Solomon Burke is king of all he surveys

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He spent much of the last two months of last year on a concert tour of Europe and the United States, he recently made a guest appearance on Amos’ new album and he preaches regularly at his Southern California church whenever he’s not on the road.

Born on March 21, 1940, above Philadelphia’s Solomon’s Temple during a service, Burke says music and religion were infused in him from his first moments of life.

“They didn’t even hear me cry,” he says of the congregation worshipping downstairs while his mother gave birth upstairs. “Those tubas and trombones was playing. I always wondered if I was in the right key.”

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Seven years later, he was preaching to the congregation at the church founded by his grandmother. Seven years after that he was asked to sing at his grandmother’s funeral, and his performance resulted in his first recording contract. He was 21 when he had his first hit, “Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms).”

He acknowledges struggling to make ends meet during the lean years, adding that one of his many sidelines, a mortuary business connected to his church, helped him keep him going.

“We’re the first ones to pick you up and the last ones to let you down,” he quips.

To this day, he grouses about being shortchanged on recording deals and songwriting royalties during those years. Turning serious for a moment, he says he is hopeful the attention his comeback has brought might give him the opportunity to mentor young musicians about the business side of music.

Don’t get him wrong, Burke quickly adds, basking in the adulation of a newfound audience has been great fun. But he’d also like to leave a greater legacy behind.

“What good am I if I don’t accomplish something?” he asks during a moment of quiet contemplation. “If I don’t help somebody else along the way.”

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