Solomon Burke RIP

It is March 29, 2005 and I'm watching Solomon Burke onstage at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. No admission fee, no fuss, just an important soul legend in a great music store, giving it his all. He was a large guy and there were hospital screens set up across the makeshift stage so that he could take up his place with a deal of dignity. The screens were pulled back and there he was on his throne, immaculate.

He was surrounded by sons and grandsons, who gave out red roses to all the ladies in the house. He wore a black Stetson and his voice was astounding. I was there with my BBC pal Mike Edgar, and we were suitably wowed. It was an honour to see a legend like Solomon, getting his dues again, relatively late in his career, and my radio show has often been enriched by his music, particularly his recent work with Joe Henry.

As Van Morrison noted, the guy was real, real gone.