Complex sentence: James Carr (June 13,1942-January 7,2001), while not as popular among the general audience as his contemporaries such as Otis Redding or Solomon Burke, is widely considered one of the 1960's greatest American soul singers.
Split into simpler sentences: James Carr (June 13,1942-January 7,2001), was a United States soul music singer. While not as popular among the general audience as his contemporaries such as Otis Redding or Solomon Burke, he was widely considered one of the 1960s greatest American soul singers.