Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Solomon Burke, Soul and Rock Legend, Dead at 70
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 10, 2010
Modified Oct 10, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Oct 10, 2010
Modified Oct 10, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Solomon Burke, the "King of Rock 'N' Soul," died early today at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at age 70, of natural causes. Burke, a pioneer of soul, rock and R&B in the 1960s, scored several huge hits in that decade, including "Cry To Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love," both of which were featured prominently in movies (Dirty Dancing and The Blues Brothers, appropriately) and both of which were covered by the nascent Rolling Stones. Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler once called Burke, "the best soul singer of all time," but he never achieved the same level of fame as his contemporaries, such as James Brown and Marvin Gaye. Burke was also a preacher, and imbued his music with a bone-deep spirituality. He lived quite a colorful life outside of music and the church too: he had 21 children, 90 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. He ran a mortuary business, sold chicken and porkchop sandwiches to musicians who he toured with, and supposedly also ran a drugstore whose pharmacy required him to ride a bike to gets perscriptions filled.
For the uninitiated, it is highly recommended that you check out his late-career masterpiece, the Grammy-winning Don't Give Up On Me, and it's followup Make Do With What You Got. Both albums feature Burke covering obscurities and newly-written songs from the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison and Brian Wilson. Below, you can see a live performance of the title track from Don't Give Up On Me, with Burke bursting in passion from his signature chair.
>
Tagged
death
don't give up on me
king of rock n soul
Music
solomon burke
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .