Daddy Mention,[370] "a sleazy drug kingpin."[371]
By December 1988 Burke was among those who belatedly received some unpaid royalties from Atlantic Records due to five years of legal action of Ruth Brown.[372][373]
In 1989 "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" was released as a single by the Blues Brothers in the UK, backed by "Think" and it peaked at #12[259] in April 1990.[374]
By the beginning of the 1990s, Burke was averaging less than a dozen concert performances a year.[5] In 1991 Bizarre/Straight released Homeland.
In a January 1992 interview Burke revealed: "We're very big in Europe. I do maybe two months of concerts in Europe every year. Italy, Germany, France, Sweden, Switzerland. So, the only thing I was doing in the States was mainly the college dates and big concerts and festivals. Basically devoting my time to my family and the mortuary business and the church. That keeps me pretty busy."[100]
By 1993 Burke had signed with Black Top Records, who released the album Live At the House of Blues (Black Top), which won the Best Soul Album at the W.C. Handy Awards in May 1995.[375]
On February 25, 1993 Burke was honored with a Pioneer Award and $15,000 from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in a ceremony that also honored his soul rival James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Hadda Brooks, Dave Clark, Floyd Dixon, Lowell Fulson, Erskine Hawkins, Carla Thomas, Jimmy Witherspoon, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Martha and the Vandellas.[376][377]
On April 28, 1994 Burke was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Hall of Fame and had a bronze plaque placed on the Walk of Fame on the sidewalk at the corner of Broad and Pine Streets.[378] In 1995 Burke was nominated for Male Soul-Blues Artist of the Year at the W.C. Handy Awards in Memphis.[379]
Burke was featured in The Atlantic Records Story, a documentary that debuted on American television on May 12, 1994,[380] and in The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5: "The Sound of Soul", which was screened in 1995,[381] and released by Time-Life Video on June 29, 2004 on DVD.[382]
Burke was mentioned throughout the 1995 Nick Hornby novel High Fidelity.[383]
By November 1995 Burke admitted that he was "maybe 400 pounds."[384]
In 1996 Burke was the centerpiece of Sweet Inspiration, an unreleased documentary on soul music produced and directed by George Nierenberg.[375]
In June 1996 Burke performed at the Avery Fisher Hall, on the same bill as Wilson Pickett, with whom he sang their 1961 hit, "If You Need Me" as the finale.[385] According to Neil Strauss, "Though he weighs in at over 350 pounds, Mr. Burke carried his bulk as majestically as he used his voice. He appeared onstage, garbed in a purple, fur-fringed robe and accompanied by a black-suited valet, and promptly sat down in a gold-colored throne. From there, he reigned."[385]
By 1997 Burke was signed by Jim Fifield, the President and CEO of EMI, to Point Blank Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, where he released an album The Definition of Soul,[368] that was produced by one of his sons, King Solomon Haile Selassie Burke.[368] One of Burke’s tracks on Definition of Soul, "Your Turn to Cry", was cowritten with Jerry Wexler. In an interview in Billboard, Burke explained: "My relationship with Jerry Wexler is like a two-way street. There’s one side where I’m angry for a lot of things that didn’t go down and one side where I’m very grateful that he was there, because he did develop Solomon Burke to a certain point and then he stopped. ... But you can’t keep anger inside because then good things don’t happen."[386] Also on this album Burke duets on "Everybody Has a Game" with Little Richard.[387]
In 1998 Burke filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the result of some "bad business deals."[256]
By 1999 Burke had started his own record labels: GTR Records (an abbreviation of Gospel Truth Recordings) for gospel music projects, which was owned by his children, and was also "the mother label for The One, which is our secular label."[368]
[edit] Christmas All Over The World (1999)
Before Christmas 1999, GTR released Christmas All Over The World, his first seasonal album, with half being Christmas standards such as "Jingle Bells", "White Christmas", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve", "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)", and "Joy to the World", on which his daughter Elizabeth accompanied him.[368] The rest of the album contained original songs created by him or members of his family, including "Season's Greetings", "You're All I Want And Need For Christmas", "It's Christmas All Over The World", "Christmas Eve's Blues", "Something Good This Christmas", and "The Bethlehem Story", a rewrite of Burke's own version of The Little Town of Bethlehem story, or The Night Before Christmas.” The final track on the album is "The Christmas Prayer", a 'thank you' sermon from Burke, which had been written by Burke in 1980, and released by Savoy Records in 1982 as the flip side to his cover of "Silent Night."[368] Burke indicated: ”The Christmas Prayer was stolen by Savoy, and they were actually bootlegging it. From a lot of artists like myself, their records and music has been stolen and taken from these different record companies. Then we charged back for it. They have no rights to The Christmas Prayer. I'm not the person, who's gonna argue over a prayer, because the Lord gave me that prayer for the people, myself and my family. That Christmas Prayer was actually put out by myself and a gentleman out of New Jersey on a label of our own called The Big One. It was done in '80. They took the song and reissued it feeling that they have the right."[368]
[edit] Not By Water, But Fire This Time (1999)
Also in 1999 GTR released Not By Water, But Fire This Time, a gospel recording distributed by EMI Christian Music Group. The album was produced by his three youngest daughters: Victoria, Elizabeth and Candy Burke, and among the writers was his wife, Sunday Burke, and Osirius, one of his grandsons.[368]
On 14 October 2000 Burke and his family performed in St. Peter's Square at the Jubilee of the Family at the Vatican in front of a live audience estimated at 500,000 people.[388] Burke was invited back to the Vatican by Pope John Paul II and also by Pope Benedict XVI in December 2005 for the Christmas celebration.[389] Burke indicated in 2002: "From that moment, the seven blessings that the Pope gave me, miracles have been happening in my life. I was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."[327]
Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 19 March 2001 in New York City by Mary J. Blige,[12] after eight previous nominations since 1986.[390] In a 2004 interview Burke, while acknowledging his gratitude, responded: "I'm not really a rock 'n' roller. I'd love to be, but what an honor to be a part of that. It's just part of my life, you know. And gosh, when you think about rock 'n' roll, you think about Bill Haley and the Comets, or Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts, and you think about all them great guys and Chuck Berry and Little Richard, that was rock 'n' roll, man. Fats Domino--we were doin' it back in those days."[332]
In 2002 Burke appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and sang "Good Rocking Tonight." In 2002 Burke appeared as Bishop Bonds in the thriller film "Time of Fear."[391]
In late June 2002 Burke was awarded an LA Music Award as Best Contemporary Blues/ R&B artist.[392]
On Tuesday, July 16, 2002, Burke performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.[393] On Friday, July 19, 2002 the city of Philadelphia celebrated the first official Solomon Burke Day.[388][394]
[edit] Don't Give Up on Me (2002)
Burke's career was revived with the July 23, 2002 release of Don't Give Up on Me on Fat Possum Records and produced by Joe Henry,[395] where he sang songs written specifically for the album by various leading recording artists, including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits.[396] In February 2005 Andy Kaulkin, president of ANTI-, revealed that he had hoped the one-album deal would lead to new interest in Burke and help him find another label that could afford the kind of big-budget record that was beyond Anti-'s limited resources.[49] In a 2004 interview Burke reveals Don't Give Up has an underlying gospel message. "I really send the message out to everybody because not only don't give up on me, but it's a message saying don't give up on yourself. A lot of people are going through a lot of things right now in life. People are suffering from AIDS, cancers, all kinds of heart trouble, overweight, all kinds of things. Saying, don't give up. Hold on. And whatever you do, don't give up on me."[332] Don't Give Up on Me, which was ranked the #12 album in The 2002 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll,[397] won Burke his only Grammy, the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards on February 22, 2003.[398] After receiving the award, Burke said: "It took me 40 years to get up these steps",[399] before exclaiming: "We got a Grammy, baby!"[400]
On 27 September 2002 Burke performed on Norwegian talk show Først & sist.[401] and in an episode of Swedish game show Bingolotto, which screened on December 23, 2002.[402] Burke performed "Cry to Me" on December 31, 2002 on Later with Jools Holland,[403] which was released on November 18, 2003 on Jools Holland Later ... Legends.[404]
Burke appeared on Junkie XL's album, Radio JXL: A Broadcast From the Computer Hell Cabin, performing "Catch Up To My Step", which reached #63 on the UK charts on 7 January 2003.[405] Burke was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday January 20, 2003.[406]
Burke sang "Turn on Your Love Light" and "Down in the Valley" in the "Salute to the Blues" concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall on February 7, 2003,[407] celebrating "the centennial of 'Father of the Blues' W.C. Handy’s first, fortuitous encounter with 'the weirdest music I had ever heard', a Tutwiler, Mississippi, black man’s sliding a knifeblade across guitar strings to sing about 'where the Southern cross the Dog'."[408] Also included was interviews with various musicians, including Burke who talked about his time on "the neck bone circuit," which paid even less than the famously low-rent chitlin circuit.[407][409] This concert was featured in the 2004 music documentary Lightning in a Bottle,[410] which was directed by Antoine Fuqua, and had Martin Scorsese as executive producer.[408]
On Friday, February 21, 2003 Burke performed on the Late Show with David Letterman.[411]
Burke appeared in the concert held on April 30, 2003 to commemorate the opening of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tennessee, singing "Try a Little Tenderness" as a tribute to Otis Redding, Stax's biggest star, and "Mustang Sally" with its composer, Mack Rice. The concert was first screened on US television channel PBS as Soul Comes Home on August 9, 2003.[412] It was released on DVD as Soul Comes Home: A Celebration of Stax Records and Memphis Soul Music by Shout! Factory on February 3, 2004.[413]
On November 8, 2003 Burke performed at Avo Session Basel in Switzerland, where he sang "Georgia on My Mind", "Stand by Me", "A Change is Gonna Come", and "Proud Mary', which was released on DVD as Solomon Burke: The King Live at Avo Session Basel.[414]
In December 2003 Burke sang "I Pray on Christmas" on the Go Tell It on the Mountain Christmas album (Real World) of the Blind Boys of Alabama,[415] which won for them a Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album. In 2003 Burke performed live on Britain's Top of the Pops.[416]
After the votes of more than 30,000 international blues fans and industry professionals,[417] on May 22, 2003 Burke won four Living Blues Awards in a ceremony at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee: Critics' Award for Most Outstanding Musician (Vocals), Readers' Award for Best Live Performer, Readers' Award for Most Outstanding Blues Singer, and Album of the Year for Don't Give Up on Me.[418] The ceremony was televised on May 23, 2003.[419] Burke won Readers' Awards for Most Outstanding Blues Singer again in 2006 and 2008.[420]
In the absence of Songwriters Hall of Fame honoree Little Richard, Burke performed his hits "Lucille" and "Tutti Frutti" with Paul Schaeffer on piano at the National Academy of Popular Music's 34th annual induction ceremony on June 12, 2003.[421] Burke appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Friday, June 20, 2003.[422]
In 2003 Burke recorded a duet with Italian soul singer Zucchero, who performed Zucchero's hit "Diavolo in me" (Devil in Me), on the duets album Zu & Co., which was released in May 2004.[423] Burke was also a guest at a London show in May 2004 in which Zucchero presented the album. This performance is included on Zucchero's DVD Zu & Co. – Live at the Royal Albert Hall, which was released on November 23, 2004 in Canada,[424] and on April 5, 2005.[425]
Burke was featured in "God Only Knows: Vocal Harmony", the third episode of The Voice, which screened on Sunday, 25 January 2004 on Britain's Channel 4.[426]
On March 16, 2004 Burke performed "I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to be Free" and "Home in Your Heart" with The Derek Trucks Band, at the 4th Annual Jammy Awards at Madison Square Garden,[427] which was screened on US television on April 25, 2004.[428] During his performance, Burke ad libbed an election-year mini-sermon: "Come November, we need to make the change."[429]
In April 2004 Burke toured Australia for the first time, giving concerts in Sydney,[45] Melbourne,[161] and for two days at the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival at Byron Bay, New South Wales.[45]
In 2004 Burke was mentioned in Peter Plate's novel Fogtown.[430]
Encouraged by the success of Don't Give Up, in early 2003 Richard Foos, owner of the new retro-oriented label Shout! Factory, who was interested in pairing Burke with musician-producer Don Was, signed Burke. According to Foos, "He's really the last of the great soul men. Even though we totally appreciated his last album, I didn't think it was a real soul album. It was more of a singer-songwriter album, a concept album with Solomon Burke as the star, not Solomon Burke doing a '60s-style soul album. That's what we wanted."[49]
On Monday, February 28, 2005, Burke sang two songs on the Late Show with David Letterman, including "I Need Your Love in My Life" from his upcoming Make Do With What You Got album.[431]
[edit] Make Do With What You Got (2005)
For the album Make Do With What You Got songs were contributed by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Robbie Robertson, Coco Montoya, Dr. John, and from the Rolling Stones, who had covered three of Burke's songs early in their career. The album, which was released on March 1, 2005, concludes with Hank Williams' country spiritual "Wealth Won't Save Your Soul."[49]
On Tuesday, March 8, 2005, Burke appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien.[432]
On 4 April 2005 Burke was inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in Hollywood with Ike Turner, Robert Cray, Etta James, and Muddy Waters, who was inducted posthumously.[433] On November 25, 2005, Burke appeared as a special guest with Jools Holland on his autumn tour of the United Kingdom,[434] including two sell-out shows at London's Royal Albert Hall.
