The Legend of Soul for the first time in Portugal Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Solomon Burke came into contact with music during his time as pastor for a local community. His vocal talent became apparent in early adulthood, when he agreed to take part in a gospel programme for a local radio station.

Thus began the career path that would lead him to the throne he occupies today as “the king of rock and soul”. In the 1960s, he signed a contract with Atlantic Records and decided to experiment with other musical genres. His first hit was “Just Out Of Reach Of My Open Arms”, a country theme that was actually a cover version, although many believed him to be the original artist. The critics became accustomed to praising him and his peers surrendered themselves to his choices. The artistic community gave Solomon Burke a standing ovation and thrilled to R&B hits such as “Cry To Me”, which was used for the soundtrack of the classic film “Dirty Dancing”.

The first steps to a promising career in soul were taken with “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love” (1964), which was subsequently performed as a cover version by various bands, among them the Rolling Stones, not long after it was first released.

Versatility is one of Solomon Burke’s traits, and is visible in both his musical styles, which range from soul to R&B, and from country to gospel, and in his stage performances, which include both classic venues and more unusual ones such as St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

After a career spanning over four decades, during which he has interpreted previously unedited compositions by Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Brian Wilson, Solomon Burke returns to the spotlight in the new millennium.

In 2001, he was invited to join the list of artists in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and in 2002 he won a Grammy with his work “Don't Give Up On Me”.

In Portugal for the first time, Solomon Burke will be presenting his new album, which is due to be launched precisely in the month of June. Expectations surrounding the work are very high, and it is already public knowledge that the successor to “Nashville” features exclusive compositions by some of the top names from the world of music, such as Ben Harper and Eric Clapton.

Official Site - http://www.thekingsolomonburke.com/