The legendary soul, gospel, country and crossover singer Solomon Burke died October 10th of 2010 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. He was 70 years old.
An American soul and country music pioneer, Solomon Burke is regarded by many aficionados as one of the best soul singers of all time. He was born on March 21, 1940, in Philadelphia. By the age of seven he was known as the “Wonder Boy Preacher.”
Burke joined the Atlantic Records stable in 1960, putting him in the company of Ray Charles, Ben E. King and Wilson Pickett.His first hit with them came almost immediately, with "Cry to Me."He had top R&B hits in 1965 with "Got to Get You Off of My Mind," and "Tonight's the Night," the rock museum says in Burke's biography.He continued to tour until his death, and was scheduled to perform Tuesday in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.