Interview: Solomon BurkeThe 'King of Rock 'N' Soul' talks to PTV ahead of his appearance at the 2004 Blues v lese festival
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Talking to Solomon Burke, even on the telephone, is an uplifting experience. At the end of a long morning of phone interviews, the "King of Rock 'N' Soul" remains positive, gracious and undeniably soulful. You actually believe him when he says that it's a pleasure to talk to you, even though you know you're his fifth phone interview of the day, promoting an appearance at the Blues v lese ("Blues in the Woods") festival in Øevnice. Burke, who's making his first-ever visit to Eastern Europe, isn't a household name but some aspects of his career will spark immediate recognition among even the most casual music fans. This is the man, for instance, who wrote Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, as covered by The Rolling Stones and The Blues Brothers. And this is the man who Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler named his favorite soul singer, ahead of label mates like Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin. Unlike many of his contemporaries, though, superstardom eluded Burke and as musical trends changed, his gospel-tinged soul fell out of fashion at the end of the 1960s. So did Solomon Burke envy the success of his musical peers? "I don't regret anything," he says. "I'm very glad I'm here. A lot of my contemporaries, who enjoyed a great deal of commercial success, aren't with us any more." Instead of music, religion and family took center stage for Burke, who's been ordained as a bishop in a church founded by his grandmother and fathered over 20 children. Somehow, he also found time to become a licensed mortician. Throughout these years of relative obscurity, Burke continued to tour and record, and his musical reputation remained strong despite a lack of commercial success. It was to be the respect of his musical peers that led to a late, dramatic revival in Burke's musical fortunes, matching that of the Buena Vista Social Club for fairytale charm. Now 68 and weighing in at well over 300 lbs (136 kilograms), Burke isn't obvious pop star material but the quality of his voice has won out in the end. His "comeback", 2002's Don't Give Up On Me, earned two Grammy awards and was hailed by many critics as one of the best albums of the year. Much of Don't Give Up On Me's success is down to Fat Possum records boss Andy Kaulkin, who came up with the idea of approaching some of the world's biggest singer-songwriters and asking them to write songs for Burke. The audacious tactic paid off, with stars such as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello all eagerly providing Burke with new material. Asked if he was surprised that he had so many friends in high places, Burke is endearingly honest: "Absolutely! Are you kidding?" "What goes around, comes around," he says when asked to explain the renewed interest in his music. "I'm blessed to be here, to be able to sing and perform to the best of my ability." Now celebrating his 50th year in music, Burke is currently recording a follow-up to Don't Give Up On Me, featuring further contributions from Dylan and Van Morrison plus a song from The Rolling Stones. "We're recording as we speak," he says from a studio in Southern California. "It's going to be refreshing - keep some of the tone of the last album, throw in some new things." Burke is clearly enjoying this late burst of success and, talking about his Blues v lese appearance, he sounds both excited and grateful. "I think it's great being able to connect with so many people," he says. "I'm very proud [of Don't Give Up On Me's success] and this is one of the reasons I'm traveling." Finally, asked if he has a message for Prague TV's readers, Bishop Burke offers the following words: "Continue to believe in yourself and never give up. We can make it if we try. If we believe in the word and the power of love, wars will cease." Amen to that.
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