Rest in peace, Big Guy...

The larger-than-life Solomon Burke opened for Van Morrison a few years ago at Oakdale and nearly stole the show from The Man.  His 2002 album, Don't Give Up On Me, featuring an eccentric selection of cover tunes by Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, got him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.  I wore out that CD.  I've pulled out Solomon Burke, King of Rock 'N' Soul, Live at the House of Blues to listen to as I post this.

Testimonial from Pool Hall Stud Marky G: 

SB was awesome.  I remember seeing him at the HOB in Nola years ago = Burgundy velour tux with all the ruffles... his son passing out the roses, with Barry & your old roommate Texas Jeff.  Great show and another legend we'll never see again.  Looking forward to this years fest.

(Per Wikipedia, so it must be true):

Artistically, Burke was influenced by the music of the church, as well as by Little Richard.  In the 60s, Burke signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)", a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, who covered Burke's "Down in the Valley" for 1965's Otis Blue. Burke's best known song is "Cry to Me", which was a hit twice: first in the 60s, and again in the 1980s when it was used in the film – and appeared on the soundtrack for – Dirty Dancing.  In 1964, with Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler, he wrote and recorded "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Almost immediately covered by The Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another, a decade and a half later, in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.  Burke fathered 21 children (14 daughters and 7 sons), had 90 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

As a tribute to Solomon Burke, here is The Wire Season 3 ending montage with his Fast Train as the background music: