By Gene Santoro

March 2, 2007

Caption: ON CLOUD NINE Solomon Burke will sing at B.B. King's

Landing a No. 1 album took soul pioneer Solomon Burke 50 years, multiple Grammy nominations and a slot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 66-year-old finally grabbed that top position on the respected Americana chart with his latest CD, the country-leaning "Nashville."

And on Sunday, Burke will celebrate at B.B. King's. "The way things are going, every morning I sing 'Happy Birthday to me,'" he laughs. "Thank you, Gene Autry."

It was Autry who proved pivotal in jump-starting Burke's complex career. In the early '60's, Burke was a cultural conundrum: a rich-voiced soul man who sang country songs.

Recalling the early years, Burke says, "It took 1 1/2 years for [the country number] 'Just Out of Reach' to get airplay. There was no format for it on black stations. I wasn't R&B enough for 'em."

Autry, who owned the song, called Burke to L.A. "The meeting took 6 minutes," the singer says. "He said, 'I love this record. I'm very sorry to hear you can't get airplay. But tell your record company to get back on it. That will change by next week.'"

It did. White pop stations programmed it and black R&B stations followed. Still, Burke's record company, Atlantic, put the kibosh on his country leanings. After a string of modest hits, like the classic "Cry to Me," his star faded. So he focused on working with his church.

Things turned around in 2001, with Burke's induction into the Hall of Fame. In 2002, he cut the CD "Don't Give Up on Me," which featured songs and performances by Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits. The album netted him a Grammy. Last year, his label told him, "Do whatever you want."

What he wanted was the sound he found on "Nashville." Guitarist-producer Buddy Miller, known for his work with country star Emmylou Harris, met Burke at the Americana Music Awards last year. The two instantly bonded. "He's an incredible arranger and producer," Burke says. "He creates an atmosphere, and you don't realize it until it's happened."

Recorded live in Miller's home studio, "Nashville" features guests like Harris, Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless and Gillian Welch. They won't be at the B.B. King show Sunday, but Burke promises a blowout nonetheless. "I've had a No.1 record for seven weeks, so as a tribute for everyone who made it No. 1, this show will be by request only. Go to my Web Site [www.thekingsolomonburke.com] and put in requests so we can practice 'em."