It’s been covered by The Rolling Stones and The Blues Brothers, but the original came from the legendary soul singer Solomon Burke‘s vocal chords. Take a listen while you read on.
Burke, 70, died early Sunday of natural causes on a plane from Los Angeles that had touched down at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Burke was in Amsterdamn to perform a sellout show at the Paradiso – a church converted into a music hall – with the local band De Dijk.
‘His love, life, and music will continue to live within us forever,’ says the family statement on the singers website.
It continued, ‘This is a time of great sorrow for our entire family. We truly appreciate all of the support and well wishes from his friends and fans.’
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He was born to the sounds of ‘horns and bass drums’ in the upstairs room of a church in Philadelphia. He would go on to be a music pioneer in the infancy of R&; a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; win a Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy; and play for John Paul II at the Vatican.
Before his music career began, Burke was a preacher in Philadelphia and hosted a gospel radio show. He met with Martin Luther King, Jr. on several occasions.
Sometime in the 60s Burke signed with Atlantic records and his first hit was a cover of the country song, ‘Just Out of Reach (of My Two Open Arms.)
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He would have a few pop hits and several major R&B hits. Unfortunately, he never became as popular as the singers that were influenced by him – James Brown and Marvin Gay to name two.
Legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler once called Burke, ‘the best soul singer of all time.’
Anti-Records President Andy Kaulkin said, ‘Popular music today wouldn’t be where it is without Solomon Burke.’
The most well-known song from Burke is ‘Cry To Me.’ It was a hit in the 60s and again in the 80s when it was used in one of the most memorable scenes from the movie ‘Dirty Dancing.’
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His carrer was revitalized in the early 2000s after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (alongside Bob Dylan