Burke was featured in the six-episode documentary series Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music that debuted on BBC Television on May 7, 2005.[435]
On November 5, 2005, Burke performed "A Change is Gonna Come" with Aretha Franklin to close the 10th Annual American Masters Tribute Concert, and also on November 6 in the Gospel Tribute to Sam Cook at the State Theater in Cleveland, Ohio.[436] According to Elvis Costello, who also performed at the Masters Tribute Concert, described Burke's performance as "flawless": "Aretha was really wailing and Solomon had tears rolling down his cheeks, declaiming, "Bring the boys home" like a preacher, reworking the song as a plea for sanity during the never-ending war."[437]
On March 13, 2006, Burke opened the 21st annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria, with "a raucous tribute to Wilson Pickett (class of 1991)", who had died in January 2006.[438]
[edit] Nashville (2006)
Burke returned to his country roots with the release on September 26, 2006 of a 14-track country album titled Nashville, produced by Buddy Miller. It included guest vocals from Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch and Patty Loveless. The sessions produced the first recording of Griffin's "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)", which she brought to Burke because of his association with King and that era.[298] The album peaked at #55 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, but spent seven weeks at #1 the Americana Music Association's alternative radio chart.[295]
Burke was joined by a host of top country stars and backed by Buddy Miller and his band at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee on September 25, 2006 for a one-off concert to celebrate the release of Nashville. The concert was filmed by HDNet, and was screened on US television in 2007 as Solomon Burke & Friends: Live in Nashville.[439] It was released on DVD in Europe on September 17, 2007.
On September 28, 2006, Burke was among the several rock, soul, and country legends who sang along with Jerry Lee Lewis at the live concert "Last Man Standing" at the Sony Music Studio in New York. The two duets were "Who Will the Next Fool Be" and "Today I Started Lovin' You Again." It was broadcast as part of Great Performances on Tuesady, March 6, 2007.[440]
On Friday, February 9, 2007, Burke performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,[441] and on February 26, 2007 Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[442] The Tonight Show performance was accompanied by The Tonight Show Band members and bandleader Kevin Eubanks on lead guitar. On Late Night he performed with Buddy Miller "That's How I Got To Memphis", from Burke's album Nashville.
As one of the early artists at Atlantic Records, on April 17, 2007 Burke honored Ahmet Ertegün, the co-founder of Atlantic Records and also of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who had died on December 14, 2006. Burke co-hosted this celebration of Ertegun's life's work at the Rose Theater at the Lincoln Center in New York,[443] as well as speaking at the tribute to Ertegun at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on July 31, 2007.[444] Burke participated in the American Master's documentary Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built, and in December 2007, Burke performed at the private after-party after the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 in Greenwich, London, along with Ben E. King, Percy Sledge and Sam Moore.
In 2007 Paul Spencer produced and directed Solomon Burke: Everybody Needs Somebody, a documentary for BBC Television.[445] The DVD was released in the UK on 23 April 2007,[446][447] and in the USA on March 4, 2008.[448]
Burke spoke at the memorial service of Ike Turner in December 2007.[449]
[edit] Like a Fire (2008)
In January 2008, Solomon returned to the recording studio to record with the producer/drummer Steve Jordan. The album titled Like a Fire has songs written specifically for Burke by Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Jesse Harris, Keb' Mo', Meegan Voss and Steve Jordan and was released on June 10, 2008.[450] This album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album of 2008.[451]
By February 2008 Burke's weight was estimated at "well over 400 pounds", by Aaron Greenwald, director of Duke Performances.[452]
Burke joined Widespread Panic on stage for "None of Us Are Free" at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles on June 20, 2008. He performed at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 15, 2008, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 22, 2008, and for the first time in his career at England's Glastonbury Festival on June 29, 2008. This was part of his European 2008 Summer Tour, and included concerts in Portugal, England, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Austria, France, Switzerland, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden.
On August 7, 2008 Burke performed for the third and last time on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[453]
In November 2008 Rolling Stone magazine ranked Burke as #89 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."[24]
[edit] Nothing's Impossible (2010)
In January 2009, Burke joined legendary record producer Willie Mitchell at Mitchell's Royal Studio in Memphis to work together on an album titled Nothing's Impossible, which was released on April 6, 2010. It was the first time Burke and Mitchell had worked together in their careers. Nothing's Impossible debuted at #10 on the Living Blues Radio Chart in April 2010.[454] According to Don McLeese, in "Oh What a Feeling”, "Burke commands it like the chitlin’ circuit equivalent of Hamlet or Lear, not so much singing as much as exhorting, declaiming, engaging in a fevered call-and-response (with himself? No other singer is credited) as the performance builds to its orgasmic peak: "Feels so good, I don’t wanna wake up! I don’t wanna wake up! I don’t wanna wake up." You can hear the cadences of an artist who has combined (like the Rev. Al Green) a vocation as a preacher with his career as a soul singer."[455]
In 2009 Burke also put on his record label hat when his label, The One Entertainment Systems, which is headed by his daughter Victoria, who also was the label's A&R person, signed Clarence Fountain and Sam Butler and their most recent project, Stepping Up And Stepping Out. It was Clarence Fountain's first project after having left the Blind Boys of Alabama. Another daughter, Candy, ran the label to which Burke was signed.[456]
Burke performed at the Mawazine Festival Rhythms of the World in Rabat, Morocco in late May 2009.[457]
On July 24, 2009, Burke played at the Open-air stage in Charlton Park for the WOMAD Music Festival, held in Wiltshire, England.
Burke celebrated his 70th birthday in March 2010 and toured Japan for the first time in May 2010, before his "Year of the Dream Love Tour" across Europe in July and August 2010, including dates in Spain, Italy, England, Germany, Norway, Belgium, Serbia, Bulgaria,[458] and Switzerland.[15]
On September 1, 2010 Burke gave one of his final live radio interviews with Cameron Cooper, host of the "Happy Hour."[459] One of Burke's last performance was at the 40th annual Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival, on Saturday, September 4, 2010.
Just weeks before his death, in late September 2010 Burke performed a two-hour set at the Jazz Club in London, England, described as "the show of the year" by Andy Gill and "a masterclass in magnetic charisma, gestural nuance and vocal expression."[460]
In October 2010, his final album Hold on Tight[461] was released, recorded in the ICP-studios in Brussels. It contains 13 songs written by Dutch pop/soul band De Dijk translated into English for performance by Burke.
Burke was married four times,[462] and was engaged at least twice. In total Burke fathered at least 21 children (14 daughters and 7 sons), including at least two fathered outside any of his marriages, including Melvia Burke and Elijah Mohammed Burke,[463][464] and had 90 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren at the time of his death.[18][395]
Burke was married to Doris P. Williams for two months, however it was annulled by August 1958,[465] which resulted in the birth one child, Valerie Doris Gresham (born 16 September 1957).[466]
Burke's second wife was Delores Clark Burke Perkins (born 1937),[467][468] with whom he had 7 children, including Eleanor Alma (Born December 27, 1958),[52][469][470] Melanie (Born March 1960), Solomon Vincent, Jr. (born October 15, 1961), Carolyn (Born September 1962), John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK),[324][349] Gemini (born September 1, 1964),[52][347][471] and Lillian (Born August 1966). After they were divorced, Delores and her children moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Burke's third wife was Bernadine Burke.[324][472][473]
Burke's fourth wife was Frances Sunday (born 1951),[324][325] whom he married about 1970,[362] who was married to him (but separated) when he died, with whom he had three children:[2] King Solomon Haile Selassie Burke (born 7 August 1972),[474] Queen Sunday Victoria Burke (born 24 February 1974), and Queen Elizabeth Burke-Maynard (born 12 March 1975).
