Well, after 70 years, 17 million records sold, 21 children and 90 grand children, original soul man Solomon Burke has died. How many real Soul Men are left, I wonder? How many of his label mates at the legendary Atlantic records back in the sixties are still going? Aretha Franklin for one . . .can’t be many more though. According to the news I’m reading, the cause of death isn’t clear, but how many 30 stone 70 year olds are there? Solomon enjoyed his life right to the end, performing live, recording, and writing music. It’s fitting that he died on the way to a gig, as he says in this interview in the telegraph last year, ‘I’ll sing as long as I have breath’
