Solomon Burke (born James Solomon McDonald,
March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was a preacher and singer who shaped
the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in
the 1960s. He has been called "a key transitional figure bridging R&B
and soul" and was known for his "prodigious output”.
He had a string of hits including "Cry to
Me", "If You Need Me", "Got to Get You Off My Mind",
"Down in the Valley" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love".
Burke was referred to honorifically as "King Solomon", the "King
of Rock 'n' Soul", "Bishop of Soul" and the "Muhammad Ali
of soul".
During the 55 years that he performed
professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and
had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the
Billboard R&B charts. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million
albums. Rolling Stone ranked Burke as no. 89 on its 2008 list of "100
Greatest Singers of All Time".