Soul singer Solomon Burke diesSoul singer Solomon Burke dies aged 70
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 Click to play Archive footage of Solomon Burke performing on the BBC's Top of The Pops programme in 2003 US soul singer Solomon Burke, who wrote the classic song Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, has died at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport aged 70. The former preacher turned singer had been due to perform at a well-known club in the city on Tuesday. The self-proclaimed King of Rock & Soul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and won a Grammy in 2003. Burke leaves behind 21 children and 90 grandchildren. Dutch national broadcaster NOS said he died on a plane early on Sunday after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles. The cause of death has not yet been announced. Dirty DancingBorn in Philadelphia, he began his adult career as a preacher and hosted a gospel radio show. In the 1960s, he signed with Ahmet Ertegun's Atlantic Records - home to Ray Charles. His first hit record was a cover version of the country song Just Out Of Reach. In 1962, he had another hit with the single Cry To Me, famously used 25 years later in the film Dirty Dancing. Two years later in 1964, Burke wrote and recorded arguably his most influential song Everybody Needs Somebody to Love. It went on to be covered by artists including The Rolling Stones and Wilson Pickett. 
Burke performed at Glastonbury in 2008
It was also performed by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Burke was inducted into the the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the same year as Michael Jackson, Aerosmith and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. His career had something of a revival the following year with his record Don't Give Up On Me, where he sang songs written by artists including Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and Van Morrison. It was named best contemporary blues album at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003. Burke, dubbed by legendary Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler as "the best soul singer of all time", continued to perform and played Glastonbury's Jazz World stage in 2008. Earlier this year, he performed in Gateshead, Exeter and London's Jazz Cafe, spending all of the gigs seated in his specially made throne. In an interview with The Telegraph, Burke said: "As long as I have breath to do it, I'll sing, with God's help." Your commentsI worked security at two gigs for Solomon and I couldn't believe I was lucky enough to be paid to listen to this guy, superb voice and even the chair became part of the show. He interacted with the crowd and really drew them in. David Brown, from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK The one track I and many others would remember from the eighties is 'Rising To The Top'. It also became a massive reggae hit and can produce a busy dance floor within seconds of the first bars being played. R.I.P Solomon. Stanga Boi, from London, UK I had the pleasure of seeing Solomon live in Newcastle around the time of his 'Don't Give Up On Me' album. He was an absolute star - asking the audience what they wanted to hear and handing a rose to every woman in the audience that night. A great soul star, may he rest in peace. Mal Adams, from North Shields, UK Brilliant songs - one of those that you hum or sing all day. Larry Green, from Redcar, Cleveland, UK Yet again one of the great voices of the past century has departed this world. The tragedy is that so few singing voices remain. Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandros, Barry White, Sam Cook and many more have gone and there is no one good enough to replace or follow them. Anthony, UK Solomon Burke is certainly one of the greatest and most influential artists ever. He has left a great deal of legacy behind and songs such as 'If You Need Me', 'The Promise', 'Everybody Needs Someone', 'Out Of Reach' and many, many more will live on in the hearts of his adoring fans forever. May his soul rest in peace. Gladstone Virgo, London, UK Your music was my education in soul music and I'm gutted to have missed the Jazz Cafe session in the summer. Martin, from Southampton, UK We saw Solomon Burke and his band two years ago at Pohoda Festival in Trencin, Slovakia. He was amazing and had so much energy and his voice was soulful. He had two female assistants who mopped the perspiration from his brow - fantastic. Rest in peace. John Rice, from Market Harborough, Leicestershire, UK I was due to go travel to Amsterdam on Tuesday for Solomon's concert with De Dijk, I will never forget meeting him in Belgium in 2007. He was an absolute gentleman and a great man. There will never be another singer like Solomon Burke! The King of Rock 'n' Soul. David Hall, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK I bought Solomon Burke's Greatest Hits LP after hearing 'Down In The Valley' on a jukebox in the early sixties. I've been a fan ever since. I saw him perform and got his autograph in Bexley in 1965. I recently caught him again - magnificent - at the New Orleans Jazzfest last year. A truly larger than life performer. Thanks, Solomon. Derek, from Southampton, UK R.I.P Solomon, fantastic singer/songwriter! Mel King, St Helens, UK What sad news. A great singer who transcended genres and trends. A magnificent voice, great manner and a master of soul. I came to appreciate him late into his career when I came across some of the most amazing and beautiful country soul imaginable. A great loss to music. Ian, from Essex, UK Solomon Burke was one of the all time soul greats of my youth along with Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. We enjoyed and learned. Thank you Solomon, may you rest in peace. I am sure you will still be making soul music in a better place. Ray Welsh, London, UK Sad, sad news. RIP Solomon, your legend lives on in your music. Christine Moore, Northumberland, UK I like to listen to Solomon's smooth and relaxing voice. So deep and full of feelings. Thanks Sol, I've been a fan of yours since that day back in the sixties when I was a squaddie in West Germany. A friend and I walked into a record shop in Amsterdam and picked up your Soul album. The track 'Just Out Of Reach' was on it, though a favourite country and western song, you gave it the old soul treatment, and it has been my favourite since. Really so sad now that in that very town, Amsterdam, you have chosen to leave us. Thanks again Solomon, and rest in peace. Matt Stone, London, UK About a year ago I was at my daughter's house after going to a concert. We played Solomon Burke's music and I danced my heart out. It was so nice! I am 53, so it was quite an evening. We will keep on enjoying his great music! Henni Van Dijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Second wave of sludge expected in HungaryKOLONTAR, Hungary — The wall of a reservoir filled with caustic red sludge will inevitably collapse and unleash a new deluge of red sludge that could flow about a half-mile to the north, a Hungarian official said Sunday.