At the end of 2006 Burke was engaged to his manager, Jane Vickers,[62][475] of American Royalty Management,[476][477] who had been his personal assistant since at least 1977.[362]
In a 2006 interview Burke admitted having his first child at age 14: "being a father at age 14 maybe been a little early, but I don’t regret one moment, one second, one day, or one hour. My only regrets are the loss of my twins and my first son."[62] Burke's twin sons were James and David, who both died in infancy. By 1961, Burke had "three kids on the outside, and about four at home",[22] including Melanie Burke (born 1960),[478] Solomon Vincent Burke, Jr. (born 15 October 1961).[52] In an open letter to his children, Burke wrote: "Your love and your strength, and the love of your mothers, have made me the strongest-minded father in the world. I may not be the best father. Maybe I haven’t done everything that I should do, could do, or would do…or desire to do, but by the grace of God, and your prayers, we will make it. Every day is a new way. None of us are perfect and God knows, I have made many mistakes."[62] Burke admitted serial infidelity during his marriages: "I was young. Girls were coming from every angle. I couldn't love them all. But I tried."[2] Burke stated: "I realized in later years that money didn’t solve problems. I realized too that maybe the reason I had problems with my marriages was because I didn’t spend enough time with my children, my family. I thought that sending money home and buying pretty cars and redoing houses, and ordering food by the hundreds of dollars a day, would keep my family together, keep my children happy. ... Not being there all the time, being on the road 250 days out of the year, was too much. I was gaining the world and losing my children. And my wife. My love life."[62]
Several of Burke's family have had successful careers in various facets of show business. In the mid-1960s two of Burke's younger brothers, Alex (born 1948 in Philadelphia)[52] and Laddie (born 1949 in Philadelphia),[30] joined with fellow Germantown High School students, brothers Earl and Timmy Smith to form The Showstoppers,[479] who had a couple of local hit singles in Philadelphia on Showtime Records in 1968,[480] including a #11 hit on the UK Singles Chart with "Ain't Nothin' But a Houseparty" b/w "How Easy Your Heart Forgets Me" (Heritage HE-800),[481] which peaked at #87 on the Billboard chart in 1968,[150] which was later a discothèque hit (#33) in 1971, just before the group disbanded after a series of flops.[481]
Burke's daughter, Melanie "Honey" Burke McCall,[482] a Neo Soul singer who is an accomplished artist as well as a freelance background recording artist with companies such as Daxwood Records,[483] Casablanca, A&M and Rawkus Records and a studio artist for groups such as Billy Preston, Peacock (Anna Gayle group), and Leslie Uggams, and toured with Chaka Khan, and wrote and produced Family, & Friends, a 14-song original soundtrack for Ms, which was released in 2005, and opened for Jocelyn Brown, Jaheim, Norman Connors, and Angela Bofill, as well as for her father at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia in 2006.[478] Her son is Novel,[484] who released his first studio album "The Audiobiography" in October 2008,[485] and wrote movie soundtracks for Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Step Up, and 21. Her youngest son, Solomon, also has started recording.[478]
Burke's granddaughter Candy Burke (born 1977), was a backing singer at many of Burke's performances including the July 2008 Juan-les-Pins concert where she performed a rendition of "I Will Survive." She also appears in the 2003 North Sea Jazz Festival DVD with her father.
Rapper Raeneal T. Quann (known as Q-Don) (born about 1978), who was accidentally shot and killed by robbers on April 26, 2000, outside the Club Evolution in Philadelphia, was a grandson of Burke.[486][487][488]
For many years Burke struggled with his health, with his "weight estimated somewhere between 300 and 400 pounds" in 2006.[489] New York Times writer Ben Sisario wrote of Burke: "Wide-shaped in his youth, he grew into Henry VIII-like corpulence, and in his later years had to be wheeled to his throne."[490] In the later years of his life, "arthritis and weight have limited his mobility",[489] and confined him to a wheelchair.[491] In an interview in 2008, Burke claimed that "God put me in this wheelchair", and that God's message to him was: "'You are too fat!'" Burke denied having an eating disorder: ... I guess God let me develop into what I am now and allowed me to live. It's not an eating disorder. If I had an eating disorder, I wouldn't travel."[2] In 2006 Burke acknowledged: "It's very rough. I love to eat and I love to cook – as you can see. But my hip has to be replaced and a knee has to be replaced and I've got to lose 150 pounds before they can do that. And that's a lot. But it's NOT! God knows I've enjoyed every kind of food there is, all around the world. It's not like I'm going to miss any of it. Because I've had it all!"[489] Despite his efforts, at the time of his death, Burke's weight still exceeded 350 pounds.[128]
On Sunday October 10, 2010, Burke died at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport while on a plane from Los Angeles that had just landed. He had been due to perform with De Dijk in Amsterdam on October 12.[492] The cause of death was not immediately clear; according to his family, Burke died of natural causes.[493]
On Thursday 21 October a wake and meditation service was held at the Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Griffin Mortuary at Westlake Village.[494] Burke's funeral was at 10.00am on Friday 22 October 2010 at the City of Refuge in Gardena, California and was open to the public, and was simulcast on the internet and at a memorial service held at the Sharon Baptist Church in Philadelphia,[494] that was led by Minister Lester Fields and Solomon's younger sister, Apostle Laurena Burke Corbin,[495] the pastor of Our First Temple of Faith Mt. Deborah Pentecostal Church on Haverford Avenue in Philadelphia,[496] and attended by Burke's extended East Coast family.[495]
Joe Henry described the funeral, which was "2 and a half hours long, included many eulogies, some spontaneous gospel singing; some shouting, some wailing, a fainting, and a daughter who hopped on the balls of her feet and spoke in tongues as punctuation to her scripted remarks. The highlight for me was Rudy [Copeland]’s bluesy Hammond B-3 instrumental of Thomas Dorsey's “Precious Lord (Lead Me On)." He played it like Ray [Charles]would have, kicking it heavy on the bass foot pedals, and shouting his own encouragement: 'Tell the story, son!' The whole service climaxed with a rousing version of "When The Saints Go Marching In", which included the choir, a 2nd-line-style brass band marching through the isles (sic), and everyone in the pews clapping and singing along."[497]
Burke is buried at Lot 4037, Space 1, in the Murmuring Trees section of the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills, at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles, California.[498]
According to Tim Newby: "Despite the endless parade of fans and praise, Burke always seemed to be two steps ahead or one step behind his contemporaries. While he was always at the forefront of the Soul movement, paving the way for a slew of singers who followed in his large wake, he never had that one timeless hit like so many others of the time that would forever endear him to our memories. So many of his peers of the time had that one huge mega-hit that would stamp them as eternal legends, and while Burke came close, he never found that one everlasting song. He became more known for his inspiration on other musicians than for his music. He is often criminally overlooked by the casual fan."[176]
Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, praised Burke soon after his death: "GRAMMY-winning soul singer Solomon Burke was revered as one of music’s greatest vocalists and a pioneer of the genre. A deeply spiritual man, his love and passion for his craft kept him touring and performing to sold-out audiences right up to his final days. Few artists have had careers as long, rich and influential as his, and he leaves a larger-than-life legacy as powerful and soulful as he was. The music industry has lost one of its most distinctive voices."[499]
- Solomon Burke – 1962 (Apollo 498) Reissued 1964 (Kenwood KLP-498) Reissued 2000 (P-Vine)
- Solomon Burke's Greatest Hits – 1962 (Atlantic 8067)
- If You Need Me – 1963 (Atlantic 8075)
- I Almost Lost My Mind – 1964 (Clarion 607)[500]
- Rock 'n' Soul – 1964 (Atlantic 8096)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Valania, Jonathan (2002-07-17). "Solomon Burke brings it home". Philadelphia Weekly. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/cover-story/solomon_burke_brings_it_home-38358059.html. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Chalmers, Robert (June 29, 2008). "Solomon Burke: last of the great soul men". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/solomon-burke-last-of-the-great-soul-men-855147.html.
- ^ Jet (9 April 2001):35.
- ^ David Cantwell, "Editorial Review"
- ^ a b c d e Valerie J. Nelson and Randall Roberts, "Solomon Burke Dies; Soul Music Legend", Los Angeles Times (October 11, 2010)
- ^ Frank W. Hoffmann, Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop, Vol. 6 (Infobase Publishing, 2006):29.
- ^ Irwin Stambler, ed., Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul (St. Martin's Press, 1974):83.
- ^ Frank W. Hoffmann, ed., The Literature of Rock, 1954–1978, Vol. 1 (Scarecrow Press, 1981):116.
- ^ Colin Escott, "The Soul Story", Time Life
- ^ a b Greg Kot, "Solomon Burke Dead at 70; 'The King of Rock and Soul'", Chicago Tribune (October 10, 2010)
- ^ Jerry Wexler with David Ritz, Rhythm and the Blues: A Life in American Music (Knopf, 1993):49.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jet (9 April 2001):35; "Solomon Burke Biography"
- ^ However, seven years earlier Wexler said: "Sam Cooke was the best singer who ever lived, no contest." See Robert Palmer, "The Pop Life", The New York Times (January 29, 1986)
- ^ a b Ben Sisario, "Solomon Burke, Influential Soul Singer, Dies at 70", The New York Times (October 11, 2010)
- ^ a b c d e f Pete Lewis, "Solomon Burke: The Last Soul Man", B&S 1038 (2010)
- ^ "Solomon Burke", Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Solomon_Burke.aspx
- ^ Carlo Wolff, "Guralnick Studies Soul Music Roots," Schenectady Gazette (June 20, 1986):24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Tony Cummings, "Solomon Burke: The '60s Soul Music Legend and a Spiritual Enigma", Crossrhythms (November 5, 2010),
- ^ Brian Ward, Just my Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):199.
- ^ "Burke, Solomon", encyclopedia.jrank.org
- ^ Rockin' Robin, "Solomon Burke"
- ^ a b c d e f Charles Young, "King Solomon's Sweet Thunder", Rolling Stone (October 10, 2010)
- ^ a b c Jonny Whiteside, "Black in the Saddle", LA Weekly (April 7, 2005)
- ^ a b Jonathan Lethem, "89: Solomon Burke", Rolling Stone (November 27, 2008)
- ^ Matthew Perpetua, "Mick Jagger to Pay Tribute to Solomon Burke at the Grammys: Jagger will make his first-ever live appearance at the Awards," Rolling Stone (February 3, 2011), Mick Jagger to Pay Tribute to Solomon Burke at the Grammys
- ^ "Mick Jagger Added To GRAMMY Lineup". grammy.com. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. February 3, 2011. http://www.grammy.com/news/mick-jagger-added-to-grammy-lineup. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- ^ "Solomon Burke, pioneering soul singer-songwriter, dies," Los Angeles Times (October 11, 2010); Robert Hilburn, "His Legacy on the Line," Los Angeles Times (August 11, 2002), F.8
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Ruth Rolen, "Singer Solomon Burke Lives the Lyrics; Pastors at 13," The Washington Afro-American (August 17, 1957):18.
