Solomon Burke -- Biography and Recommendations | Solomon Burke - King of Rock and Soul |
Born - March 21, 1940, Died - October 10, 2010.
While Solomon Burke never made a major impact upon the pop audience -- he never, in fact, had a Top Twenty hit -- he was an important early soul pioneer. On his 1960s singles for Atlantic, he brought a country influence into R&B with emotional phrasing and intricately constructed, melodic ballads and mid-tempo songs. At the same time, he was surrounded with sophisticated "uptown" arrangements, and provided with much of his material, by his producers, particularly Bert Berns. The 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 1960s.
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 mild 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 as well. 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.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Burke became one of the most visible living exponents of classic soul music, continuing to tour and record albums in a rootsy, at times gospelish 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, is a favorite of those who want to experience a soul legend with his talents and stylistic purity relatively intact. -- Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
01. If You Need Me 02. Words 03. Stupidity 04. Go on Back to Him 05. I Said I Was Sorry 06. It's All Right |
07. Home in Your Heart 08. I Really Don't Want to Know 09. You Can Make It If You Try 10. Send Me Some Loving 11. This Little Ring 12. Tonight My Heart She Is Crying |
01. If You Need Me 02. Words 03. Stupidity 04. Go On Back To Him 05. I Said I Was Sorry 06. It's All Right 07. Home In Your Heart |
08. I Really Don't Want To Know 09. You Can Make It If You Try 10. Send Me Some Loving 11. This Little Ring 12. Tonight My Heart She Is Crying 13. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye) 14. Cry To Me |
01. Won't You Give Him (One More Chance) 02. Hard Ain't It Hard 03. Can't Nobody Love You 04. Just Out Of Reach 05. You're Good For Me |
06. You Can't Love 'Em All 07. Someone To Love Me 08. Beautiful Brown Eyes 09. He'll Have To Go |
01. I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free) 02. Get Out Of My Life Woman 03. Meet Me In The Church 04. By The Time I Get To Phoenix 05. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye |
06. What'd I Say 07. Since I Met you Baby 08. Save It 09. Shame On Me 10. Why, Why, Why |
01. It's Been A Change 02. Take Me (Just As I Am) 03. Time Is A Thief 04. Keep A Light In The Window Till I Come Home 05. Baby Come on Home 06. Detroit City 07. Someone Is Watching 08. Party People |
09. When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) 10. Woman, How Do You Make Me Love You Like I Do 11. It's Just A Matter Of Time 12. Presents For Christmas 13. Tonight's The Night 14. Only Love (Can Save Me Now) 15. I Don't Want You Anymore 16. (No, No, No) I Can't Stop Loving You Now |
01. Just Out Of Reach 02. I Almost Lost My Mind 03. Got To Get You Off My Mind 04. I Can't Stop Loving You 05. If You Need Me |
06. Love's Street And Fool's Road 07. Tonight's The Night 08. The Electronic Magnetism(that's heavy baby) 09. Cry To Me 10. My Prayer |
01. Please Don't You Say Goodbye to Me 02. Hold on! I'm Comin' 03. Sidewalks, Fences and Walls 04. Boo Hoo Hoo (Cra-Cra-Craya) 05. Lucky |
06. Let Your Love Flow 07. The More 08. See That Girl 09. Sweeter Than Sweetness 10. Please Come Back Home to Me |
01. Boo Hoo Hoo (Cra-Cra-Craya) 02. Sidewalks, Fences and Walls 03. Lucky 04. The More 05. Please Come Back Home to Me |
06. Let You Love Flow 07. See That Girl 08. Sweeter Than Sweetness 09. Please Don't You Say Goodbye to Me 10. Hold on! I'm Comin' |
01. Boo Hoo Hoo (Cra-Cra-Craya) 02. Hold on! I'm Comin' 03. Sweeter Than Sweetness 04. Sidewalks, Fences and Walls |
05. Let the Love Flow 06. The More 07. Lucky 08. Please Come Back Home to Me |
01. Be Bop Grandma 02. Just Out Of Reach(of my two empty arms) 03. Cry To Me 04. Down In The Valley 05. I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You 06. Stupidity 07. Can't Nobody Love You 08. If You Need Me |
09. Won't You Give Me One More Chance 10. You're Good For Me 11. Goodbye Baby(baby goodbye) 12. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love 13. Yes I Do 14. The Price 15. Got To Get You Off My Mind 16. Maggie's Farm |
01. Introduction: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love 02. Medley 03. Cry to Me 04. Medley: Monologue/Take Me/I Can't Stop... 05. Down in the Valley |
06. Proud Mary 07. Introduction to Encore: Gotta Get You off My Mind 08. Medley: Meet Me in Church/The Price/Words... 09. Medley: You're Good for Me/Send Me Some... 10. Medley: Gotta Get You off My Mind/Having a... |
