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| Nellcote |
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Late Night with Conan O’Brien
NBC 30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
BE THERE! |
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| Martha |
I'm THERE!
;-) |
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| Fiji Joe |
Not there, but my TIVO will be. |
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| justinkurian |
I saw Solomon last Friday at BB Kings in NYC - unbelievable show. I got to shake his hand - we were so close. Our seats were right against the stage.
This is from Yahoo...
Soul Man Solomon Burke Gets Help from Famous Pals
By Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When Solomon Burke calls, even the most aloof rock stars pick up the phone.
The R&B heavyweight who wrote and sang the oft-covered tune "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" knows that everybody loves to collaborate with the "king of rock and soul."
Van Morrison, Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello are among the musicians who have dusted off unreleased songs or written tunes specifically for him. And the famously gruff Morrison surprised everyone by writing the liner notes for Burke's newly released album "Make Do With What You Got" (Shout! Factory/Sony BMG).
"I've been successful twice," Burke, 64, said of his efforts to get Morrison on the phone. "I'm not pushing it."
"Sometimes friendship isn't just shaking hands and sitting down and having a dinner or a cocktail together," he added in a recent interview with Reuters. "It can just be saying, 'Hey, what can I do to see that you get what you need?' And in return I'm here for you and you're there for me. That's so cool, man, when it comes like that."
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee responsible for 21 children, 74 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren is one of the few soul legends still putting out vital new work. He won a Grammy in 2003 for his previous album, "Don't Give Up On Me." It marked the first Grammy in a five-decade career that included six top-10 R&B hits, such as "Cry to Me," "If You Need Me" and the chart-topper "Got to Get You Off My Mind."
He recalled recently suggesting to fellow soul icon Wilson Pickett that they record an album together, imploring the "Midnight Hour" singer, "We gotta keep moving. We gotta keep going. They can't stop you if you keep moving."
PREACHING AND POPCORN
But Burke is more than just a musician. He is a bishop in his own North American network of churches, the House of God, and runs a chain of mortuaries with a daughter. He is also involved in the music ventures of some of his other children.
His entrepreneurial endeavors began as a youngster in Philadelphia when he employed his pals to operate a car wash. During the 1960s, he sold popcorn and hot dogs at his shows. He used to own a toy store but realized that more merchandise was going out the back door to his family than to customers.
He lives in a middle-class suburb in a five-bedroom house that stands out from the rest thanks to the Rolls-Royce and a fleet of town cars parked outside.
Most men like to think they are in charge at home. Burke proves it by holding court from a throne in the living room. Guests must remove their shoes and give him a hug. Bald and nattily dressed in a three-piece suit, he remains seated as he's not the most mobile man, weighing in at over 400 pounds.
The self-deprecating jokes, the enviable anecdotes and the heartfelt sermons pour out: The aquajogging regimen that burned off 30 pounds ... meeting with the Pope who wanted to know if Burke had heard his material ... passing himself off as Barry White and ordering hundreds of hot dogs in the late soul icon's name ... the unfulfilled plan to work with Ray Charles.
And then there's the new album, recorded in just five days with Rolling Stones producer Don Was at the helm. It boasts tracks written by Morrison and Dylan, Robbie Robertson (news) of The Band and late country icon Hank Williams. The title track was co-written by New Orleans pianist Dr. John.
GOING COUNTRY
The Rolling Stones, who have boosted Burke's royalty checks with multiple recordings of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," personally selected their 1971 song "I Got the Blues" for him to record. He made it his own by improvising such impassioned lines as "you're somewhere watchin' the Rolling Stones, I'm laying here in this bed of blues all alone."
"They were blown away by it," Burke said. "They were so amused by the add-ons."
Burke co-wrote one track, "After All These Years," a tender ballad about a couple still passionate for each other "now that the kids are all grown up."
Together, "Don't Give Up On Me" and "Make Do With What You Got" mark a renaissance for a man who remains hungry for new things. He is preparing for the June release of a gospel album called "Higher Power" and wants to return to one of his first musical loves by recording a country album.
"As long as God's giving me life and breath, I'm hoping I'll be able to get out there and perform and go to as many places around the world as possible, and try all the techniques."
His worst fear is being labeled as a heritage artist whose best days are behind him.
"It hurts me so bad when I go to Europe and fans come up to me and say, 'Can you sign your autograph?' And I look at the album, and they've got 10 albums of the same songs. Please! I've got a new album coming out." |
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| Nellcote |
Outstanding! |
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