- ^ "King Solomon Philly Soul Star Still Hopes to Make it in Home Town," Philadelphia Daily News (January 6, 1994).
- ^ a b c Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Vol. 2.
- ^ Some sources claim that he was born in 1936, others say 1938, but in a 2002 interview with Philadelphia Weekly Burke stated that he was born in 1940. This is confirmed at Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index Source Citation: Number: 165-30-2617; Issue State: Pennsylvania; Issue Date: 1953-1955.
- ^ a b Ralph Cipriano, "Pastor Josephine M. Burke, 70", Philadelphia Inquirer (August 31, 1990):C09 LOCAL
- ^ Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index. Number: 170-36-5550; Issue State: Pennsylvania; Issue Date: 1962.
- ^ "Pastor Burke was a graduate of William Penn High School for Girls and the Philadelphia School of Nursing. She was a nurse and taught kindergarten in the School District of Philadelphia for five years. In 1980 she became the pastor of Our First Temple of Faith, a post she held until her death. She was a member of the Eastern Star, the Community Ecumenical Council of Churches and the United Body of Churches Apostolic Faith. She was the widow of the Rev. Vincent Burke, who died in 1978. See Ralph Cipriano, "Pastor Josephine M. Burke, 70", Philadelphia Inquirer (August 31, 1990):C09 LOCAL
- ^ Red Kelly, "Solomon Burke – What Am I Living For (Bell 783)," (Monday, May 01, 2006)
- ^ a b c d e Nigel Williamson, "King Solomon", Sydney Morning Herald (December 27, 2002)
- ^ George Lipsitz, Footsteps in the Dark: The Hidden Histories of Popular Music (U of Minnesota Press, 2007):xx.
- ^ a b c d Solomon Burke, in David Cantwell, "Solomon Burke: Pennies from Heaven: Thirteen Ways of Looking at the King of Rock 'n' Soul", The Long Way Around 66 (November – December 2006)
- ^ a b Solomon Burke in A.D. Amorosi, "Soul Mining", Philadelphia Citypaper (July 18–24, 200)
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Travis Atria, "Solomon Burke: 1940–2010", Wax Poetics (October 2010)
- ^ a b "In Memory of Solomon Burke"
- ^ Lee Cotten, The Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll: Reelin' & Rockin': 1956–1959 (Popular Culture, Ink., 2002):107.
- ^ Bil Carpenter, Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (Backbeat Books, 2005):60.
- ^ "Blessed," Pittsburgh-Post Gazette (August 11, 2005), WE-4.
- ^ a b c Bernard Zuell, "King Solomon", Sydney Morning Herald (April 4, 2004)
- ^ a b Nige Tassell, "Solomon Burke", The Word (10 October 2010)
- ^ Radio-History.com|WDAS Timeline. Angelfire.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Terence McArdle, "Grammy-winning R&B singer was also Pentecostal preacher", Washington Post (October 11, 2010)
- ^ a b c d Randy Lewis, "Hail the King of Rock 'n' Soul", Los Angeles Times (February 5, 2005)
- ^ Source Information: Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index. Number: 198-12-7972;Issue State: Pennsylvania;Issue Date: Before 1951.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The Young Solomon Burke", DEEP #3/2008 (June 2008)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Vol. 1.
- ^ Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 2.
- ^ Gene Keys Burke, "Who's in your family"
- ^ a b c d e Solomon Burke: Everybody Needs Somebody, 2007 documentary for BBC Television, produced and directed by Paul Spencer.
- ^ Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – THE CASTELLES. Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – SONNY GORDON & THE ANGELS. Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Charlie & Pam Horner, "Passing of Castelles’ Billy Taylor" (August 6, 2009)
- ^ Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – The Dreams. Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Castelles & Phillies Documentaries"
- ^ a b Tom Moon, "Soul Striver", Philadelphia Inquirer (July 17, 2002):E01
- ^ a b c d e Solomon Burke, in David Cantwell, "Solomon Burke: Pennies from Heaven: Thirteen Ways of Looking at the King of Rock 'n' Soul", The Long Way Around 66 (November – December 2006)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Heikki Suosalo, "Solomon Burke"
- ^ a b c d Ashyia N. Henderson, ed., Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 31 (Gale Research Inc., 2002):19; "Solomon Burke", Daily Telegraph (21 October 2010)
- ^ Red Kelly, "Solomon Burke – A Christmas Prayer (Savoy SCS-0002)", (15 December 2010)
- ^ One source says their name was the Royal Cavaliers. See Jerry Zolten, Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music (Oxford University Press, USA, 2003):264.
- ^ Another source indicates it was the Cornerstone Baptist Church at 2117 North 33rd Street, Philadelphia. See Ruth Rolen, "Singer Solomon Burke Lives the Lyrics; Pastors at 13," The Washington Afro-American (August 17, 1957):18.
- ^ Born Martha Viola Collier. See "Kae Williams jr"
- ^ The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. Broadcastpioneers.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Charlie Horner, "The Silhouettes"
- ^ a b Jerry Zolten, Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music (Oxford University Press, USA, 2003):264.
- ^ Another source indicates it was the Liberty Baptist Church. See Jerry Zolten, Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music (Oxford University Press, USA, 2003):264.
- ^ In another interview, Burke indicates he borrowed the guitar from Howard Carroll, a member of the Dixie Hummingbirds. See Jerry Zolten, Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music (Oxford University Press, USA, 2003):264.
- ^ For more about Apollo REcords, see JC Marion, "Apollo Records: The Vocal Groups", (2002)
- ^ Jerry Zolten, "The Dixie Hummingbirds"
- ^ Jerry Zolten, Great God A'Mighty! The Dixie Hummingbirds: Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music (Oxford University Press, USA, 2003):265.
- ^ Marv Goldberg, "Lee Andrews & THE HEARTS" (2009)
- ^ a b Charlie Horner (with contributions from Pamela Horner), "Opportunity Knocks Twice for Philly’s Singing Sensations: Part 1", Echoes of the Past 93 (Autumn, 2010):9
- ^ Ed Ward, Geoffrey Stokes, and Ken Tucker, Rock of Ages: The Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll (Rolling Stone Press, 1986):235.
- ^ Horace Clarence Boyer, The Golden Age of Gospel (University of Illinois Press, 2000):91.
- ^ Laurraine Goreau, Just Mahalia, Baby: The Mahalia Jackson Story (Pelican Publishing, 1975):178, 181.
- ^ "Mahalia Jackson Signs $25,000 Record Pact," Jet (26 August 1954):62.
- ^ Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index. Source Citation: Number: 097-18-4916;Issue State: New York.
- ^ John Broven, Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers (University of Illinois Press, 2009):498.
- ^ "People Are Talking About," Jet (18 June 1953):48.
- ^ John Broven, Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers (University of Illinois Press, 2009):55.
- ^ Michael Billig, Rock 'n' Roll Jews (Syracuse University Press, 2001):31.
- ^ Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census. Source Citation: Year:1930; Census Place:Clarkstown, Rockland, New York; Roll:1640; Page:15B; Enumeration District:4; File:78.0.
- ^ "Apollo Names Mrs. Berman To Head Firm," Billboard (5 June 1948):17.
- ^ Jay Warner, American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):186.
- ^ Billboard (24 December 1955):34; Sherry Sherrod DuPree, Biographical Dictionary of African-American, Holiness-Pentecostals, 1880–1990 (Middle Atlantic Regional Press, 1989); Ashyia N. Henderson, ed., Contemporary Black Biography, Vol. 31 (Gale Research Inc., 2002):19.
- ^ Solomon Burke, in A.D. Amorosi, "Soul Mining", Philadelphia Citypaper (July 18–24, 2002)
- ^ Billboard (25 February 1956):63–64.
- ^ a b c 45 discography for Apollo Records. Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Soul Music's Forgotten King," The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA) (January 23, 2004)
- ^ a b "Rod Harmon, "Don't Give Up On Me Could be Burke's Anthem", Knight Ridder Newspapers (February 17, 2004)
- ^ "Toomer Precious Places", (March 24, 2006)
- ^ Eddie Edgehill Tribute: (Valentines and Del-Knights) 1935 – 2010
- ^ Merenstein was the husband of Bess Berman's daughter, Harriet. See "Last Rites for Ike Berman," Billboard (16 February 1956):19.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gary James, "Interview With Solomon Burke", (January 27, 1992)
- ^ Billboard (15 December 1956):64.
- ^ Los Angeles Times (January 4, 1957):A10; Gary Kramer, "Rhythm-Blues Notes," Billboard (12 January 1957):48.
- ^ Clovis E. Semmes, The Regal Theater and Black Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006):161.
- ^ Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):109.
- ^ "Episode 1.1", IMDB.com
- ^ Jack Schiffman, Harlem Heyday: A Pictorial History of Modern Black Show Business and the Apollo Theatre (Prometheus Books, 1984):133.
- ^ Robert Hilburn, "Burke Returns to Recapture Soul Throne," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (August 27, 2002):E1, E3.
- ^ David Edwards and Mike Callahan, "Apollo Album Discography, Part 1 (1947–1962)" (October 31, 2009); and David Edwards and Mike Callahan, "Apollo Records Story" (December 29, 2007)
- ^ a b Robert Hilburn, "Burke Returns to Recapture Soul Throne," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (August 27, 2002):E1, E3.
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Robert Hilburn, "Burke Returns to Recapture Soul Throne," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (August 27, 2002):E1, E3.
- ^ "SOLOMON BURKE SINGS BOB DYLAN – Maggie's Farm", (October 29, 2010)
- ^ a b c d e f John Lewis, "Soul: Solomon Burke, hommage au Roi de la soul", (October 12, 2010), Vibrations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Kurt B. Reighley, "Solomon Burke: The Return of the King: Solomon Burke's Grand Comeback Becomes a Whole New Beginning", The Long Way Around 57 (May–June 2005)/
- ^ a b "New York Beat," Jet (7 August 1958):63.
- ^ H.S. Eckels History. Eckelsandcompany.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Naomi Rogers, An Alternative Path: The Making and Remaking of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia (Rutgers University Press, 1998):191.
- ^ Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index. Source Citation: Number: 178-30-7398; Issue State: Pennsylvania;Issue Date: 1954-1956.
- ^ "Deaths Here," Philadelphia Inquirer (November 22, 1991):C10.
- ^ "Review: Don’t Give Up on Me", Harp Magazine.
