The King of Rock and Soul

Solomon Burke: Got To Get You Off My Mind
From Got to Get You Off My Mind 7" (Atlantic, 1965)
Solomon Burke: Get Out My Life Woman
From Get Out My Life Woman 7" (Atlantic, 1968)
Solomon Burke: Over and Over
From Back to My Roots (Chess, 1976)


Solomon Burke's music seems to have across the board appeal. Everyone from Southern old timers to Elvis Costello to Cusack's character in High Fidelity are jocking dude. A friend of mine just went to see him play in San Francisco and said that despite being over an hour late due to traffic, he left everyone with the impression that he was one of the most humble and professional showmen to hit the stage.

The legends surrounding the man run deep. I've heard that he's an ordained Bishop, a mortition, the father of over 20 children, and that he used to take the stage in full crown and cape regalia. And that's just from liner notes.

Songs like "Got to Get You Off of My Mind" always make me think of how different music production is now than it was 40 years ago. It's a fairly stripped down soul arrangement, but there's still so much going on considering that it can't have been recorded on more than a couple mics. In fact, if you listen close enough, you can hear one of the backup singers do a false start after the first chorus. Fixing that if it were recorded today would be a matter of a simple keystroke, but the fact that it's left in solidifies my picture of all the musicians performing together in one room.

For a dude with a such a fantastic voice, it's probably unnecessary to focus on Burke's backup singers, but they absolutely kill it on "Get Out My Life Woman" too. I can just see the women in sequin dresses, wagging their fingers with one hand on their hips.

I also tossed in a later and less heralded track to get your pimp on to. His current stuff isn't shabby either. Both of the recent albums are solid, the earlier of which features songs written for him by artists such as Brian Wilson, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan. See the Solomon Burke show when it rolls through your city, as it is a unique opportunity to catch a true show business king.