About the Book
Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 216. Chapters: Solomon Burke, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willy DeVille, Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Etta James, Louis Jordan, Tom Hambridge, B.B. King, Eva Cassidy, Dr. John, Ben Harper, John Lee Hooker, Lead Belly, Taj Mahal (musician), Lillian Randolph, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Amanda Randolph, Buddy Guy, Odetta, Bessie Smith, Bonnie Raitt, Elmore James, Joe Bonamassa, Thomasina Winslow, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Matt Lucas (singer), Big Joe Turner, Dinah Washington, Little Walter, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Cassandra Wilson, Taylor Horn, Willie Dixon, Blind Willie McTell, Dave Van Ronk, Freddie King, Memphis Slim, Gregg Allman, Lonnie Johnson, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Tim Rose, Charley Patton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, R. L. Burnside, Ruth Brown, Albert Collins, Jim Suhler. Excerpt: Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 - October 10, 2010) was an American recording artist and vocalist, who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s and a "key transitional figure in the development of soul music from rhythm and blues. 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 as "King Solomon," the "King of Rock 'n' Soul," "Bishop of Soul" and the "Muhammad Ali of soul." Due to Burke's minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, Burke is often described as the genre's "most unfairly overlooked singer" of its golden age. Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler once referred to Burke as "the greatest male soul singer of all time." Burke's most famous recordings, which spanned five years in the early 1960s, bridged the gap between mainstream R&B and grittier R&B. Burke was "a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s." He drew from his roots - gospel, jazz, country and blues - as well as developing his own style at a time when R&B, and rock were both still in their infancy. Described as both "Rabelaisian" and also as a "spiritual enigma," "perhaps more than any other artist, the ample figure of Solomon Burke symbolized the ways that spirituality and commerce, ecstasy and entertainment, sex and salvation, individualism and brotherhood, could blend in the world of 1960s soul music." During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the Billboard R&B charts. In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. His album Don't Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Co