- ^ "Abramson Starts," Billboard (15 December 1958):85.
- ^ Charlie Gillett, Making Tracks: Atlantic Records and the Growth of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry (WH Allen, 1975):122.
- ^ Herb Abramson. Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index; Source Citation: Number: 189-18-3360; Issue State: Pennsylvania; Issue Date: Before 1951.
- ^ BoyerCollegeAwards. Temple.edu. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Eric Konigsberg, Blood Relation (HarperCollins, 2005):99–101, 105, 108–109.
- ^ Chivian was arrested on October 25, 1963 as a "material witness" as partner to Joseph Zavod. See "Hunt Continues for Crime Chief in Loan Racket Probe," Beaver County Times (October 25, 1963):20; "Arrest Order Issued For Philly Vice King," The Tuscaloosa News (20 October 1963):1. See also "SURRENDER OF BRUNO DUE: Philadelphia's Alleged Cosa Nostra Leader Wanted," The Sun (Baltimore, Md) (October 21, 1963):8; "Surrender of Rackets Figure Seen," Los Angeles Times (October 21, 1963):34; "FBI Agents Hunt Bruno, Cited as Syndicate King," The Hartford Courant (October 20, 1963):1A; Alan Halpern, The Improper Philadelphians: A Dossier of Investigative Reporting from Philadelphia Magazine (Weybright and Talley, 1970):161.
- ^ "Masco Young Notebook," Washington Afro-American (October 17, 1961):16.
- ^ a b c Bill Dahl, "Solomon Burke 1940–2010", (October 11, 2010)
- ^ Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index Number: 083-16-7620 ;Issue State: New York;Issue Date: Before 1951; Gerry Wilkinson, "Larry Brown", Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
- ^ "WPEN-AM voice Larry Brown, 83", Philadelphia Inquirer (March 28, 2005); Jewish Exponent (April 7, 2005)
- ^ John Broven, Record Makers and Breakers: Voices of the Independent Rock 'n' Roll Pioneers (University of Illinois Press, 2009):526; Billy Poore, Rockabilly: A Forty-Year Journey (Hal Leonard Corporation, 1998):82; Arnold Shaw, The Rockin' '50s: The Decade that Transformed the Pop Music Scene (Hawthorn Books, 1974); John A. Jackson, American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock 'n' Roll Empire (Oxford University Press, 1997):90; Jay Warner, The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups: A History, 1940–1990 (Billboard Books, 1992):143; Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index: Source Citation: Number: 186-09-2683;Issue State: Pennsylvania;Issue Date: Before 1951; "Musician and Songwriter Arthur Singer Dies at 89", Jewish Exponent (May 15, 2008); Bob Rolontz, "The Philadelphia Story: Part 1", The Billboard (10 March 1958):14; "Artie Singer," For a discussion of Artie Singer and his business dealings see: "John Madara's Greatest Hits"
- ^ "Chess in Deal With Singular," The Billboard (10 March 1958):3.
- ^ Billboard (21 December 1959):23.
- ^ Billboard (16 May 1960):43.
- ^ a b Solomon Burke discography at Soul Express
- ^ Jerry Butler and Earl Smith, Only the Strong Survive: Memoirs of a Soul Survivor (Indiana University Press, 2004):129.
- ^ Atlantic Records|PP2G – Fun – Labels. PP2G. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cliff White, "The Solomon Burke Story", Black Music (1975)
- ^ Jerry Wexler, in Rhythm and the Blues: A Life In American Music.
- ^ Robert Greenfield, "Ahmet Ertegun (1923–2006): The Greatest Record Man of All Time", Rolling Stone 1018 (January 25, 2007),
- ^ Alex Halberstadt, "Jerry Wexler", Salon (September 5, 2000)
- ^ a b c Charlie Gillett, Making Tracks: Atlantic Records and the Growth of a Multi-Billion-Dollar Industry (WH Allen, 1975):175.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Red Kelly, "Solomon Burke – What Am I Living For (Bell 783)" (May 1, 2006)
- ^ a b Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):85.
- ^ Dave DiMartino and Hao Huang, eds., Music in the 20th Century, Vol. 3 (M.E. Sharpe, 1999).
- ^ Solomon Burke in Billboard (24 February 2007):44.
- ^ a b c Richie Unterberger, "Biography"
- ^ a b c d Teresa L. Reed, The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky, 2004):124.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Solomon Burke, in James Porter, "Songs of Solomon: Solomon Burke Interview", Roctober 33 (2002)
- ^ a b c "Solomon Burke" (July 5, 2010)
- ^ Richard Younger, Get a Shot of Rhythm and Blues: The Arthur Alexander Story (University of Alabama Press, 2000):108.
- ^ Roger Catlin, "Newport R & B Fest is Just Delightful," Hartford Courant (July 29, 1996):A4.
- ^ Robert Sacré, ed., Saints and Sinners: Religion, Blues, and (D)evil in African-American Music and Literature: Proceedings of the Conference Held at the Université de Liége (October 1991) (vol. 5 of Etudes & éditions) (Société liégeoise de musicologie, 1996):16.
- ^ Glenn Appell and David Hemphill, American Popular Music: A Multicultural History (Thomson Wadsworth, 2006):317.
- ^ a b Paul Oliver, Screening the Blues: Aspects of the Blues Tradition (Da Capo Press, 1989):88.
- ^ Bill Millar, The Drifters: The Rise and Fall of the Black Vocal Group (Macmillan, 1971):20.
- ^ Mark Deming, in All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul (Backbeat Books, 2003):101.
- ^ Barney Hoskyns, Ragged Glories: City Lights, Country Funk, American Music (Pimlico, 2003):78.
- ^ Jerry Wexler, in Alex Halberstadt, "Jerry Wexler", Salon (September 5, 2000)
- ^ a b Jerry Wexler, in Rebecca Leung, "King Solomon: Singer Solomon Burke Making A Comeback In The Music World", 60 Minutes (December 7, 2003)
- ^ a b c d e f Terry Reilly, "Song of Solomon", The Age (April 8, 2004)
- ^ a b Atlantic Records Discography: 1960. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Song Fades for Larger than Life Soul King", The Times, (October 12, 2010),
- ^ "JUST OUT OF REACH OF MY TWO OP (Legal Title)", BMI Work #789241
- ^ Virgil Freemont Stewart and the Arkansas Cowgirls performed this song originally. See Stewart Family: Come On In And Make Yourself At Home; "The Stewart Family", Roots & Rhythm: Country, Bluegrass & Old Timey 140
- ^ "Top Country & Western Records", Billboard (14 March 1953):44.
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Derek Richardson, "Pastrami & The Blues", SF Gate (March 17, 2005):2
- ^ Jerry Wexler, in Robert Hilburn, "His Legacy on the Line", Los Angeles Times (August 11, 2002)
- ^ John A. Jackson, A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul (Oxford University Press USA, 2004):25.
- ^ "Late Pop Spotlights", Billboard (7 August 1961):3.
- ^ David Hatch and Stephen Millward, From Blues to Rock: An Analytical History of Pop Music (Manchester University Press ND, 1989):89.
- ^ Dave Marsh, In The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999):501.
- ^ Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):326.
- ^ Ted Fox, Showtime at the Apollo (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1983):265.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1984):86.
- ^ a b c Tim Newby "Solomon Burke Gets His Due" Honest Tune: The Southern Journal of Jam (June 18, 2008)
- ^ Craig Hansen Werner, A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America (University of Michigan Press, 2006):59–60.
- ^ Bill Friskics-Warren and David Cantwell, Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles (Vanderbilt University Press, 2003):113.
- ^ Dave Hoekstra, "Burke's Depth Gives Breath to Soul", Chicago Sun-Times (June 12, 1987); Brian Ward, Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):225, 251
- ^ Sean Daly, "'Lightning In a Bottle': The Blues, Uncorked", The Washington Post (December 17, 2004):C05; Sacha Molitorisz, "Lightning in a Bottle", The Sydney Morning Herald (March 17, 2005); Rod Harmon, "From the Editor: Music, Humanity and Wisdom of Solomon", The Portland Press Herald (October 21, 2010)
- ^ Jet (18 May 1961):64.
- ^ See Vicki Spencer, "About Me"
- ^ Clay Cole, Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953–1968) (Wordclay, 2009):155.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1961. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ International Masters Publishers, Stand by Me (Vol. 3 of Roots of Rhythm Series) (International Masters Publishers, Incorporated, 1999):26.
- ^ "Bert Berns: Songwriter, Producer and Label Chief"
- ^ Michael Billig, Rock 'n' Roll Jews (Syracuse University Press, 2001):83.
- ^ According to Jerry Wexler, Burke referred to Berns as a "paddy motherfucker." See Eric Olsen, "New Bert Berns Collection" (September 2002)
- ^ Barney Hoskyns, "The Soul Man With a Huckster's Heart", Mojo Magazine (March 1998).
- ^ Cissy Houston (with Jonathan Singer), How Sweet the Sound: My Life with God and Gospel (Doubleday, 1998):175.
- ^ a b c Solomon Burke, in Mojo Magazine (August 2008), quoted in "Cry To Me by The Rolling Stones"
- ^ Watch American Bandstand Season 5 Episode 142|AB-1207: Solomon Burke. SideReel. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Jet (22 March 1962):66; "AB-1217: Solomon Burke"
- ^ Clovis E. Semmes, The Regal Theater and Black Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006):185.
- ^ Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):84.
- ^ Amy Gold, "Interview With Betty Harris", (July 19, 2004)
- ^ "Cry to Me", Secondhandsongs, 2004-01-18
- ^ Jeff Wallenfeldt, ed., The Black Experience in America: From Civil Rights to the Present (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2010):127.
- ^ Arnold Shaw, Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues, 2nd ed. (Collier Books, 1978):441.
- ^ Teresa L. Reed, The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky, 2004):125–126.
- ^ a b Teresa L. Reed, The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky, 2004):126.
- ^ "Radio-TV", Jet (22 March 1962):66.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1962. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ For discussion of the song's origins, see Britannica Annals of American History: "Down in the Valley" [1]
- ^ M.H. Orodenker, "On the Records", The Billboard (18 December 1943):67.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Billboard Pop Hits, Singles & Albums, 1940–1954, 2nd ed. (Record Research, 2002):22.
- ^ "Public Domain Issues Swamp Pubs, Diskers", Billboard (8 December 1951):23.
- ^ Down In The Valley by Solomon Burke Songfacts. Songfacts.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Down in the Valley (song by Solomon Burke) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. Musicvf.com (1962-05-26). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Soundtracks for 2 Days in the Valley", IMDB.com
- ^ Don Waller, "Time Bomb Songs", Billboard (13 December 1997):28.
