SOLOMON BURKE
Genres: RnB, Jazz Related Gospel, Pop, Art Song, Folk, Jazz Related Soundtracks, Blues • United States

US soul singer, inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (Performer). Born March 21, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, died October 10, 2010, at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. from discogs A pioneer of classic soul as well as its countrified subgenre, with an outsized personality and a wonderful, sonorous voice. While Solomon Burke never had a Top 20 hit, he was an important pioneer of early soul. On his 1960s singles for Atlantic, he brought a country influence into R&B, with emotional phrasing and intricately constructed, melodic ballads and midtempo songs. At the same time, he was surrounded with sophisticated "uptown" arrangements, with much of his material provided by his producers, particularly Bert Berns. This combination of gospel, pop, country, and production polish was basic to the recipe of early soul. While Burke wasn't the only one pursuing this path, not many others did so as successfully. And he, like read more...