Solomon Burke - the king of soul RIP

He was larger than life in more ways than one, playing the role of the 'King of Soul' to the hilt, sitting on a throne while performing later in life, to both perpetuate his tiltle, 'The King of Soul' as well as to rest his large frame.  He began preaching in a church in Philadelphia at age 7.  His roots were gospel but he became a legend with his first hit, 'Cry to Me.'

He was trained as a mortician and owned a mortuary in Los Angeles.  Listening to an interview on NPR after his passing with Joe Henry who produced his comeback album, "Don't Give Up on Me" in 2002, Henry said he was always busy, if not with music it was his businesses.  He described Burke as a 'hustler' in the good sense of the word and related an account of Burke frying chicken near the stage during a show at the Apollo and then selling the pieces to other performers backstage. 

His music lives on.