|
contents | blues | |||||||||||||
| Solomon Burke dies at Amsterdam airport Solomon Burke, the larger-than-life "King of Rock and Soul" who was revered as one of music's greatest vocalists but never reached the level of fame of those he influenced, died early Sunday at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. He was 70. Born to the sound of music in an upstairs room of a Philadelphia church, Burke was acknowledged as one of the greatest soul singers of the 1960s, but his popularity never matched that of contemporaries like James Brown or Marvin Gaye. Two of Burke's best-known songs reached a wider audience when they were featured in hit movies. He wrote "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" in 1964 and it was later featured in the Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi movie "The Blues Brothers." The Rolling Stones and Wilson Pickett also recorded it. A bare-chested Patrick Swayze danced seductively with Jennifer Grey to Burke's "Cry To Me" in one of the most memorable scenes from the movie "Dirty Dancing." Legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler once called Burke, "the best soul singer of all time." Anti- Records President Andy Kaulkin, whose label produced Burke's comeback record, "Don't Give Up On Me, " which won him his first and only Grammy, said, "Popular music today wouldn't be where it is without Solomon Burke." Kaulkin called Burke a precursor to singers like Isaac Hayes and Barry White. "I feel like his music is where it all came together, and when we think of '60s soul music it all started with Solomon Burke." Burke, a giant man with a powerful soulful voice to match, appeared on stage on a throne in later years partly because of his regal persona and partly because of health problems. He joined Atlantic in 1960 and went on to record a string of hits in a decade with the label. The Philadelphia native who wrote "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" was a Grammy winner and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |