Hard to believe it is almost four years since the passing of one of the great soul vocalists, Mr Solomon Burke. Often referred to as "King Solomon" he possessed one of the most recognisable and warm soul voices of all. He was marketed in '62 by Atlantic Records as the first "soul singer" but was soon surpassed in the public eye by label mates such as Aretha and Otis, although Jerry Wexler always considered Solomon to be the best of all them. Looking at his biog it is hard to believe he had the time to record for over forty years as he had 21 children and more than 80 grandchildren !!
Unbelievably he never had a Top 20 hit but will always be remembered for the lasting contribution he made to soul music. There is so much more to this great singer than "Everybody Needs Somebody". Towards the end of his career he recorded an album of tracks written by the likes of Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Nick Lowe and Tom Waits that is up there with the latter albums by the late, great Johnny Cash.
Don't Give Up On Me