- ^ "Down in the Valley", Lyrics
- ^ "DOWN IN THE VALLEY (Legal Title)", BMI Work #337516
- ^ a b Peter Guralnick, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown, 2005):393; Dionne Warwick and David F Wooley, My Life, as I See It: An Autobiography (Simon and Schuster, 2010):25.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1962. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1962. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1962. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Douglas Wolk, Live at the Apollo (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004):19–20.
- ^ Clovis E. Semmes, The Regal Theater and Black Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006):187.
- ^ a b Dionne Warwick and David F Wooley, My Life, as I See It: An Autobiography (Simon and Schuster, 2010):27.
- ^ a b "Lotsa Poppa: 400 Pounds of Soul!"
- ^ Pete Howard, "Collecting Rare Concert Posters"
- ^ Arthur Kempton, Boogaloo: The Quintessence of American Popular Music (University of Michigan Press, 2005):134.
- ^ Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954–63 (Simon and Schuster, 1989):792.
- ^ "Same Cooke at Next Forum Attraction", The Shawinigan Standard (April 17, 1963):10.
- ^ Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):125.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):86.
- ^ Dave Marsh, In The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999):472
- ^ a b Solomon Burke, in Kurt B. Reighley, "Wilson Pickett: 1941 – 2006", Farther Along #62 (March–April 2006)
- ^ "Singles Reviews", Billboard (13 Apr 1963):34.
- ^ "Artists' Biographies", Billboard (4 May 1963):12. Note Burke's age is erroneously given as 28.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):24.
- ^ Steven Otfinoski, African Americans in the Performing Arts, 2nd ed. (Infobase Publishing, 2009):178.
- ^ David Brackett, ed., The Pop, Rock, and Soul Reader: Histories and Debates, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 2009):178.
- ^ Dave Marsh, In The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999):472.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1963. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Benjamin Franklin, Jazz & Blues Musicians of South Carolina: Interviews with Jabbo, Dizzy, Drink, and Others (Univ of South Carolina Press, 2008):92, 240.
- ^ Lyrics: You're Good For Me by Solomon Burke. Top40db.net. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Brian Ward, Just my Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):225; Lee Cotten, The Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll, Vol. 3: Twist & Shout (Pierian Press, 2002):122. For some doubts regarding Burke's version of this incident, see Peter Guralnick, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown, 2005):226–227, and 695.
- ^ a b Peter Guralnick, "Song of Solomon", The Boston Phoenix (March 6, 1984), Section 3:2.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):87; "Rock 'N' Royalty, Jet (23 January 1964):37; "The Disc Jockeys"; Gerald Westbrook, "The Essence of Soul", Negro Digest (May 1964):13.
- ^ Jet (28 November 1963):42.
- ^ Solomon Burke: Everybody Needs Somebody, 2007 documentary for BBC Television produced and directed by Paul Spencer.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):87.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1984):88.
- ^ a b David Hepworth, "Farewell to a Heavyweight From the Golden Age of Soul", The Independent (11 October 2010)
- ^ See Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):88 for Burke's account of Little Sammy, the three-foot tall midget.
- ^ a b Peter Guralnick, "Song of Solomon", The Boston Phoenix (March 6, 1984), Section 3:3.
- ^ However, according to another source, it was $10,000. See Peter Guralnick, "Song of Solomon", The Boston Phoenix (March 6, 1984), Section 3:3.
- ^ a b c d Spencer Leigh, "Solomon Burke: The 1960s 'King of Rock and Soul' Who Enjoyed a Modern Renaissance", The Independent (October 11, 2010)
- ^ Martin Munro, Different Drummers: Rhythm and Race in America (University of California Press, 2010):189, based on Brian Ward, Just my Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):202.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1963. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Clovis E. Semmes, The Regal Theater and Black Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006):198.
- ^ a b Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):173.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1964. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Robert Hilburn, "His Legacy on the Line", Los Angeles Times (August 11, 2002)
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Robert Wilonsky, "Soul Survivor", Dallas Observer (March 20, 1997)
- ^ Jerry Wexler, in Robert Hilburn, "His Legacy on the Line", Los Angeles Times (August 11, 2002)
- ^ a b c d Solomon Burke, in Mojo Magazine (August 2008), quoted in "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love by Solomon Burke"
- ^ Michael Haralambos, Soul Music: The Birth of a Sound in Black America, (Da Capo Press, 1985):101.
- ^ a b Dave Marsh, In The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Da Capo Press, 1999):297.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", Rolling Stone 963 (December 9, 2004), see
- ^ James Hector, The Complete Guide to the Music of the Rolling Stones (Omnibus Press, 1995):27–28.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1964. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b c d Solomon Burke, in The Independent (2002), quoted in "Got to Get You Off My Mind by Solomon Burke"
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Robert Wilonsky, "Soul Survivor", Dallas Observer (March 20, 1997)
- ^ Steven Roby and Brad Schreiber, Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius (Da Capo Press, 2010):88, 230; Kathy Knight-McConnell, Curtis Knight: Living in the Shadow of Jimi Hendrix (PublishAmerica, 2010):104, 137.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1964. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1965. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b c d e David Cantwell, "Solomon Burke: Pennies from Heaven: Thirteen Ways of Looking at the King of Rock 'n' Soul", [2], The Long Way Around 66 (November – December 2006)
- ^ a b Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):94, 123.
- ^ Adam Sweeting, "Solomon Burke obituary", The Guardian (10 October 2010)
- ^ Jay Warner, On This Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006):123.
- ^ "Brave Show" Jet (13 May 1965):28.
- ^ The Artistics Page. Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Bernie Hayes, The Death of Black Radio: The Story of America's Black Radio Personalities (iUniverse, 2005):48.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1965. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1965. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Chris Hutchins, "London", Billboard (12 June 1965):16.
- ^ Bill Millar, "Solomon Burke: The Marquee, London, 18th July 1966", Soul Music Monthly (February 1967).
- ^ "Episode #2.3", IMDB.com
- ^ "The Marvelettes; Them; Solomon Burke"
- ^ "June 26, 1965"
- ^ "Episode dated 29 June 1965", IMDB.com
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1965. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1965. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Patrick Doyle, "Soul Legend Solomon Burke Dead at 70", The Beat Patrol (October 10, 2010)
- ^ George Lipsitz, Midnight at the Barrelhouse: The Johnny Otis Story (U of Minnesota Press, 2010):45.
- ^ Jack Schiffman, "Uptown: The Story of Harlem's Apollo Theatre (Cowles Book Co., 1971):107. See Burke's version in Peter Guralnick, "Song of Solomon", The Boston Phoenix (March 6, 1984), Section 3:2.
- ^ Brian Ward, Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness, and Race Relations (University of California Press, 1998):199–201; Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story Of Soul Music, 86–88
- ^ Guralnick, 88–90. Burke headlined a Christmas concert at the Apollo in December 1965. See "New York Beat", Jet (6 January 1966):63.
- ^ Peter Guralnick, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown, 2005):436–437.
- ^ Peter Guralnick, Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (Little, Brown, 2005):478–479
- ^ Fred Wesley, Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman (Duke University Press, 2002):128–129.
- ^ a b c Red Kelly, "Solomon Burke – Save It (Atlantic 2527)" (March 5, 2007)
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1968. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Teresa L. Reed, The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music (University Press of Kentucky, 2004):127.
- ^ a b Gonulsen, Jason (February 19, 2007). "Features – Patty Griffin: Sun Shining Through". Glide Magazine. http://www.glidemagazine.com/Articles/51845/Patty-Griffin:-Sun-Shining-Through.html. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
- ^ "Recording World Moves to Aid Dr. King's 'Dream'", Jet (2 May 1968):58.
- ^ For more about Jones, see Allan Morrison, "Singer Stalks Stardom", Jet (16 March 1967):60–62; and "Tamiko Jones: The Collection (1963–1986)" 18 de noviembre de 2009
- ^ CTI DISCOGRAPHY: 1967–1969. Dougpayne.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Tamiko Jones Back in Disks", Billboard (3 October 1970):28.
- ^ a b c The Soul Clan Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com (1968-07-27). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Craig Hansen Werner, A Change is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America (University of Michigan Press, 2006):94.
- ^ Rob Whatman, "The Soul Clan: Where you going, Joe?...", (May 13, 2006)
- ^ Albums by The Soul Clan. Rate Your Music. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Atlantic Records Discography: 1968. Jazzdisco.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Soul Clan, The – Soul Meeting / That's How It Feels (Vinyl) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ The Soul Clan Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com (1968-07-27). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Guralnick, 275; However, see Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994)::327: "one session... was actually cut in Nashville in February 1968, yielding... Soul Meeting and That's How It Feels."
- ^ Gualnick, 276.
- ^ Robert Palmer, "CRITIC'S CHOICES", The New York Times (July 12, 1981), Section 2A, Page 3.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):327.
- ^ Gerri Hirshey, Nowhere To Run: The Story of Soul Music (Da Capo Press, 1994):330.
- ^ 45 discography for Bell Records. Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ John S. Wilson, "CAREER RESUMED BY TAMIKO JONES; Recent Polio Victim Presents Songs at Rainbow Grill", The New York Times (January 14, 1971):43; "Solomon Burke – Proud Mary"; "Tamiko Jones: The Collection (1963–1986)" (18 November 2009); "Original Soul Man Cared for Spiritual and Temporal Needs Right to the Grave", The Age (October 13, 2010). For more regarding Tamiko Jones, see "Tamiko Jones"
- ^ Cordell S. Thompson, "New York Beat", Jet (8 October 1970):63.
- ^ The Soul Clan Album & Song Chart History. Billboard.com (1968-07-27). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Mojo, Issues 158–161 (EMAP Performance Ltd., 2007).
- ^ "Saturday on Eight", Lewiston Evening Journal (May 23, 1969):22
- ^ American Bandstand: The Guess Who / Solomon Burke Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Watch American Bandstand Season 12 Episode 39|The Guess Who / Solomon Burke. SideReel. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Lynn Ford, "The Burke Gospel: Love is Tenderness", Indianapolis Star (July 21, 1995):E.1. One source gives her name as Beverly. See "Solomon Burke Visits", The Baltimore Afro-American (December 18, 1993):B6.
- ^ a b c d e "Songwriter/Composer: BURKE MC DONALD FRANCES SUNDAY", Current Affiliation: BMI CAE/IPI #: 130994668
- ^ a b Just for you ; Nobody told me ; When you call ... [et al.] – song, music – Copyright Info. Faqs.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Dave Hoekstra, "Feasting on the Wisdom of Solomon Burke", Chicago Sun-Times (November 6, 1988):5.
