Solomon Burke
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 Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, was an important influence upon the Rolling Stones, who covered Burke's "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" on their early albums.
Burke came by his gospel roots even more deeply than most soul stars. He was preaching at his family's Philadelphia church and hosting his own gospel radio show even before he'd reached his teens. He began recording gospel and R&B sides for Apollo in the mid- to late '50s. Like several former gospel singers (Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett), he was molded into a more secular direction when he signed with Atlantic in the '60s. Burke had a wealth of high-charting R&B hits in the early half of the '60s, which crossed over to the pop listings in a milder fashion as well. "Just Out of Reach," "Cry to Me," "If You Need Me," "Got to Get You Off My Mind," "Tonight's the Night," and "Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)" were the most successful of these, although, unlike Franklin or Pickett, he wasn't able to expand his R&B base into a huge pop following. He left Atlantic in the late '60s and spent the next decade hopping between various labels, getting his biggest hit with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" in 1969, and recording an album in the late '70s with cult soulster Swamp Dogg as producer.
From the '80s through the first decade of the new millennium, Burke became one of the most visible living exponents of classic soul music, continuing to tour and record albums in a rootsy, at times gospel-ish style. Although these were critically well-received, their stylistic purity also ensured that their market was primarily confined to roots music enthusiasts, rather than a pop audience. His live and later recorded work, however, are cherished by those who favor a soul legend with his talents and stylistic purity relatively intact. Burke's 2002 release Don't Give Up on Me was hailed as a major comeback for the singer. Great songwriters like Elvis Costello, Dan Penn, Nick Lowe, and Tom Waits contributed songs, and Joe Henry produced the album, leading to comparisons to Johnny Cash's landmark American Recordings.
After the critical success of Don't Give Up on Me reaffirmed Burke's status as one of the greatest living exponents of classic soul, the singer teamed up with producer Don Was for Make Do with What You Got, an updated variation on his classic style that was released in spring 2005. A year later, Burke released an interesting country and soul hybrid, Nashville, on Shout! Factory. A second album on the label, Like a Fire, followed in 2008. Burke next reunited with producer Willie Mitchell for Nothing’s Impossible, which was released shortly after Mitchell’s death in 2010 by Koch Records’ E1 Music. In October of 2009, Burke partnered with Dutch Soul band De Dijk for recording sessions that would become his final album: Hold on Tight. Burke died on October 10, 2010 upon his arrival at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where the soul legend was scheduled to perform at a sold-out Paradiso concert hall with De Dijk. Hold on Tight was eventually released in March 2011.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
Artistas semelhantes
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Don't Give Up On Me
Blues - Lançado por Anti - Epitaph em 23 de jul. de 2002
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Live At Montreux 2006 (Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux,Switzerland / 2006)
R&B - Lançado por Eagle Rock - Eagle Records em 9 de jul. de 2013
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Saga All Stars: No Man Walks Alone / The Singles 1955-57
Soul - Lançado por Saga em 11 de ago. de 2008
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Proud Mary - The Bell Sessions
R&B - Lançado por Legacy Recordings em 1 de jan. de 1969
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The Incredible Solomon Burke At His Best!
Jazz - Lançado por Amherst Records, Inc. em 1 de jan. de 2002
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The Very Best of Solomon Burke
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 1 de jan. de 1998
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Presents for Christmas / A Tear Fell (45 Version)
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 15 de dez. de 2009
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Rock 'N Soul
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 1 de jan. de 1964
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Nashville
Country - Lançado por Country Music Group em 1 de jan. de 2006
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Blue and Soulful
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 30 de out. de 2007
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The Platinum Collection
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 19 de mar. de 2007
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Cry To Me
Pop - Lançado por Starsound Records em 9 de nov. de 2017
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Very Best Of
Pop - Lançado por UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) em 1 de jan. de 1998
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A Change Is Gonna Come
R&B - Lançado por Rounder em 1 de jan. de 1986
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Solomon Burke's Greatest Hits
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 1 de jan. de 1962
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The Definition Of Soul
R&B - Lançado por Virgin em 1 de jan. de 1997
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I Wish I Knew
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 1 de mai. de 1968
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Solomon's Best
Jazz - Lançado por Black Sheep Music em 11 de abr. de 2013
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Rock 'N' Soul (Mono)
Rock - Lançado por Rhino Atlantic em 1 de jan. de 1964
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The King of Rock 'N' Soul: The Atlantic Recordings (1962-1968)
Miscellaneous - Lançado por Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group em 28 de ago. de 2020
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His Golden Years (Remastered)
Blues - Lançado por Master Tape Records em 18 de set. de 2020
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