01. Love Buys Love 02. Got To Get Myself Some Money 03. Let It Be You And Me 04. Love Is All That Matters 05. Don't Tell Me What A Man Won't Do For A Woman |
06. A Change Is Gonna Come 07. Here We Go Again 08. It Don't Get No Better Than This 09. When A Man Loves A Woman |
01. Proud Mary 02. These Arms of Mine 03. I'll Be Doggone 04. How Big a Fool (Can a Fool Be) 05. Don't Wait Too Long 06. Uptight Good Woman 07. That Lucky Old Sun |
08. I Can't Stop 09. Please Send Me Someone to Love 10. What Am I Living For? 11. The Generation of Revelations 12. I'm Gonna Stay Right Here 13. God Knows I Love You 14. In the Ghetto |
01. Baby Please Don't Cry 02. Try a Little Tenderness 03. I Don't Need Nobody 04. Make It up to You 05. Stayin' Away |
06. Home Land 07. I'll Be There 08. Love Ain't No Easy Place to Be 09. You're Gonna Love Me 10. What I've Got to Do |
01. My Babe 02. Good Rockin' Tonight 03. Sufferin' Mind 04. Letter from My Darling 05. Don't Deceive Me 06. Candy |
07. Crawdad Hole 08. Along About Midnight 09. Pledging My Love 10. Lonesome Highway 11. Street Walking Woman 12. No Nights by Myself |
01. Introduction: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love 02. Medley: If You Need Me/Tonight's the Night... 03. Cruel World 04. Cry to Me 05. Candy/Candy Rap 06. Got to Get You off My Mind |
07. No More Nights by Myself 08. Ain't Nobody's Business 09. Down in the Valley 10. I Want a Little Girl 11. Medley: Beautiful Brown Eyes/Just a Matter... 12. Good Rockin' Tonight |
01. Why Can't We Come Together 02. Your Time to Cry 03. Sweet Spirit 04. You're the One 05. Just for You 06. Oooooo You |
07. Everybody's Got a Game 08. Today Is Your Birthday 09. Use Me, But Leave My Mind Alone 10. It's So Hard 11. Nobody But You |
01. Just Out Of Reach 02. Cry To Me 03. Down In The Valley 04. I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You 05. If You Need Me 06. Can't Nobody Love You 07. You're Good For Me 08. Goodbye Baby(baby goodbye) |
09. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love 10. The Price 11. Got To Get You Off My Mind 12. Tonight's The Night 13. Someone Is Watching 14. Take Me(just as I am) 15. I Wish I Knew(how it would feel to be free) 16. Soul Meeting |
01. Twelve Gates to the City 02. I Believe in Jesus (I Believe in God) 03. Never Alone 04. Mother Loves Her Children All the Time 05. This Little Light of Mine |
06. Aunt Margarite 07. You Should Be a Witness 08. Lord We Need a Miracle (Right Now) 09. I Want Jesus to Walk With Me |
01. Not by Water, But Fire This Time 02. I'm Trusting in Him 03. Turn This Thing Around 04. He Knows How Much We Can Bear 05. Music Box 06. In the Midst of Us 07. Mighty Rushing Wind |
08. Thank You, Jesus... 09. The Word of God 10. I'm Blessed 11. How Will I Know? 12. Silent Prayer 13. Praise Him/Yes Lord 14. It's Over |
01. Good Rockin' Tonight 02. Sufferin' Mind 03. Letter From My Darling 04. My Babe 05. Don't Deceive Me 06. Candy 07. Crawdad Hole 08. Along About Midnight 09. Pledging My Love |
10. Lonesome Highway 11. Street Walking Woman 12. No Nights By Myself 13. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love 14. If You Need Me/Tonight's The Night/ I Almost Lost My Mind 15. Cry To Me 16. Got To Get You Off My Mind 17. Down In The Valley |
01. Don't Give Up on Me 02. Fast Train 03. Diamond in Your Mind 04. Flesh and Blood 05. Soul Searchin' 06. Only a Dream |
07. The Judgement 08. Stepchild 09. The Other Side of the Coin 10. None of Us Are Free 11. Sit This One Out |
01. I Need Your Love in My Life 02. What Good Am I? 03. It Makes No Difference 04. Let Somebody Love Me 05. After All These Years |
06. Fading Footsteps 07. At the Crossroads 08. I Got the Blues 09. Make Do With What You Got 10. Wealth Won't Save Your Soul |
01. That's How I Got to Memphis 02. Seems Like You're Gonna Take Me Back 03. Tomorrow Is Forever 04. Ain't Got You 05. Valley of Tears 06. Honey Where's the Money Gone 07. Atta Way to Go |
08. Millionaire 09. Up to the Mountain 10. Does My Ring Burn Your Finger 11. Vicious Circle 12. We're Gonna Hold On 13. You're the Kind of Trouble 14. 'Til I Get It Right |
01. Like a Fire 02. We Don't Need It 03. The Fall 04. A Minute to Rest and a Second to Pray 05. Ain't That Something |
06. What Makes Me Think I Was Right 07. Understanding 08. You and Me 09. Thank You 10. If I Give My Heart to You |
01. Oh What a Feeling 02. Everything About You 03. Dreams 04. Nothing's Impossible 05. It Must Be Love 06. You Needed Me |
07. Say You Love Me Too 08. You're Not Alone 09. New Company 10. When You're Not Here 11. The Error of My Ways 12. I'm Leavin' |