- ^ a b Christopher Blagg, "Soul Searchin’ With Solomon Burke", (1 October 2002)
- ^ Peter Guralnick, Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom (Back Bay Books, 1999):78.
- ^ a b Burke, Solomon – Soul, Records, Singer, Pop, Burke’s, and Album. Encyclopedia.jrank.org (2000-01-01). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "PASTOR JOSEPHINE M. BURKE, 70", Philadelphia Inquirer (August 31, 1990):C09.
- ^ Ted Drozdowski, "Solomon Burke Hits a New Peak", The Phoenix (July 18–25, 2002)
- ^ a b c Grant Britt, "Fat Possuming with Solomon Burke", Indy Week (September 8, 2004)
- ^ a b "Soul Sauce", Billboard (28 April 1973):23.
- ^ Jet (15 July 1971):63.
- ^ Mathias Hanf, The Culture of Blaxploitation (GRIN Verlag, 2007):15.
- ^ "Full cast and crew for Hammer (1972)", IMDB.com
- ^ "Versatile Burke Scores New Film", The Afro American (March 25, 1972):10; "Solomon Burke – Cool Breeze (1972)", (January 10, 2008); "Full cast and crew for Cool Breeze (1972)", IMDB.com
- ^ Roger Greenspun, "Cool Breeze (1972): The Screen: 'Cool Breeze': Heist Planned to Fund Black People's Bank", The New York Times (March 30, 1972)
- ^ "Tonight's Best on TV", Lakeland Ledger (June 5, 1972):5D; "The Monty Hall Smokin'-Stokin' Fire Brigade", IMDB.com
- ^ "Black Entertainers Perform At Ball in Kennedy Center", Jet (8 February 1973):60.
- ^ Elizabeth Alden, "Security, Surprise Guests", Toledo Blade (Jan 19, 1973):15.
- ^ "Solomon Burke Sued Over Album Tossing", Jet (13 December 1973):97.
- ^ Love Thy Neighbor Episodes – Love Thy Neighbor Episode Guides – Watch Love Thy Neighbor Episodes from ABC. TVGuide.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "Love Your Neighbor", Love Thy Neighbor (TV Series 1973), IMDB.com
- ^ See "Versatile Burke Scores New Film", The Afro American (March 25, 1972):10.
- ^ http://www.wammllc.com}
- ^ a b Pacific Hawaiian Music Distribution – Hi-Risk Factor – Chillaxin'. Pacifichawaiian.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Gemini Burke served as a US Marine for 8 years. "Interview With Solomon Burke", (January 27, 1992); Burke graduated from EE Smith Senior High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1984; attended the University of Hawaii (1990–1993), see [3], where he played US Football; was one of the American Gladiators, see "Once Filmed, Twice Acted", Popular Science (June 2001):26; starred in 2 episodes of Pacific Blue in 1999, see "Gemini Burke", IMDB; was involved in making Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, see [4]
- ^ a b Prince JFK Burke hosted "The Love/Hate Show." See Podomatic
- ^ Billboard (3 April 1971):37–38.
- ^ "THINK OF THE CHILDREN SAVE THE CHILDREN (Legal Title) ", BMI Work #1497401
- ^ Michel Ruppli and Ed Novitsky, The MGM Labels: 1961–1982 Vol. 2 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998):695. On this date three other unreleased songs were recorded: "You're My Baby", "Cupid", and "Fingertips."
- ^ Michel Ruppli and Ed Novitsky, The MGM Labels: 1961–1982 Vol. 2 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998):650.
- ^ Michel Ruppli and Ed Novitsky, The MGM Labels: 1961–1982 Vol. 2 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998):647.
- ^ For lyrics, see "Everybody's Got Fingers"
- ^ "Versatile Burke Scores New Film", The Afro American (March 25, 1972):10.
- ^ Curbstones, The – Kid Power (The Original Soundtrack Album) (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Images for Curbstones, The – Kid Power (The Original Soundtrack Album). Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Michel Ruppli and Ed Novitsky, The MGM Labels: 1961–1982 Vol. 2 (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998):804. See page 719 for two unreleased songs recoded on 30 November 1971.
- ^ "Soul", Billboard (18 May 1974):58.
- ^ 45 Discography for Amherst Records. Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b c Robert Wilonsky, "Soul Survivor: Four decades After His First Record, Solomon Burke is Still in the Studio and in God's Arms", Dallas Observer (March 20, 1997)
- ^ Ron Wynn, "How They Got Over: Resurrecting Gospel in the '70s", The Boston Phoenix (Nov 29, 1983), Section 4:6.
- ^ a b Robert Sacré, Saints and Sinners: Religion, Blues, and (D)evil in African-American Music and Literature: Proceedings of the Conference Held at the Université de Liége (October 1991) (Société liégeoise de musicologie, 1996):16.
- ^ "Solomon Burke Makes Comeback with Gospel LP", Jet (3 December 1981):61.
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Robert Wilonsky, "Soul Survivor", Dallas Observer (March 20, 1997)
- ^ "Complete List of the Nominees for 26th Annual Grammy Music Awards", Schenectady Gazette (January 9, 1984):12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Heikki Suosalo, "Solomon Burke is 60! An Interview with Solomon Burke from Soul Express" (January 2000)
- ^ William Kates, "Solomon Burke, Soul Alive! (Rounder, 1984; 2002)", Rambles (23 August 2003)
- ^ Sylvia P. Flanagan, "Movies to See", Jet (31 August 1987):59. "Celebrity Beat", Jet (16 December 1985):61.
- ^ Bill Dahl, "Mardi Gras Celebrate the Big Easy Way", Chicago Tribune (February 27, 1992):6.
- ^ Chris Heim, "Group to Help Old Stars", Chicago Tribune (December 18, 1988):C9.
- ^ Bill Wyman, "They Made the Blues Sing; Now Stars Get Its Royalties", Chicago Tribune (May 14, 1990):1.
- ^ Songs written by Solomon Burke, Chart Performance
- ^ a b Melinda Newman, "Soul Man Solomon Burke: Live & On Film; Capricorn's Smoking New Compilation", Billboard (8 July 1995), 10.
- ^ "Foundation Gives Lifetime Achievement Award to James Brown", Los Angeles Times (January 27, 1993); "James Brown Heads Honorees at the 4th Annual Rhythm & Blues Awards", Jet (22 March 1993):58; Don Heckman, "Talent Places First at R&B Awards Night", Los Angeles Times (February 27, 1993)
- ^ Carla Hall, "Big Night for Little Anthony", The Washington Post (February 26, 1993):C.04.
- ^ "Today's Walk of Fame Honorees", Philadelphia Inquirer (April 28, 1994):D1; "Walk of Fame Honorees"; Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide, [5]; and Chris Morris, "Declarations of Independents", Billboard (26 March 1994):102.
- ^ Mike Boehm, "Area Artists Have Shot at Blues Glory", Los Angeles Times (May 4, 1995)
- ^ "The Atlantic Records Story", IMDB.com
- ^ "The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5", IMDB.com
- ^ The History of Rock and Roll: Gary Busey, Chuck Berry, Pat Boone, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Louis Jordan, Little Richard, Andrew Solt, Bud Friedgen, Obie Benz, Ted Haimes: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (Penguin, 1996):87, 103, 263, 264.
- ^ "Liner Note of the Month", CMJ New Music Monthly (February 1996), liner notes from The Best of Loma Records: The Rise and Fall of a 60s Soul Label(WEA/ Warner, November 14, 1995)
- ^ a b Neil Strauss, "True Love and That Other Kind", The New York Times (June 25, 1996)
- ^ Solomon Burke in Melinda Newman, "Pointblank Records Goes Regional With Soul Legend Burke", Billboard (January 25, 1997):32.
- ^ Melinda Newman, "Pointblank Records Goes Regional With Soul Legend Burke", Billboard (January 25, 1997):32.
- ^ a b Heikki Suosalo, "Solomon on a Fast Train", (2002)
- ^ Rocco Palmo, "Bishop Burke Plays the Vatican" (December 03, 2005)
- ^ Neil Strauss, "THE POP LIFE; Seeking Truth About Eminem", The New York Times (December 21, 2000); "Aretha, Smokey, Marvin Make Hall of Fame Bid", Jet (18 August 1986):55.
- ^ "Time of Fear", IMDB.com
- ^ Natalie Nichols, "L.A. Weekly's Yearly Music Awards Show Hits Its Mark", Los Angeles Times (June 28, 2002)
- ^ Late Show with David Letterman: Show #1841 Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Philadelphia Daily News (July 19, 2002).
- ^ a b Schneider, Jason (October 2007). "Soul Survivors: How Classic Rhythm and Blues Has Become Vital Once Again". Exclaim.ca. http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid1=115&csid2=779&fid1=27885. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ^ "Sixties' Singer Solomon Burke Makes New Music Mark in 2002", Jet (4 November 2002):64.
- ^ Pazz & Jop 2002: Critics Poll. Robert Christgau (2003-02-18). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Jet (10 Mar 2003):56.
- ^ "India.Arie, Nelly, B.B. King, Herbie Hancock are Double Grammy Winners", Jet (10 March 2003):56.
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Nekesa Mumbi Moody, "Newcomer Jones Sweeps Major Grammys", Hartford Courant (February 24, 2003).
- ^ "Episode #8.3", IMDB.com
- ^ "Uppesittarkväll", IMDB.com
- ^ Later...with Jools Holland-Later...Legends (2003). Michaeldvd.com.au. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Holland, Jools – Later...Legends: Various: Movies & Tv. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Neil Warwick, Jon Kutner, and Tony Brown, The Complete Book of the British Charts: Singles & Albums ():585.
- ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Show #2412 Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Kenneth Turan, "Right Place, Right Time", Los Angeles Times (November 5, 2004),
- ^ a b Donald Levit, "Blues in the Night"
- ^ Scott Galupo, "Catching Blues 'Lightning'; Mix of New Faces, Legends Keeps Concert Film Fresh", The Washington Times (December 17, 2004)
- ^ "Lightning in a Bottle", IMDB.com
- ^ "Show #1958"
- ^ "Soul Comes Home", IMDB.com
- ^ "Soul Comes Home: A Celebration of Stax Records and Memphis Soul Music"
- ^ "Solomon Burke: The King Live at Avo Session Basel"
- ^ "What's Hot", Ebony (December 2003):33.
