The course that led Solomon Burke to his throne atop the celestial hierarchy of soul singers has been one of the most extraordinary in pop music history. Born on March 21, 1940, his unerring gift for hitting dead center every time was developed very early in life.  By the age of seven, Burke was already a phenomenon, holding forth as the regal-robed Wonder Boy Preacher before not only his own congregation in hometown Philadelphia’s Solomon’s Temple, but also an untold number of listeners who tuned in to the live remote broadcasts local station WDAS provided. Delivering innumerable sermons, Burke was already sifting through a complex spectrum of mind and spirit, coaxing right from wrong, uplifting the desperate, examining frailty and failure through a prism that not only explored human psychology but provided direct and invaluable experience with all the passionate intricacies of sanctified gospel singing, the very bedrock upon which so much American popular music is built--territory that Solomon Burke owns.

Recording for the independent Apollo label at age 14, his already skillful presentation resulted in 1954’s million selling gospel Christmas Presents From Heaven, but after rhythm & blues tastemaker Jerry Wexler brought him to Atlantic Records in 1960, and Burke applied the gospel technique to secular R&B, it provided the depth, involvement and range of emotion that defined what would come to be known as soul music. His output at Atlantic was stunning, a string of classic numbers (“Cry To Me,” “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love,” “Down In The Valley”) that defined the idiom with architectural precision, influenced everyone from Otis Redding to Tom Jones and ensured his subsequent coronation as the King of Rock & Soul.

An unchallenged ruler with a remarkable pedigree -- record sales topping 17 million, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction -- Burke has thrived not only artistically, but also spiritually (he maintains his own church in the San Fernando Valley) and personally (his family boasts 21 children), and shows no sign whatsoever of slowing.

Solmon sat down with executive producer Jeff Koz, and together they wrote the song "Life Is Just A Matter of Time"  specifically for Golden Slumbers - A Father's Love

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