Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke was born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936, or 1940 – October 10, 2010, and was an American 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 the soul”.
Due to his minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding, Burke has been described as the genre’s “most unfairly overlooked singer” of its golden age.
Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler referred to Burke as “the greatest male soul singer of all time”.
How many children did Solomon Burke, fathered?
Personal life. Burke was married four times. In total, he fathered 21 children (fourteen daughters and seven sons). He had seven step-children, 90 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren at the time of his death.
Source: Ghanafuo.com