That would flood parts of the town already hit by the industrial waste on Monday but stop short of the next town to the north. Environmental State Secretary Zoltan Illes said recently discovered cracks on the northern wall of the reservoir at the alumina plant have temporarily stopped widening because of favorable weather conditions but will continue to expand, especially at night. The reservoir could collapse "within one day or a week," he said. Disaster agency spokesman Tibor Dobson said engineers didn't detect any new cracks overnight, and the older cracks were being repaired, but that it was too soon to consider lowering the current state of alert. Protective walls were being built around the reservoir's damaged area to hold back any further spills and a 2,000-foot long dam was under construction to save the areas of the town of Kolontar not directly hit by Monday's disaster. "I would describe the situation as hopeful, but nothing has really changed," Dobson told The Associated Press. "The wall to protect Kolontar is planned to be finished by tonight, but it will likely be several days before residents may be able to move back." Gyorgyi Tottos, a spokeswoman for disaster crews, called it "a race against time as good weather is forecast for the coming few days but then the rain will come." Nearly all of Kolontar's 800 residents were evacuated Saturday, when Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the north wall of the massive storage pool — which is 24.7 acres in size — was expected to "very likely" collapse after cracks were detected at several points along the dam.
The roughly 6,000 residents of neighboring Devecser, just north of Kolontar, were told by police Saturday to pack a single bag and get ready to leave at a moment's notice. "This hasn't changed," Dobson said. "We are still on guard in case of any more spills." The owners of the alumina plant expressed their condolences Sunday to the families of the seven people killed, as well as to those injured — and said they were sorry for not having done so sooner. The company also said it was willing to pay compensation "in proportion to its responsibility" for the damage caused by the deluge. Red sludge is a byproduct of the refining of bauxite into alumina, the basic material for manufacturing aluminum. Treated sludge is often stored in ponds where the water eventually evaporates, leaving behind a largely safe red clay. Industry experts say the sludge in Hungary appears to have been insufficiently treated, if at all, meaning it remained highly caustic. Illes, commenting to reporters during a tour of the affected villages and the damaged reservoir, confirmed that red sludge stored in Hungarian reservoirs was not treated to reduce its alkalinity. On Monday, the sludge flooded three villages in less than an hour, burning people and animals. At least seven people were killed and at least 120 were injured. Several of those who were hospitalized were in serious condition. Around 184 million gallons of the caustic red sludge was released. The red sludge devastated creeks and rivers near the spill site and entered the Danube River on Thursday, moving downstream toward Croatia, Serbia and Romania. But the volume of water in the Danube appeared to be blunting the sludge's immediate impact. Illes said that neutralizing chemicals poured into primary and secondary tributaries of the Danube, as well as efforts to remove as much red sludge as possible from the waterways, was able to prevent ecological damage to Europe's second-longest river. Orban said he would inform parliament on Monday about the findings of an investigation and promised the "toughest possible consequences" to ensure such a disaster does not recur.
He added that the government would not decide before Monday whether the company that owns the damaged reservoir can resume production. Shutting down the alumina factory would threaten the livelihood of several thousand people. In Romania, local authorities were testing the water Sunday every four hours in the village of Bazias where the Danube enters Romania from Serbia, and will continue to carry out tests all this week, said Adrian Draghici, director of Romanian water for Mehedinti county. Romanian fishermen sailed out into the Danube and villagers fished on the banks of the river for pike, which is plentiful in the Danube. They seemed unperturbed by any potential hazards. But local authorities warned residents about letting animals drink from the Danube and urged them to be careful with fishing, as a precautionary measure. |
