| Solomon Burke dies in Amsterdam Soul singer, whose hits included Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, dies at Schiphol airport aged 70The self-proclaimed king of rock and soul, Solomon Burke, whose hits included Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, has died at Schiphol airport in Holland, aged 70.The beautiful voice, apparently effortless style, and pristine diction and timing of the preacher turned singer-songwriter were legendary in the business. He was described by Jerry Wexler, his producer at Atlantic Records, as "the best soul singer of all time", and sold more than 17m records.Burke had just arrived on a flight from LA and was due to perform in Amsterdam on Tuesday with the Dutch rock band De Dijk, to launch their joint album, Hold On Tight, his second album of the year.He said earlier this year that he was clocking up a steady 130,000 annual frequent flyer air miles, performing across the States and in Europe – and in an interview with the Telegraph last month, he said: "As long as I have breath to do it, I'll sing."After years when he was better known through cover versions of his songs than his own recordings, his career was reborn after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and first Grammy award for the album, Don't Give Up On Me, the following year. Burke won new generations of fans at every appearance, including at Glastonbury two years ago.He was born in Philadelphia in 1940, began singing in a church choir as a child and preaching too – he was dubbed The Wonder Boy Preacher – and was recording by the age of 14. He once said: "The only thing I don't know is what key I was crying in when I came into this world."His website boasted that he was born "to the sound of horns and bass drums". From his earliest songs he created a distinctive style, mixing soul, rock and roll and country influences.His first album for Atlantic Records in 1962, when he was 22 (or possibly 24 – he was deliberately vague about his birthdate) was entitled Solomon Burke's Greatest Hits.The country style fooled the Ku Klux Klan into believing he was a white singer and he was once booked to entertain at a rally: not only did he escape unscathed, the audience repeatedly requested their favourite numbers.Later hits included the 1964 classic Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, covered by everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Blues Brothers, and Cry to Me, used in the film Dirty Dancing. He in turn performed songs by Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello, and duetted with Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Joss Stone.He was a giant of the soul world, literally and figuratively, with 21 children, 90 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren, and in later life became immensely heavy.In many of his last appearances, including Top of the Pops seven years ago, he sang magisterially seated in a throne-like armchair.United StatesMaev Kennedyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Evans says Moyles should move on Chris Moyles should leave the BBC Radio 1 breakfast show following his on-air rant about not being paid, according to fellow DJ Chris Evans. bbc.co.uk |
Tea Party Express loses momentum in rural Nevada Between the start of the hunting season and the success of the area's goldmines, the town of Elko failed to rise to the occasionThe Tea Party movement has gained the image of an unstoppable wave of anger sweeping everything before it as it seeks to overthrow the Washington establishment. Well in Elko, Nevada, last night it looked a little less than that.About 150 people turned up in an open field on a very chilly night to welcome the Tea Party Express, the bus tour that is crossing America in the run-up to next month's midterm elections. Most of the participants were in their sixties or above, and the event had more in common with a sedate charity gala than a political revolution.The low turnout and lack of energy was puzzling as it came just four hours' drive after a rousing start to the bus tour in Reno, addressed by Sarah Palin. I was lost for an explanation. This was after all the same state, the same battle to boot out Harry Reid, the local senator closely associated in Nevada with the big government spending habits of the Obama administration.Then I talked to Tom Norris, an affable retired truck driver. The answer was pretty simple, he told me. The hunting season had just begun. Hunters and their families were out on the trail of elk (apparently no connection to the town's name) and deer."I'd have been gone myself if my ticket had come up," Norris said.Ticket had come up?"It's a lottery. Numbers are drawn and if yours comes up you can go hunting. It's a way to control the size of the shoot."The other possible explanation for the poor turnout was that Elko is hurting slightly less than other parts of Nevada in the economic downturn. The unemployment rate here is less than 9%, compared with more than 14% for the state generally - the highest in the country.Elko is traditionally a cowboy town, serving mile upon mile of ranches in all directions. But it also has a thriving mining industry, and of one metal in particular - gold.With the slide of the dollar, gold has become ever stronger, and now stands at more than $1,300 (£827) an ounce. People have been moving in to Elko to work in its underground or surface gold mines.Gold is also one of the great staples of the Tea Party movement. Glenn Beck speaks about it on his shows with almost reverential respect (but then he does get paid by one of America's largest gold dealers to do so).Which is paradoxical. Gold is a Tea Party favourite, but here in Elko it has lifted the local spirits, perhaps rendering the populace less receptive to the movement's "knock 'em down" message.Tea Party movementUS politicsUnited StatesRepublicansUS midterm elections 2010Ed Pilkingtonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Shark kills bodyboarder in California 19-year-old dies after attack in Santa BarbaraA bodyboarder bled to death after a shark mauled his left leg, authorities said in Santa Barbara, California, yesterday as they closed three beaches over the weekend. Lucas Ransom, 19, was in the surf line about 100 metres off Surf Beach when a shark suddenly pulled him under. A friend who was with Ransom and other people at the beach pulled him from the water, but the University of California, student had received a severe wound and died a short time later. The last shark attack on Surf Beach was in 2008, when what was believed to be a great white bit a surfer's board but he was unharmed. United Statesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Catholics Working to Fight AIDS Welcome Pope's Condom Comments People are still debating exactly what the Pope meant with his comment about condom use. But among Catholics who work to stop the spread of AIDS, the debate itself is a big step in the right direction feedproxy.google.com |