- ^ "January 4, 2011" (January 3, 2011)
- ^ "Among Nominees for Blues Song of the Year: Bob Dylan", Los Angeles Times (January 22, 2003)
- ^ "Living Blues Awards: 2000 – 2005"
- ^ "24th Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards", IMDB.com
- ^ "Living Blues Awards: 2006 – 2010"
- ^ Lola Ogunnaike, "Songwriting Hit Makers Donning Their Laurels", The New York Times (June 14, 2003)
- ^ "Luke Wilson, Jeff Galin, Solomon Burke"
- ^ Randy Lewis, "Singer Storms U.S. with Lots of Backup", Los Angeles Times (July 11, 2005)
- ^ "Zu & Co Live at Royal Albert Hall", IMDB.com
- ^ "Zucchero: Zu and Co. – Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2004)"
- ^ "God Only Knows: Vocal Harmony – The Voice", IMDB; "Series 1: Episode 3: God Only Knows: Vocal Harmony"
- ^ NEW YORK CITY GEARS UP FOR 2004 JAMMYS on JamBase. Jambase.com (2005-12-21). Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "2004 Jammys: The Theatre at Madison Square Garden", IMDB.com
- ^ Solomon Burke, in Jon Pareles, "A Night To Honor Bands That Jam", The New York Times (March 18, 2004)
- ^ Peter Plate, Fogtown: A Novel (Seven Stories Press, 2004):136–137.
- ^ "Show #2328", "Episode #12.109", IMDB
- ^ Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Sylvester Stallone, Ben Foster, Solomon Burke Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ "RockWalk Inductees", Jet (25 April 2005):39; "Ebony on the Scene", Ebony (June 2005):22.
- ^ "Later with Jools Holland", IMDB, Original Air Date: 25 November 2005
- ^ "Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music", IMDB
- ^ 2005: Sam Cooke :: American Music Masters®|The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Rockhall.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Elvis Costello, "Solomon Made The Song His Very Own", Mojo (October 14, 2010)
- ^ Kelefa Sanneh, "At a Hall of Fame Induction, Chords, and a Little Discord", The New York Times (March 14, 2006)
- ^ "Solomon Burke & Friends: Live in Nashville", IMDB
- ^ Great Performances: Jerry Lee Lewis: Last Man Standing, Live Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Drew Barrymore; Kyle Krichbaum; Solomon Burke Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Jim Gaffigan, Liev Schrieber, Solomon Burke Episode Summary on. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Jon Pareles, "A Tribute That Is Both Rocking and Soulful", The New York Times (April 18, 2007)
- ^ "Remembering Atlantic founder", Los Angeles Times (July 31, 2007)
- ^ Four Programmes – Solomon Burke: Everybody Needs Somebody. BBC. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Jamie Sellers, "Solomon Burke – Everybody Needs Somebody", (April 2007)
- ^ Solomon Burke – Everybody Needs Somebody DVD 2007: Amazon.co.uk: Solomon Burke: DVD. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Everybody Needs Somebody: Solomon Burke, na: Movies & TV. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Geoff Boucher, "Turner's Legacy in Spotlight: Eulogies Focus on the Achievements of the Musical Pioneer and Performer", Los Angeles Times (December 22, 2007)
- ^ Heikki Suosalo, "Soul Express Album Review and the Interview with Solomon Burke", (2008)
- ^ The 51st Annual Grammy Awards Winners List, For recordings released during the Eligibility Year October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008, Grammy.com
- ^ Aaron Greenwald, "In Memoriam: Solomon Burke, 1940–2010"
- ^ "Episode dated 7 August 2008", IMDB.com
- ^ "Living Blues Radio Chart For April 2010", (Compiled 05/01/10)
- ^ Don McLeese, "Solomon Burke – “Nothing’s Impossible” (2010)", Sonic Boomers (April 30, 2010)
- ^ Heiki Suosalo, "An Interview with Solomon Burke"
- ^ "Kylie in Rabat", Totally Theo (May 17, 2009)
- ^ Burke performed in Bulgaria at the Bansko Jazz Festival on August 11, 2010. See "Soul singer Solomon Burke dies at 70", The Sofia Echo (October 11, 2010)
- ^ WaveLength Internet Radio by Cool Wave Pictures
- ^ Andy Gill, "The Year in Review: Best Gigs of 2010", The Independent (December 24, 2010); Andrew Perry, "Solomon Burke: 'I'll Sing As Long As I Have Breath'", The Telegraph (September 29, 2010)
- ^ Solomon Burke & De Dijk – Hold On Tight
- ^ See Solomon Burke, in "Liner Note of the Month", CMJ New Music Monthly (February 1996):8, from "The Best Of Loma Records: The Rise And Fall Of A 1960's Soul Label" (Warner Bros / Wea), November 1995. One source indicates he was married five times. See Andrew Perry, "Solomon Burke: 'I'll Sing as Long as I Have Breath'", The Telegraph (29 September 2010)
- ^ Some sources indicate Burke had 23 children. For example, see Randy Lewis, "POP BEAT; Hail the King of Rock 'n' Soul", Los Angeles Times (February 5, 2005):E1; and Beverly Corbell, "Meet the 'Grammy dude'", The Daily Sentinel (March 9, 2007)
- ^ "Solomon Burke". NPR. 22 October 2002. http://www.npr.org/programs/tavis/features/2002/oct/solomonburke/. Retrieved 5 December 2008.
- ^ "New York Beat", Jet (7 August 1958):63; "PA United States BURKE MICHELLE D., on Feb. 28, 2008. Survived by her father Thomas Dawson, her mother Doris Williams and stepfather Solomon Burke; 2 daughters, Ebony and Danah; one sister, Valerie; one brother, Charles", see "Death Notice: Michelle D. Burke", Philadelphia Inquirer (March 4, 2008)
- ^ Charles Burke; Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Vol. 1 "Valerie D. Gresham."
- ^ Forever & always, & lyrics for 2 other selections, I been laying for you, girl, Honey, do ya wanna love me? – song, music – Copyright Info. Faqs.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ One source indicates her name is Sister Deloris Perkins. See Michael Futch, "Dreamgirl Reborn: The Daughter Of Rhythm And Blues Singer Solomon Burke Is Making A Name For Herself With A Show-Stopping Role On The Local Stage", The Fayetteville Observer (March 13, 1992): "For years Melanie Burke has thought about writing a book and calling it ``Million Dollar Baby. That's what her mother used to call her. Sister Deloris Perkins was her name, and she was an evangelist who came to live in Fayetteville until her death 10...." Another article indicates: "Melanie Honey Burke of Fayetteville is one of them. Physically, she favors both her father and her mother, the late evangelist Delores Clark Burke of Fayetteville." See Michael Futch, "Blessed Family of Soul", The Fayetteville Observer (April 8, 2001); "Day by Day"; "New York Beat", Jet (30 Jan 1964):63.
- ^ Eleanor Alma Burke (born 27 December 1958);
- ^ "Songwriter/Composer: BURKE ELEANOR ALMA", Current Affiliation: BMI CAE/IPI #: 597955274
- ^ Gemini Burke served as a US Marine for 8 years. See Gary James, "Interview With Solomon Burke", (January 27, 1992); Burke graduated from EE Smith Senior High School in Fayetteville, Nort Carolina in 1984; attended the University of Hawaii (1990–1993), see [6], where he played US Football; was one of the American Gladiators, see "Once Filmed, Twice Acted", Popular Science (June 2001):26; starred in 2 episodes of Pacific Blue in 1999, see "Gemini Burke", IMDB; was involved in making Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, see [7]
- ^ "ELECTRONIC MAGNETISM (Legal Title)", BMI Work #368877
- ^ See "Solomon Burke", http://regardskelly.com/tributes/index.php?trid=33
- ^ "Solomon Burke, Jr."; "Solomon Burke Jr.", IMDB
- ^ Solomon Burke – The Legendary King of Rock & Soul. .thekingsolomonburke.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Solomon Burke – The Legendary King of Rock & Soul. Thekingsolomonburke.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ ★ Solomon Burke Address. Fanmail.biz. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b c Bands, DJs, Live Music Performers in Northern Virginia Virginia, VA. 703area.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ The Showstoppers Page. Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ The Show Stoppers. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ a b Frank W. Hoffmann, Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop, Vol. 6 (Infobase Publishing, 2006):239.
- ^ For photo of extended Burke family, see [8]; "Melanie Burke", [9]; "Melanie "Honey" Burke", [10]; "Melanie Burke", [11]
- ^ Daxwood Records. SoulDiscovery. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
- ^ Michael Futch, "Ready to Be Heard", The Fayetteville Observer (NC) (May 7, 2003)
- ^ "Novel: The Audiobiography", SPIN (April 2009):82; Gail Mitchell, "Rhythm, Rap, and The Blues", Billboard (9 Nov 2002):25.
- ^ According to Quann's aunt: "He inherited his love of music from his family and from other sources. His grandfather is famed blues singer Solomon Burke. Quann grew up in West Philadelphia playing basketball with actor/rapper Will Smith." See "Promising Rapper Slain at Club", Philadelphia Daily News (April 27, 2000):26 LOCAL.
- ^ "Perils Plague Strip Neighbors Hope Disaster Leads to Curbs on Rowdies", Philadelphia Daily News (May 22, 2000):04 LOCAL.
- ^ "Nightclubbers to Be Tried in Holdup-Slayings", Philadelphia Daily News (September 23, 2000):10 LOCAL.
- ^ a b c "Solomon Burke still regal at 65", Deseret News (February 24, 2006)
- ^ Ben Sisario, The New York Times, in "Remembering Solomon Burke", (October 12, 2010)
- ^ Luiza Sauma Solomon Burke, "Barbican, London", The Independent (July 9, 2008)
- ^ Solomon Burke dies at Amsterdam airport at 70, Yahoo News, 10 October 2010
- ^ Solomon Burke website: "Early this morning, Sunday, October 10, 2010, the legendary King of Rock & Soul, Solomon Burke, our father, passed away due to natural causes." Retrieved 10-10-2010.
- ^ a b Red Kelly, "Homegoing Celebration for Solomon Burke", (18 October 2010)
- ^ a b Red Kelly, "Never Alone: The Gospel Legacy of Bishop Solomon Burke"
- ^ Red Kelly, "Solomon Burke – Here's My Life" (February 20, 2008)
- ^ Joe Henry, "Flesh and Blood, This World and the Next: Solomon Burke's Funeral", (October 22, 2011)
- ^ "Solomon Burke", findagrave.com
- ^ Neil Portnow, (October 10, 2010)
- ^ Solomon Burke – I Almost Lost My Mind (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-07.
| Persondata |
| Name |
Burke, Solomon |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
American singer |
| Date of birth |
March 21, 1940 |
| Place of birth |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Date of death |
October 10, 2010 |
| Place of death |
Schiphol, Netherlands |
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